Stranger Danger – Social Story for Kids

- Year groups
- Not year specific
- Pages
- 13
- File type
- Preparation
- Print ready
- Subject
- Special Education Needs (SEN), Life Skills, Social Skills, Special Resources
- Topic
- Stranger, SEN
- Resource types
- Activities
- Preparation
- Print ready
From the author
About this resource
Teaching children about stranger safety is crucial, but can be a scary topic. This Stranger Danger Social Story takes the fear out of this important lesson by using a warm, straightforward approach.
Designed for preschool and elementary age kids, this social story clearly defines "stranger" and explains why children should never go anywhere with someone they don't know. It covers strangers in different situations, like if approached on the street, in a store or playground. Kids learn that strangers can trick them with offers of candy, pets or fun activities.
Importantly, this Stranger Danger story also teaches children what to do if a stranger tries to interact with them. It provides simple steps like saying "No!", running to a trusted adult, yelling for help and reporting it right away. The empowering message is: Your body is yours and no one can take you without permission.
With its therapeutic tone and real-world advice, this social story removes anxiety and arms children with strategies. It is an indispensable tool for teachers, counselors, social workers and parents wanting to broach this sensitive safety issue. Using concrete examples and a reassuring voice, this Stranger Danger guide will build awareness, confidence and essential skills to help keep kids secure.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
In the classroom
Teaching tips & learning objectives
Teaching tips
Reread the story regularly rather than once — like other social stories, its short repeated rules are meant to build a habit over time, not land in a single reading.
Point out the wording change between the American and British versions ('mom' vs 'mum', 'candy' vs 'sweets') if switching between them, so the vocabulary stays consistent for the child.
Pair each page's rule with a real trusted adult's name and a concrete example (a store, a playground) to make the abstract rule easier to apply.
Skills covered
Identifying a stranger — the story defines a stranger simply as any person the child does not know, of either gender.
Personal safety responses — the story pairs specific stranger scenarios (being offered candy, asked to get in a car, approached in public) with a concrete action: say no, shout for help, run away, or tell a trusted adult.
Good to know
Questions teachers ask about this resource
Does the story use American or British spelling?
Both — the download includes a US-spelling version ('mom', 'candy') and a UK-spelling version ('mum', 'sweets'), each covering the identical 13-page story.
Who created the illustrations in the story?
The clipart images throughout are credited to Kari Bolt on the included credits page.
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Resource details
Concepts & topics
Core concepts
Stranger danger
Trusted adult
Personal safety
Social story
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