Editable Stealing Social Story: Asking Before I Take

What is included

• •One illustrated social story about stealing: asking first and giving things back
• •A gentle wording that describes far more than it instructs, and a firmer direct wording
• •Four child looks: a boy or a girl, with light or dark skin
• •Half-page booklets in wide and tall pages, in US Letter and A4
• •Blank write-in booklets in US Letter and A4, for the stories only you can write
• •A guide with a printed link and QR code for each wording that opens your copy in the free Social Story Maker

What the stealing social story says

The gentle wording is eight pages long, one picture and one short sentence on each page, told in the child's own voice. The first two pages read:

The pages after that cover:

• what stealing means, in plain words
• how people feel when something of theirs goes missing
• asking "May I have a turn?" before taking
• hearing yes or no, and both answers being okay
• giving something back and saying sorry, with a grown-up's help
• how asking first helps friends trust and play

The direct wording says the same things in seven pages, with the expectation stated plainly.

When to read a stealing social story

Read it at a calm time, never right after something went missing: a quiet afternoon at home, before a playdate, or before a trip to the store. Read it again before the places where taking usually happens, and once more after your child asked first or gave something back, so the story is tied to a real success.

How to read the stealing social story with your child

1. Start with the gentle wording; switch to the direct one if your child does best with a plain rule.
2. Print the child look that matches your child, and write their name on the cover.
3. Read one page at a time, pointing to the picture before you read the sentence.
4. Practice the asking page with a real toy: your child asks, and you answer yes some days and no on others.
5. When something is given back, thank your child for returning it and keep the moment short and calm.

Stealing social story questions

What is a stealing social story?

A stealing social story is a short illustrated story, in the approach developed by Carol Gray, that explains whose things are whose from a child's point of view. It names the wanting feeling, shows asking first, and shows giving something back, so the real moment feels familiar before it comes.

Will the story make my child feel like a bad kid?

No. The story never calls the child a thief or says they are bad. It explains the word stealing once, plainly, then spends its pages on what to do instead: ask first, accept yes or no, and give things back with a grown-up's help.

What is the difference between the gentle and the direct wording?

The gentle wording mostly describes what happens and how it feels, with two coaching sentences. The direct wording states the expectation plainly: I do not take things that belong to other people, I ask first. Both come in this stealing social story, so you can choose the one that fits.

Can I personalize the story?

Yes. The guide prints a link and a QR code for each wording that opens the story in the free Social Story Maker. You can add your child's name, change the toy to the thing your child usually takes, and change any sentence, such as the words your child uses to ask.

What formats and paper sizes are included?

One ZIP with print-ready PDFs in US Letter and A4: the story in four child looks, each in wide and tall booklet pages and in both wordings, plus blank write-in booklets and the guide. Print at actual size, cut each sheet in half along the dashed line, stack the pages in order and staple the left edge.

How do I receive the files, and can I use them with my whole class?

Delivery is instant: checkout unlocks the download and emails you the link, and the pack stays in your My Resources library. It is licensed for personal and single-classroom use. Because it is a digital download, all sales are final; if a file will not open, email info@spectrumunlocked.com and Spectrum Unlocked will fix it.