Moving House Social Story
- Grades
- Not Grade Specific
- File type
- Preparation
- Print ready
- Topic
- social story, moving house
- Preparation
- Print ready
About this resource
What's inside this resource
Social stories use a patient and reassuring tone to teach children about social situations in a way that can be easily understood. Social stories are particularly useful for children on the autistic spectrum for whom social cues can be challenging and who often suffer anxiety if they do not know what to expect from a situation however social stories can also be useful for any child who is struggling to understand a situation or concept or needs help to understand a social skill or social cue, expectations, perspectives, common responses or is troubled about an upcoming event.
This social story is to help children prepare for moving house and know what to expect.
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.
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In the classroom
Teaching tips & learning objectives
Learning objectives
Anticipate the sequence of events involved in moving house, from packing to unpacking in a new home.
Name a feeling (such as scared or sad) that can come with a big change like moving.
Identify talking to a parent as a way to cope with feelings about the move.
Teaching tips
Choose the spelling version that matches the child's own vocabulary — American ('mommy') or British ('mummy') — since the two versions otherwise tell the identical story.
Read the fourteen scenes in order, since each page states one sequential step of the move: leaving, packing, the removal lorry, arrival, and unpacking.
Pause on the feelings page to let the child name their own feelings before turning to the next page, which immediately offers talking to a parent as the coping step.
Skills covered
Emotional literacy — the child names feelings such as scared or sad that can come with an upcoming move, and is told that feeling this way is OK.
Sequencing an upcoming event — the child follows a step-by-step account of packing, travel, arrival and unpacking to build a predictable mental script for moving day.
Coping-strategy rehearsal — the child rehearses talking to a parent about feelings as a concrete response to anxiety about the move.
Good to know
Questions teachers ask about this resource
Does the download include different spelling or wording versions?
Yes — two otherwise identical versions are included, one using American spelling and phrasing (mommy) and one using British spelling and phrasing (mummy), so the story can be read in the child's own vocabulary.
What happens once the family reaches the new house in the story?
The boxes and furniture arrive and are unpacked, and the child finds their own bedroom already set up with their own bed and belongings, ending with the story's reassurance that moving house will turn out to be fun.
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Resource details
Concepts & topics
Core concepts
Core concepts
Moving house
Coping with change
Naming feelings
Social story format
Topics
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