Routines & transitions
Bedtime Social Story
A gentle social story that walks the whole bedtime routine in order, pajamas, teeth, a story with a grown-up, lights out, and keeps going into the hard part: what to do when sleep is slow to arrive. Read it below, then print it with your child's name on the cover.
The story
Read the full story below. In the maker you can add your child's name, swap pictures, and print it as a booklet.
My Bedtime Story
A social story about getting ready for sleep
- 1
Every night my body needs sleep to grow and feel good.Describes - 2
Bedtime happens in the same order most nights. That helps my body know sleep is coming.Describes - 3
First I put on my pajamas.Describes - 4
Then I brush my teeth so my mouth is clean for the night.Describes - 5
Some nights I read a story with my grown-up before I get into bed.Describes - 6
When the lights turn off, my room gets dark and quiet. Dark helps my body rest.Describes - 7
If it is hard to fall asleep, I can lie still and take slow, deep breaths.Coaches - 8
I can cuddle my blanket or a stuffed animal to help my body feel cozy.Coaches - 9
While I sleep, my body rests and grows.Describes - 10
In the morning, I wake up rested and ready for a new day.Describes
When to use this story
Use this story when bedtime brings resistance, stalling, or trouble settling once the lights go off. It works best read at the same point in the routine every night, many families slot it in right after teeth, so the story itself becomes one of the predictable steps it describes.
Predictability is the story's engine. It says outright that bedtime happens in the same order most nights, and that sameness helps the body know sleep is coming. If your actual routine differs from the story's order, edit the pages to match, because the story should describe your real evenings.
The story does not stop at lights out. Two pages cover the moment most bedtime advice skips, lying awake in a dark room: lie still and take slow, deep breaths, and cuddle a blanket or stuffed animal to feel cozy. Rehearsing those moves by daylight makes them available at 8:30 pm.
The framing throughout is body-positive rather than rule-based. Sleep is what helps the body rest and grow, and dark is what helps the body rest, so the routine reads as care, not control.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I use a bedtime social story?
- Read it as a fixed step inside the routine itself, at the same point every night, so it both describes and becomes part of the sequence. Some families also read it earlier in the evening when a child is anxious about bedtime, which gives the calming pages a rehearsal before they are needed.
- What steps does the story include?
- Pajamas first, then brushing teeth, then a story with a grown-up, then lights out. After that it covers what to do while falling asleep, lying still with slow breaths and cuddling something cozy, and ends with waking up rested. Each step is one page, so you can reorder or cut pages to match your home.
- My child gets up again after lights out. Will this help?
- It can help as one piece of a consistent routine. The story gives your child two concrete things to do in bed instead of getting up, and it explains why the dark, quiet room is there. Consistency from the grown-ups on what happens next does the rest of the work.
- Is the bedtime story free to print?
- Yes. The full story is on this page and the maker produces the printable booklet at no cost. Add your child's name, and photos of their actual room or stuffed animal if you want the pages to feel familiar.
- Can I match the story to our exact routine?
- Yes, and it is worth doing. Open it in the maker to reorder steps, add a bath page, swap the pictures, or rename the comfort object to the one your child actually sleeps with. A story that mirrors reality works harder than a generic one.
- Who developed social stories?
- Social Stories were developed by Carol Gray in the early 1990s. The gentle version of this template follows her published guidance, including describing more than coaching, but Spectrum Unlocked is not affiliated with or endorsed by Carol Gray.
Related stories
Brushing Teeth Social Story
Two minutes at the sink can be a battle. This free printable social story breaks tooth brushing into small steps and names the tricky sensory parts.
Getting Dressed Social Story
From underwear to shoes, this social story puts the morning routine in a fixed order for kids who get stuck. Free to print or personalize with your child's name.
Related guides
Social Stories were developed by Carol Gray. Spectrum Unlocked is not affiliated with or endorsed by Carol Gray; the gentle version of this template follows her published describe-more-than-coach guidance.