Enrichment · Wellbeing

Short stories that show
what a child can do.

Pick a story starter, put it in the child's words, and read it together on screen with pictures, read-aloud and large, well-spaced text. Then print it as a small book for the backpack or the calm corner.

Open the story builderWhat you get

The story builder

"When plans change", told about a made-up student, is open. Use the arrow keys or the buttons to turn pages; open Edit to change any word or picture.

Loading the story builder. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

Seven story starters

Each follows the same predictable shape, and each is tagged with the CASEL competency it practices. Every word can be changed.

  • When plans changeSelf-management · 7 pages
  • Waiting for a turnSelf-management · 6 pages
  • Asking for helpRelationship skills · 6 pages
  • When a task gets hardSelf-awareness · 7 pages
  • Joining a gameRelationship skills · 7 pages
  • Loud placesSelf-management · 7 pages
  • Making a mistakeResponsible decision-making · 7 pages

What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A short, illustrated story for one child or a class, about a moment that is hard right now and what the child can do: read on screen with read-aloud and adjustable text, or printed as a full-page or half-page book with a cover.
Who it is for
Pre-K to grade 3 teachers, special education teachers, school counselors, speech-language pathologists, paraprofessionals and families of young children. Useful for any child; written so it suits children who benefit from visual supports and predictable language.
Format
Browser tool with a page-by-page reader. Works on a phone, tablet or computer, by touch, mouse or keyboard. Prints on US Letter. Stories can be exported to a file and shared between devices.
Access
Free. No account and no sign-in. Stories and names stay in this browser; read-aloud uses the device's own voices and nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Open My stories and pick a starter close to the moment you want to help with, such as a change of plans or waiting for a turn.
  2. On Edit, choose "I" or the child's name, add who helps, and change any sentence or picture so it matches the child's real day.
  3. Read the checks under each page. Keep sentences short, say what the child can do, and leave out labels.
  4. On Read, set the text size, spacing and page color, then read it together or let the device read it aloud.
  5. Print the book. Read it at a calm time, before the moment it is about, not as a consequence.

Open the story builder

How the stories are written

Plain language, a predictable shape and a strength at the end.

The shape of every starter

  • What happens, in a sentence a child would say: "Sometimes plans change."
  • How it might feel, with "might" and "that is okay", because feelings differ and all of them are allowed.
  • What the child can do: one concrete step per page, such as three slow breaths or asking for a break.
  • A strength to end on: "I am good at handling changes." The story builds the skill; it never scolds.
  • Every starter sentence is ten words or fewer, checked when the page is built.

The accessibility features

  • Pictures with words: each page has one original line symbol and its word, so the picture supports the sentence.
  • Easy-read spacing uses the text-spacing values in WCAG 2.2 (letter spacing 0.12 em, word spacing 0.16 em, line height above 1.5) with a plain sans-serif face.
  • Text size from 18 to 44 pixels and three page colors, including a dark page and a soft tint that some readers find easier than bright white.
  • Read aloud uses the browser's built-in speech, with a speed control and the current word highlighted where the browser reports word positions.
  • Strengths-based checks flag labels and diagnostic words, and rigid words such as "must" and "never".

Sources

  1. CASEL, "What Is the CASEL Framework?": the five competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making) used to tag each starter. casel.org.
  2. W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Success Criterion 1.4.12, Text Spacing: line height at least 1.5 times the font size, letter spacing 0.12 times, word spacing 0.16 times.
  3. British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Style Guide (2023): plain sans-serif fonts, larger text, generous spacing, short sentences and a soft background in place of bright white.
  4. PlainLanguage.gov, Federal Plain Language Guidelines: short sentences, common words and the active voice.
  5. W3C, Web Speech API specification: the speechSynthesis interface the read-aloud uses, which runs on the device.

An education tool for building skills, not therapy, assessment or diagnosis. Stories should be written with the people who know the child and read at a calm time. If a child or anyone else is in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency. The worked example's student and teacher are made up. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.