Table of Contents
I Can Keep My Hands to Myself is a social story designed to teach personal space, safe behavior, and appropriate ways to interact with other people. The 13-page format gives children several short pages to read and discuss instead of presenting one long lesson. It can be especially useful for children who hit, push, poke, grab, scratch, touch without permission, or have difficulty understanding physical boundaries.
This type of resource may support children with autism, developmental disabilities, speech and language needs, learning differences, or social-emotional challenges. It can also help any child who needs clear, repeated instruction about keeping hands, feet, and objects in their own space. The story should be used as a teaching tool, not as a punishment or a substitute for supervision.
What the Social Story Teaches
The pages typically explain why people need personal space, what “hands to self” looks like, and which actions are safer alternatives. Depending on the version, the story may address school, home, community, play, and moments when a child feels angry or excited. Use simple language when discussing the pages, and connect each idea to a situation the child recognizes.
How to Use the Pages
- Read before challenging situations. Review the story before recess, lunch, group activities, transitions, or visits with siblings and peers.
- Read slowly and talk briefly. Ask questions such as “Where should your hands be?” or “What can you do instead of pushing?” Avoid turning the reading into a test.
- Practice the replacement behavior. Model keeping hands in pockets, holding a fidget, clasping hands, asking for a turn, stepping away, or using words to request help.
- Use consistent reminders. Refer to the same short phrase, such as “hands to self,” across home and school settings.
- Review after success. Praise the specific behavior: “You kept your hands in your own space while waiting.”
Printing and Preparation Tips
- Print a test page first to check margins, scale, and image quality.
- Choose actual size or 100% scale unless the printer cuts off the edges.
- Use standard letter paper and print in color when visuals are important.
- For frequent use, laminate the pages or place them in sheet protectors.
- Bind the pages with a folder, binder ring, or small booklet format.
- Keep one copy in a calm-down area and another in a backpack or classroom file.
Personalize the discussion with the child’s name, familiar settings, and approved photos or symbols when the format allows. Keep the message respectful: the goal is not simply “do not touch,” but learning consent, body boundaries, safe choices, and practical ways to communicate needs.
Where to Find and Print I Can Keep My Hands To Myself Social Story Pages 13 Social Free
I Can Keep My Hands to Myself: 13-Page Social Story
A 13-page social story covering appropriate behavior, inappropriate touching, personal boundaries, and ways to reinforce the skill at home or school.
Personal Space and Boundaries Social Stories
An authoritative collection of social stories and teaching materials about personal space, touching, consent, and keeping hands to oneself.