When my son was small he had a real issue with understanding the concept of personal space especially at his nursery. So I wrote a social story for him about what personal space means. The story really helped. I am sharing it here, it may be useful to you. If you write one for your son or daughter you can use their pictures to personalise it for them.
A parent
A story about me and my personal space
I have an area around my body that is called “personal space”. This space is like an invisible bubble or train track. Sometimes my personal space is very small. When it is small it is about the same size as my body. If I am with mama and papa my personal space is small. Mama and papa love it when I am close. They love my hugs and kisses. It makes them happy. My sister also loves it when I am close. She does “rolly pollies” on me.
Sometimes my personal space is large. If I am with a person I don’t know very well I may choose to have a large personal space. I can see what large personal space looks like by stretching my arms like Mr Tickle.
At school I can choose to have medium personal space. When I have medium personal space I can play with other children and sit next to them but I will not touch their faces and they will not touch my face. Medium personal space is comfortable for me and for my school friends. My teacher will give me a red carpet circle to help me remember not to get too close to other children. If I am not too close to them and not touch their faces we can all be comfortable and have fun playing.
When I come home my personal space will be small again and I can cuddle with mama. This is a story all about my personal space. Sometimes its small, sometimes its medium and sometimes it is large.
