Is this like a gentle hands book?

Yes, it follows the same idea as a gentle hands book or social story: one clear situation and one safe choice. The difference is that your child is the main character. Their name and a friend’s name are in the story, and it comes narrated, so you can listen together on a calm day.

Will this story stop my toddler from hitting?

No single story can do that, and this one does not promise it. Gentle hands take lots of practice. What the story can do is show that the big feeling is okay while hitting is not, and give your child one safe thing to try, like squeezing their hands or stomping their feet.

Is anyone hurt in the story?

No. The story stops before hitting, with a grown-up’s help, and never describes anyone getting hurt. Your child is not called bad or naughty, and no one is forced to apologize or hug. The focus stays on the feeling and on what hands can do instead.

Gentle hands story for toddlers, starring your child

Create a story

Your child’s name

Friend’s name (optional)

Any extra details to add?

Anything to avoid? (optional)

Optional — leave out monsters, getting lost, separation, loud surprises, or anything they don't want tonight.

The story is written and narrated in :

Narrator voice:

Every everyday challenge story is about 3 minutes long.

Who's listening?

The small step in this story

Your child picks one safe thing to do with their hands, such as squeezing them tight or stomping their feet. It may take lots of practice; the story shows that the feeling is okay even when hitting is not.

Talk about the story together

What big feeling did the character have?
What did the character do with their hands instead?
What could your hands do when a feeling gets big?

Your child can answer, point to a picture, or simply listen. There is no correct answer.

They are designed for everyday conversations and practice. They do not promise that one story will change a habit or make a worry disappear.

Coping with a toddler hitting or biting

Toddlers feel things fast and big, and their hands or teeth often move before their words can. A toddler hitting or biting is not a bad child; it is a child who does not yet have another way to show a big feeling. What helps is a calm, steady grown-up and lots of practice with safe choices. That is why parents reach for a hitting social story, a biting social story or a gentle hands book: a story lets your child practice the pause before the moment comes.

Questions parents ask

Is this like a gentle hands book?: Yes, it follows the same idea as a gentle hands book or social story: one clear situation and one safe choice. The difference is that your child is the main character. Their name and a friend’s name are in the story, and it comes narrated, so you can listen together on a calm day.
Will this story stop my toddler from hitting?: No single story can do that, and this one does not promise it. Gentle hands take lots of practice. What the story can do is show that the big feeling is okay while hitting is not, and give your child one safe thing to try, like squeezing their hands or stomping their feet.
Is anyone hurt in the story?: No. The story stops before hitting, with a grown-up’s help, and never describes anyone getting hurt. Your child is not called bad or naughty, and no one is forced to apologize or hug. The focus stays on the feeling and on what hands can do instead.

A gentle hands story for toddlers, starring your child

Coping with a toddler hitting or biting

Questions parents ask