First day of school gift for kids, and how to prepare them

Whether your child is starting reception in the UK, kindergarten in the US or Canada, their first year of school in Australia, or simply moving up to a new class, this guide covers how to prepare them in the weeks before, routines that help on the day, a story of courage for the night before, and a few gift ideas.

Preparing a child for school: the weeks before

• Talk about it often, but lightly. Walk past the school, look at the playground, point out the door they will go through.
• Practise the small things: opening a lunchbox, putting on a coat, going to the toilet on their own, telling a grown-up their name.
• Read stories about starting school, and about being brave in a new place.
• Move bedtime a little earlier a week or two before, so the first mornings are not a shock.
• Let them choose one thing: the water bottle, the bag, the colour of their pencil case. A little ownership helps.

If the school offers a settling-in visit or an open morning, go. Seeing the classroom and meeting the teacher turns a big unknown into something they can picture.

Starting school and big feelings

Excited and scared at the same time is completely normal, and many children do not have the words for it. You can lend them some: “Your tummy feels funny because something new is coming. Mine does that too.”

• Name the feeling, without rushing to fix it.
• Share a time you were nervous and it turned out fine.
• Make a plan for the hard moment: “If you miss me, you can touch the heart I drew on your hand.”
• Talk about the end of the day: “I will be at the gate when school finishes.”

Some children cry at the door for days, others not at all, and others sail through the first week and wobble in the second. All of these are common. Our article on emotions and stories has more ways to help children recognise what they feel.

Read a sample book together before the big day

Rituals for the first day of kindergarten or reception

Routines reassure because they make the day predictable. A few simple ones:

• In the morning: the same breakfast, the same song on the walk or in the car, the same goodbye. A short, warm goodbye is usually easier than a long one.
• A secret signal: three squeezes of the hand, meaning “I love you”.
• Something from home: a small family photo in their bag, or a note in the lunchbox for a child who can read.
• In the evening: a calm dinner, no big questions straight away, then a story. Children often tell you about their day at bedtime, when the lights are low.

Our guide to the bedtime routine has more on keeping evenings calm when the days are suddenly long and tiring.

A story of courage for the night before

The night before school is a good moment for a story where someone goes somewhere new, feels a little afraid, and is fine in the end. With AI-Koma Kids, you can make one with your child in a few minutes. There is no “school” theme as such, but a combination like this tells exactly the right kind of story:

• A mood: full of courage.
• An adventure: an extraordinary encounter, where the hero meets someone new and they become friends.
• A learning theme for the start of school: letters and their sounds, or counting to 10.
• A value: self-confidence or friendship.
• A hero your child picks, perhaps the sporty girl who is always first to the top, the shy little hedgehog who never lets go of an idea, or the energetic boy always ready to explore, with up to two companions.

Your child’s first name appears in the text, so the narrator speaks to them as the hero sets off. The child is never drawn: they choose the hero who will be brave first. And if a beloved cuddly toy cannot come to school, photograph it on its own and it can join the adventure as a companion instead.

Create a brave first-day story with your child, the first book is free

First day of school gift ideas

A first-day present works best when it is small and comforting rather than a big reward. A few ideas:

• A new book, read together the night before.
• A keyring or small charm for the school bag that is “from home”.
• A special pencil and notebook for drawing the day.
• A printed personalised book: print the PDF of their brave story, staple it, and give it on the last evening of the holidays or on the morning itself.
• An after-school treat on the first day: the park, their favourite tea, an extra story.

In Germany, children starting school receive a Schultüte, a big paper cone filled with small treats, for their Einschulung. Some families elsewhere have borrowed the idea, and a printed book fits nicely inside one.

A new story for each new week of school: plans from €5.99 a month