Explaining divorce or a family separation to a child isn't easy. It brings up a lot of changes and big emotions.
No wonder it's a huge transition that many kids struggle with. And in many different ways. How much they struggle may depend on their age and relationship with their parents.
Your child might have a lot of questions about what happens now. Questions such as who will live where, when they'll get to see one parent and when they won't, who will sleep where and when, what divorce even means, why their parents are getting divorced...and so much more.
So if you are currently in this situation and need some help explaining divorce to your children, then these free social stories about divorce might be helpful for you.
**Also, I'm going to preface this list for any friends or family who know me in real life: no, I'm not getting divorced. I'm simply sharing these social stories for other families who need it. It's ridiculous that I even need to put disclaimers like this in the first place, but I don't want anyone I personally know to read too much into things...okay? Cool.**
This collection of social stories for parents separating, splitting up, or divorcing was last updated on November 23, 2022. New stories were added, dead links were removed, and more details were provided to make sure you can find what you need quicker.
Important Notes about Social Stories for Parents Separating or Divorcing
This topic is a sensitive one. One that requires a lot of careful consideration when writing about and reading with a child. Every family situation will be unique.
Please note that if you are a therapist working with a child who's parents are divorcing, you'll want to work together with the child's parents. You'll want to make sure that you have their full permission before sharing a social story on this topic. You'll also want to discuss any behavioral, emotional, or social issues that may have arisen since the child learned about the divorce. That way you know what things to touch on.
I highly recommend writing your own social story for explaining parents separation and divorce. After all, every family situation will be unique. You might have a parent who has a new partner. You might have siblings and pets to discuss. You might have a parent who will be moving far away (here are some free social stories about moving, by the way). There are so many possibilities here.
So it's best to use the following free social stories as inspiration. And it's best to include real photos of all involved. Including photos of the different houses or rooms that the child may be going to when visiting one parent or another is all part of writing an effective social story.
Free Printable Social Stories About Divorce & Parents Separating
Have you been looking for a social story that explains divorce, living in two homes, or separation? Then look no further than these free printable social stories about divorce. Some require you to have a Teachers Pay Teachers account (which is free!) before you can download them.
Remember, it's best to write a custom social story for a topic such as divorce. So please use these options as inspiration only. You can use these free social story templates here to help write your own story from scratch.
Please note that just because a social story is listed here does not mean I endorse its content. After all, many social stories tend to be poorly written and/or teach autistic masking. Besides, I haven't read all of these stories word for word myself. So please read through the stories carefully before using them with your child.
1. Example My Family is Different Now Social Story from Panda Speech & Language Services - Here is an example of a story you could write. Text only is included. There are some other great visuals and tips about talking about divorce included here as well.
2. Where Will Mommy & Daddy Sleep? (After Mom and Dad Divorce) Social Story from Carol Gray Social Stories - This social story includes full color photos and is specific to a kid named Logan, but you get the idea of how you could write a story like this. There are some story notes and tips included as well.
3. Divorce Social Story from StoryboardThat - This simple story uses colorful clipart and includes a family with a white mom, a Black dad, and Black kids. Yay for some representation!
4. Mini Book About Divorce from Katelyn Honeycutt on TPT - A simple story with clipart. It looks like it comes as a Word document so hopefully that means you can edit it too.
5. Facetime with Daddy Social Story from Jackie Kappel on TPT - Sometimes when parents get divorced, they don't stay in the same area. A parent may move to another city or province/state. This story focuses on how to stay in touch via Facetime or video chat.
6. I Have Two Homes Story from CoParenter - Here's a story about having two homes due to divorce. It's text only and not technically a social story. Yet, it will give you a good framework for things to consider when writing your own story about these big family changes.
7. My Parents are Separating Social Story from Social Stories: Power Tool for Autism - This story is mostly just text. There is one photo included, but it's probably not super helpful.
8. Divorce Social Story from Watson Institute - There is a social story about divorce here (as well as other topics). It uses colorful clipart.
I know that wasn't a lot of free social stories about divorce to choose from. However, I hope you still find some helpful ideas for creating your own.
