How to Make a First Day of School Book for Your Child

A first day of school book is a short picture book that walks your child through their real first day: waking up, the drive or walk, the classroom door, the teacher's face, the goodbye, and the moment you come back. When a child has "read" the day many times, the day itself can feel a lot less new.

What is a personalized first day of school book?

It is a homemade book with your child as the main character and their actual school as the setting. Store-bought back to school books are great for talking about school in general. A personalized one is specific: this backpack, this teacher, this cubby, this goodbye hug.

That specificity is the point. Young children often worry most about the parts they cannot picture. A book that shows the building, names the teacher and says exactly when you will return gives them something concrete to hold onto.

What to include

• The real morning routine. Breakfast, getting dressed, putting on the backpack, the way you get there.
• The real places. The front door, the classroom, the cubby or hook, the playground, the bathroom if you can.
• The real people. The teacher's name and, if possible, a photo. A friend from the neighborhood who will be there too.
• What happens during the day. Circle time, play, snack or lunch, outside time, rest time for younger kids. Ask the school for a rough schedule.
• The goodbye routine. A specific ritual you will actually do every day.
• Worries and what to do about them. "If I miss Mommy, I can tell my teacher" is more helpful than "Don't be sad."
• Pickup. Who comes, and when, in words they understand, like "after outside time."

Getting photos of the real school and teacher

Real photos help a lot, but you can make a good book without them. A few ways to gather pictures:

• Go to an open house or meet-the-teacher day and ask if you can take a few photos of the classroom and, with permission, the teacher.
• Walk or drive by the school and take a picture of the front door and the playground.
• Photograph the things your child will carry: backpack, lunchbox, water bottle, new shoes.
• Stage the routine at home: your child eating breakfast, zipping their coat, waving goodbye at your own front door.
• Ask your child to draw what they think their classroom looks like. Draw-what-you-imagine pages are a gentle way to find out what they are expecting.

Be thoughtful about other children in photos. It is usually best to keep classmates out of the pictures, or ask first.

Handling worries and the goodbye

Many children are nervous about the first day, and that is normal. The book is a good place to name feelings and give your child a plan.

Keep the language positive and concrete. A few example sentences you could use:

Sometimes I feel nervous on the first day. That is OK. Lots of kids feel nervous.

If I feel sad, I can hold my teacher's hand or look at the picture in my pocket.

Daddy always comes back. He comes after outside time.

Then put your goodbye routine in the book, step by step. Keep it short and the same every day, such as a hug, a kiss on the hand, a special phrase ("See you later, alligator"), and a wave at the window. When the routine is in the book, your child knows what is coming, and the goodbye at the door becomes a familiar page instead of a surprise.

If your child has a teacher or therapist helping with transitions, follow their guidance and use the words they use.

A page-by-page outline you can copy

Here is a 14-page outline. Replace the bracketed parts and remove anything that does not match your child's day.

1. Cover: "[Name]'s First Day at [School Name]", with a photo of your child in their backpack.
2. Meet the hero: "This is [Name]. [Name] is [age] and is starting [preschool/kindergarten/daycare]."
3. The big news: "On [day], [Name] goes to [School Name] for the first time."
4. Morning: "First, [Name] wakes up, eats [breakfast] and gets dressed."
5. Getting ready: "[Name] puts on [his/her/their] backpack. Inside is [lunchbox, water bottle]."
6. Getting there: "We [walk/drive/take the bus] to school." Photo of the route or the bus stop.
7. The front door: "This is the door of [School Name]."
8. The teacher: "This is [Teacher's name]. [Teacher] will take care of [Name] at school."
9. The goodbye: "We do our goodbye: [hug, kiss on the hand, 'See you later, alligator', wave]."
10. The classroom: "[Name] hangs up [his/her/their] backpack on [the hook/in the cubby]."
11. The day: "At school, [Name] plays, sings, has snack and goes outside."
12. Feelings: "Sometimes [Name] might feel nervous or miss home. [Name] can tell [Teacher]. All feelings are OK."
13. Pickup: "After [outside time], [Mommy/Daddy/Grandpa] comes back. [Name] runs for a big hug."
14. The happy ending: "[Name] went to school. [Name] can do hard things." Use a proud photo.

This follows the same shape as our personalized children's book guide: a hero, a challenge, some worries, and a warm ending.

How to make it on makeabook.fun (step by step)

The maker is free, works on a phone, tablet or computer, and needs no sign-up.

1. Open the starter. Go to "A story about them", which pre-fills pages with fill-in-the-blank prompts around a problem and a happy ending. If you would rather type the outline above from scratch, use a blank book with twelve empty pages and add more.
2. Pick a size. Square (8.5 × 8.5 in) suits a photo book. Tall, Wide and Big are also available.
3. Write each page. Use short sentences in the present tense so it reads like a walk-through of the day.
4. Add photos and drawings. Upload photos, then drag to reposition and zoom. Your child can add pictures on the built-in drawing pad or draw over a photo.
5. Choose layouts and a font. "Picture with words below" is easy to follow. Andika, a font designed for children learning to read, is a good pick for kindergartners.
6. Finish the cover. Add a title and your child's name. The title page and dedication page fill themselves in.
7. Read it in the flip-through reader, then print the free PDF.

When to read it: the week before

Most families start about a week before the first day. Read it once or twice a day, and let your child tell you what happens next on each page. By the end of the week, the order of the day is something they know.

• Days 1 to 3: read it together and talk about any page they ask about.
• Days 4 to 6: let them "read" it to you or to a stuffed animal.
• The night before: read it at bedtime, then practice the goodbye routine.
• After the first day: keep reading it. Some children feel fine on day one and nervous on day three.

Not just for the first day of kindergarten

The same outline works for starting daycare, moving to a new classroom, changing schools after a move, or getting a new caregiver. Change the places and names, keep the routine and the goodbye. For the start of a school year, it pairs well with an all about me book your child can share with their new class.

For printing, the free PDF prints each page in full color on US Letter or A4. If you want a sturdier, real-book feel, the Keepsake edition ($2.99 once per book) gives print-shop quality at the exact book size and a fold-and-staple booklet layout. Our guide to printing a picture book at home covers paper and binding.