Using Social Stories to Introduce Concepts and Emergency Preparedness Drills to Children
- Jun 24, 2020
- 3 min read
The Institute for Childhood Preparedness and Autism Little Learners have teamed up to collaborate on a series of social stories for teachers, child care professionals, parents, and children! The first set of social stories focuses on emergency preparedness drills: fire drills, tornado drills, and active shooter drills (bees to a beehive). These books are great for all children in early childhood education, but they are also helpful for children with Autism to help them understand, communicate, and learn new concepts.
Download all three social stories on our Resources page!
Meet Tara Tuchel From Autism Little Learners
Throughout developing our social stories, I got a chance to speak to Tara and find out what her drive is for creating these amazing social stories. Tara said, “I developed my Teachers Pay Teachers store just over a year ago so that I could share materials that I make for my classroom. For me personally, I feel like in addition to my paid products, I want to offer a variety of free resources for families who could benefit from them. I started my blog in February, as a way to connect with families and professionals who may not have access to Teachers Pay Teachers. Then, Coronavirus hit and things dramatically changed for all of us around the world. I wrote a story about Coronavirus and why we needed to stay home. This story and subsequent COVID-19 stories I wrote went viral around the world and were translated into many other languages. It really made me realize that it is a small world during a pandemic and no matter where we are, we are all in this together. By offering these stories for free, I feel that I am doing my part to give back to the world in a small way. I want to continue to provide stories that will help children, parents, families and teachers at no cost when it comes to safety issues and common issues that they face. This led to a partnership with the Institute of Childhood Preparedness. We would like to offer stories to prepare and assist with safety issues that face young children.”
Social stories provide a helpful and calm way to teach children about emergency preparedness drills. Due to the early success of our first three social stories, we are also planning to offer social stories for earthquake drills, hurricane drills, and bus safety soon. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about our newest resources.
Free Online Training Course For Early Childhood Professionals Now Available
As part of our Protecting Children online series, we’re excited to announce the second installment: Protecting Children: Using Social Stories to Introduce Concepts and Emergency Preparedness Drills. This course focuses on our collaborative social stories and the ways that classrooms can implement them when practicing emergency preparedness drills. The social stories were developed to help children prepare for the changes in routine that come with practicing safety drills. Each course participant will receive a free download of each social story: fire drills, tornado drills, and active shooter drills (bees to a beehive).
Enroll in Protecting Children: Using Social Stories to Introduce Concepts and Emergency Preparedness Drills for FREE today.
Thank you so much to Tara Tuchel from Autism Little Learners for collaborating with us on these very important social stories. We hope these books reach a wide audience so they can help all children understand emergency preparedness concepts in a safe and calm learning environment.
Teaching children emergency preparedness drills is an essential part of our on-site training courses. Book active shooter preparedness training, emergency preparedness, response, and recovery training, or fire safety, prevention, and extinguisher usage training today: Click Here to Schedule a Training.
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As a student, I really admire Tara’s dedication to creating and sharing valuable resources freely, especially during challenging times. While working on my studies and seeking business dissertation help, I’ve learnt how powerful accessible educational materials can be in supporting families and teachers worldwide. Her efforts highlight how sharing knowledge with kindness can make a meaningful difference in communities everywhere.
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As a student, I admire Tara’s dedication to creating helpful resources that support families and educators, especially during challenging times. While I sometimes look for help with economics assignment, I see the value in free, accessible tools that make learning easier for everyone. Stories like Tara’s show how small efforts can have a big impact in connecting and preparing communities worldwide.
This article provides an excellent overview of using social stories to ease children—especially those with autism—into emergency preparedness drills like fire, tornado, and lockdown procedures. By breaking down stressful situations into calm, reassuring narratives, children can better understand what to expect and feel more secure during drills . I especially appreciate how the material supports predictable routines without causing anxiety—it’s a gentle and effective method. In my experience, when designing lesson plans or seeking assignment help in early childhood education courses, incorporating practical tools like these social stories not only improves learning outcomes but also brings real emotional support into academic assignments. It’s inspiring to see resources that empower both educators and parents to create safer, more prepared environments for kids.