Using Kind Hands – Social Story for Gentle Behavior & Self-Control

Learning to use kind and gentle hands is a crucial social-emotional skill for young children. Many children, especially those with autism, ADHD, sensory processing difficulties, or impulse control challenges, may struggle with hitting, pushing, grabbing, or using their hands aggressively when they feel frustrated, excited, or overwhelmed.

This social story is designed to help children:
✔ Understand when and why they might use their hands inappropriately.
✔ Learn the importance of using hands gently in social situations.
✔ Discover safe and appropriate ways to express frustration or excitement.

By using first-person storytelling, engaging illustrations, and interactive activities, this resource reinforces positive behavior and self-regulation strategies. It is ideal for:
✔ Preschoolers and early learners developing social skills and impulse control.
✔ Children with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing challenges who need clear, structured behavior guidance.
✔ Parents, teachers, and therapists looking for a structured tool to promote gentle interactions.

This structured approach encourages self-awareness and behavior modification, making it an effective learning tool in both home and classroom settings.

Product Details

• Format: Printable PDF
• Total Pages: 11
• Segments: 16 real-life scenarios teaching gentle behavior and self-control.
• Features:
  ✔ Engaging illustrations to support understanding.
  ✔ First-person storytelling to help children relate to the lesson.
  ✔ 6 interactive activities to reinforce self-regulation strategies.
  ✔ Simple, child-friendly language for easy comprehension.
  ✔ Scenarios include: learning when to use gentle hands, handling frustration, taking turns, and respecting personal space.

This structured social story is an essential tool for teaching kindness, self-regulation, and positive behavior in young children.

Educational Benefits

This social story provides a structured and engaging way to teach children how to use their hands safely and kindly in various situations.

1. Teaches Social Awareness & Self-Control

✔ Helps children identify situations where they may use their hands inappropriately.
✔ Teaches children when and how to stop before hitting, pushing, or grabbing.

2. Encourages Safe Alternative Behaviors

Instead of hitting or pushing, children are encouraged to:
✔ Take deep breaths.
✔ Ask for help when feeling frustrated.
✔ Use words to express their feelings.
✔ Keep hands in their lap or engage in a sensory-friendly activity.

3. Supports Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Special Needs

✔ Designed for children with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing challenges.
✔ Uses clear, predictable structure to make concepts easy to understand.

4. Reinforces Learning with Interactive Activities

✔ Encourages children to practice and apply self-regulation techniques.
✔ Includes hands-on learning opportunities through discussions, role-playing, and drawing activities.

This structured approach ensures that children internalize and practice positive behaviors, leading to improved social skills and emotional regulation.

Instructions for Use

This social story is designed to be used consistently to help children develop gentle behavior and impulse control.

1. Read & Discuss the Story

• Read the story aloud with your child or student.
• Pause at key moments to ask reflection questions:
  "How do you feel when someone pushes you?"
  "What can we do instead of using our hands roughly?"
  "How does using kind hands help our friends?"

2. Use Real-Life Examples & Visual Cues

• Identify real-life moments when a child is struggling with impulse control.
• Use visual reminders such as posters or cue cards for using kind hands.
• Create a calm-down space with sensory-friendly tools.

3. Engage in Interactive Activities

• Use the six included activities to reinforce key strategies:
  ✔ Role-Playing Safe Choices – Practicing what to do instead of hitting or pushing.
  ✔ "My Feelings Chart" – Identifying emotions before reacting.
  ✔ Social Scenario Matching – Identifying when to use gentle hands.
  ✔ Calm-Down Countdown – Practicing self-regulation before responding.
  ✔ Comprehension Questions – Checking understanding of the story.
  ✔ Creative Activity – Drawing or role-playing positive social behaviors.

4. Reinforce Positive Behavior Daily

• Model kind hands and gentle behavior in everyday situations.
• Praise positive choices when a child chooses a safe alternative:
  "Great job keeping your hands to yourself and using your words!"
  "I love how you asked for a turn instead of grabbing!"

Activities Using the Resource

This social story includes engaging, interactive activities that reinforce the concept of using kind hands and help children practice self-regulation and social-emotional skills.

1. "Kind vs. Unkind Hands" Sorting Activity

Objective: Teach children the difference between kind hands and unkind hands through a sorting exercise.
✔ Materials: Printable sorting cards (with actions like "Helping a friend" vs. "Pushing").
✔ How to Play:

• Provide a mix of safe and unsafe hand actions.
• Have the child sort the actions into two categories: Kind Hands and Unkind Hands.
• Discuss why kind hands are important and what to do instead of using rough hands.

2. "What Would You Do?" Discussion Cards

Objective: Teach children how to respond to real-life social situations.
✔ Materials: Printable discussion prompt cards.
✔ How to Play:

• Read a scenario aloud (e.g., "Your friend takes your toy. What do you do?").
• Encourage the child to think and respond with a safe and kind solution.
• Reinforce positive behavior choices through discussion.

3. "Role-Playing Gentle Hands" Exercise

Objective: Help children practice appropriate hand use in social interactions.
✔ Materials: Soft toys or real-life scenarios.
✔ How to Play:

• Create different role-playing scenarios:
  • Shaking hands gently.
  • Asking for a turn instead of grabbing.
  • Helping a friend up instead of pushing.
• Have the child act out the safe behavior while reinforcing kind hands.

4. "Calm-Down Countdown" Game

Objective: Help children develop impulse control and self-regulation.
✔ Materials: A timer or visual countdown chart.
✔ How to Play:

• When a child feels upset, have them pause and count down from 5.
• Each number represents a calming action:
  5 – Take a deep breath.
  4 – Shake out their hands.
  3 – Stretch their arms.
  2 – Say, "I can handle this."
  1 – Use kind hands and make a positive choice.

5. "Draw & Describe" Creative Activity

Objective: Encourage children to visualize and express how they can use kind hands.
✔ Materials: Paper and crayons.
✔ How to Play:

• Have the child draw a picture of themselves using kind hands.
• Ask them to describe their picture: "How are you using kind hands in this situation?"

Conclusion

"Using Kind Hands – Social Story for Gentle Behavior & Self-Control" is an engaging and structured way to help children:
✔ Understand why it’s important to use gentle hands.
✔ Learn safe and appropriate ways to handle frustration.
✔ Develop impulse control and emotional regulation skills.

By using real-life scenarios, engaging illustrations, and structured activities, this printable social story helps children transition from rough hands to gentle social interactions in a safe and effective way.

Instant download – Start using it today!
Perfect for home, school, and therapy sessions.