Free Social Story for Teaching Kids to Accept No | Printable PDF
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Click here to download the free social story PDF!
If you’ve read my research-based articles on positive behavior support, you know that I’m not a big fan of simply saying “no” when it comes to telling kids what they can’t have.
Both research and my personal experiences show that focusing on what kids can have, empathizing with their feelings, offering choices, and explaining the reasoning behind decisions is far more effective than just saying, “No! Because I said so!”
That said, we live in a world where children will still encounter the word “no,” and they need to learn how to handle this calmly and appropriately.
This is why I wrote this interactive social story: I Hate the Word “No!” The goal of this story is to teach children valuable coping skills that will help them respond to hearing “No!” in a calm, controlled way.
Related Article: How to Prevent Temper Tantrums
I Hate the Word No
(A Social Story About Calmly Responding to the Word No)
Sometimes adults and other kids tell me “no!”
They won’t give me what I want.
I can’t control what others do but I can control what I do.
When I can’t have what I want, I feel:
Circle the feelings you have when you can’t get what you want.
When someone tells me “no” I can do some things to stay calm.
I can choose something else to do.
I can take a break by:
walking away
or by sitting down and taking deep breaths.
I can say how I feel.
When someone tells me no, I will keep my hands and feet to myself!
I will be respectful and safe.
I cannot hurt myself or anyone else.
I cannot destroy property.
I cannot scream or say mean things to anyone.
Here are some examples of what I can do when someone says “No!” to me.
Example 1 – At Home:
“I want that cupcake!” Mom says “No!”
I can:
- ask for a piece of fruit
- go listen to music
- or say I feel frustrated because I really want that cupcake!
I can’t:
- hurt myself or anyone else
- destroy property
- scream at anyone.
Example 2 – At School:
“I want to read that book about baseball!”
The teacher says, “No. Someone else took it from the library.”
I can:
- pick another book
- sit at my seat to calm down
- or say “I’m upset that I can’t get that book! I love baseball!”
I can’t:
- hurt myself or anyone else
- destroy property
- scream at anyone.
Click here to download the free social story PDF!
After reading the story, your child may enjoy drawing a picture or writing down what they might do the next time they are told no!
You can make your own story by using real pictures of your child/family or pictures from Google Images.
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