First Day at School🎒

The story follows the whole day: breakfast, when there are too many butterflies in the child's tummy to eat, the heavy school bag and the walk there holding a grown-up's hand. The playground is bigger than expected, and the ringing bell makes the child jump.

Then comes the question that changes everything: are you new too? With a new friend by their side, the child discovers the classroom with its name labels on the desks, lunch at school and recess by the jungle gym. Towards the end, something happens that makes the child proud. You'll have to read the book to find out what.

This idea is lovely for a child starting school or moving up to a new class, and for a child changing schools after a move. Read it in the weeks beforehand, when the questions start coming, and again after the first day, when there's lots to talk about.

A six-year-old may recognise those butterflies and want to know what happens next. For an eight-year-old changing schools, it becomes a story about finding the courage to reach out to someone new. A younger sibling of three or four can listen along and get a picture of what their older sibling is about to experience.

Describe the real school bag, lunch box or water bottle, and share the school's name or what the playground looks like. Tell us who goes along on the first morning and whether a sibling already goes there. A friend from preschool who's starting at the same time could be the one who says hello. If the child has something comforting, like a keyring or a note in their pocket, it can come along in the school bag too.

Afterwards, take a moment to talk about what feels exciting and what feels scary, and how both feelings can be there at once. Draw the new classroom as the child imagines it, then compare it with the real thing. The book can also be a gift before the school term starts. You'll find more ideas in Starting school.