This going to the park social story (Social Skill: Going to the Park) is a free visual communication aid that uses pictures and words to help a learner know how to stay safe and what to expect when going to the park. Parents can use it at home to talk about expectations, understand what your child finds hard and prepare for tricky moments before they happen. Use it to support social skills in places where your child is likely to meet unfamiliar people, children and pets.
What Is a Going to the Park Social Story?
The Going to the Park Social Story is a visual aid that uses images and words to help a learner know how to play safely and what to expect when going to the park. It’s a great tool to help a learner understand what will happen and what they can do when they get there.
Some learners feel unsure about going to the park. Learning and reviewing what to expect can help them feel more comfortable. It can help prepare them for their visit to the park. It teaches learners about playing safely. Seeing visual cues in a short, simple story can help many learners take in the information more easily than being told verbally.
The goal of the Going to the Park Social Story is to prepare the learner for the outing, show them how to stay safe and ease any worry they may have, so they can enjoy the park, stay safe and have fun.
Because it reads like a story, a parent or carer can read it as often as the learner likes, using expression to make it more interesting.
How to Use This Social Story With Your Child
Read the story together a few times in the days before a park visit, at a calm time. Pause on each picture and let your child point, comment or ask questions in whatever way they communicate. Take the printed story with you so you can look at it again in the car or at the gate. Agree on a “time to go” signal beforehand, and talk about a quiet spot they can go to if the park gets too busy or noisy. Afterwards, look at the story again and talk about the parts they enjoyed.
Park and Playground Social Story FAQs
A good park social story shows how you get there, what your child might see and hear, how to take turns on the swings and slide, where the grown-up will be and how the visit ends. Real photos of your local park can make it feel familiar. Add one line about what to do if it gets too busy, such as moving to a quiet bench.
How can I help my child leave the park?
Leaving is often the hardest part. Give a warning a few minutes before, using a timer or a “five more slides” countdown, and show the last page of the story. Plan something to look forward to next, like a snack in the car. If your child gets upset, stay calm and close: distress at transitions is communication, not misbehavior.
Yes. The same steps work for school playgrounds and indoor play centers. Swap in pictures of the new place, read it a few times beforehand and keep the safety rules the same so your child sees a familiar pattern.
For more ideas, see our guide to social stories for kids with autism.
