A social story for making the bed

Making the bed means the blanket is pulled up and the pillow sits at the top. It happens once in the morning, after everyone is up. Nighttime sleep is a different routine.

Blanket, then pillow

Carol Gray's 10.2 criteria ask for first person or third person, and they leave out "you" (Social Stories 10.2 Criteria, accessed November 1, 2026). The lines below are first person.

Blanket Up, Pillow at the Top

I am up. Making the bed comes next.

I pull the blanket toward the pillow. The blanket covers the mattress.

The pillow goes at the top. I pat it once.

A wrinkle can stay. Straight enough is enough.

Toys that slept on the bed move to the shelf. The bed is not their shelf.

Mom or Dad may take the far corner. I take the near corner.

When the blanket is up and the pillow is at the top, making the bed is finished.

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Keep it if you will actually do it

The CDC says families can use routines for wake-up and for clean-up, and that jobs should match what a child can do (Tips for Relying on Routines and Rules, accessed November 1, 2026). If making the bed is not a job in your house, leave it out. A story about a chore you will skip teaches the wrong ending.

A younger child can hold the pillow while an adult pulls the blanket. Say that help in the story if that is the real split.

Pajamas, a book, and the lamp are the bedtime routine, not this morning job. Stopping play so toys go in a bin is the transition story.

One practice

1. Name morning, after getting up, as the time.
2. Pull the blanket up together once.
3. Place the pillow at the top.
4. Move toys to the shelf, or skip that line if toys never stay on the bed.

Two pictures, the blanket then the pillow, can be printed as a two-step picture strip. More strips are on the free tools page.

Later notes go out from the Social Stories email list.

When to ask for help

This is a morning chore. If getting out of bed has been a struggle for weeks, or sleep trouble is worrying you, talk with the pediatrician. Bring the morning order you have been using. Pulling up a blanket is not a sleep plan, and it does not treat a sleep problem.

FAQ

How smooth does the blanket need to be?

Straight enough. A wrinkle can stay. Finished means the blanket is up and the pillow is at the top.

What about toys on the bed?

They move to the shelf if they were on the bed overnight. If toys never stay there, leave that line out.

Is this the bedtime routine?

No. Bedtime is the night order. This story is the morning, after everyone is up.