New Year, New Teacher Social Story
- Grades
- Not Grade Specific
- Pages
- 19
- File type
- Preparation
- Print ready
- Subject
- Special Education Needs (SEN), Life Skills, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Special Resources
- Topic
- Social Story, Social Narrative
- Resource types
- Activities
- Preparation
- Print ready
From the author
About this resource
Starting the school year with a new teacher can cause anxiety for some children. This New Year New Teacher Social Story is designed to alleviate fears and set students up for a great year!
Using a warm, nurturing tone, this social story addresses common worries about having a new classroom and teacher. It emphasizes all the exciting opportunities like making new friends, learning new things, participating in class and showing the teacher your strengths.
The story reassures students that it is normal to feel nervous at first when everything is new. With realistic photos and spaces to personalize details, children relate to the story. Teachers can fill in individual student and teacher names to make it meaningful or you can email me the details you want added and I will personalise it for you.
Reviewing this social story before the start of school will help smooth the transition to a new classroom. It builds familiarity, giving students a preview of what to expect. The supportive tone and practical tips help students feel empowered to participate and get involved in the new class right away.
This New Year New Teacher Social Story reduces back-to-school jitters so students can focus on developing relationships, skills and confidence right from the start. It is an invaluable tool for easing anxiety!
These books should be used over and over to reinforce the point so I would suggest either putting the pages into a display book or laminating and binding them.
Clipart images courtesy of Kari Bolt Clipart.
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In the classroom
Teaching tips & learning objectives
Teaching tips
Read the story through at least twice initially, then revisit it regularly — the included tips page notes that reading it only once or twice is a common reason social stories don't work as intended.
Fill in the blanks (child's name, grade, teacher, trusted adult, break dates) and insert the suggested photos before the first reading, so the story reads as specific to the child rather than generic.
Laminate or bind the pages, or place them in a display book, since the story is meant to be reread many times rather than used once.
Skills covered
Emotional preview and coping — the story names feelings like nervousness and sadness around change and pairs each with a concrete coping step (talking to a trusted adult, taking deep breaths).
Transition preparation — the story previews concrete facts about the coming change (new classroom, new teacher, same friends and school) before it happens.
Good to know
Questions teachers ask about this resource
Does the story come pre-filled, or do I add the child's own details?
You personalize it — blank spaces and photo prompts run throughout the story for the child's name, grade, teacher, trusted adult, and break dates.
Does the download include more than one version of the story?
Yes — alongside the current 21-page version, an earlier 16-page version with slightly different wording is also included.
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Resource details
Concepts & topics
Core concepts
Core concepts
Social story
Back-to-school transition
Coping with change
Topics
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