Personalised book about first-day nerves: your child and the Wobbly First Day

What happens in your child and the Wobbly First Day

1. Your child arrives at the school gate with a wobbly tummy.
2. The classroom feels busy as children choose activities.
3. Your child notices a box of coloured squares on the welcome table.
4. A teacher asks for help sorting the squares into matching pots.
5. Your child joins in, one square at a time, and feels ready to stay for the day.

How the first page could read

On the morning school began, your child held the grown-up's hand all the way to the bright blue gate. Inside, coats rustled, chairs scraped and children chatted. Your child's tummy felt wobbly. Then, on the welcome table, your child spotted a box of coloured squares waiting to be sorted.

Your child’s name, look and little details replace these words, and the whole story is written for their age.

Why this story works

This personalised book for a shy child starting school puts your child at the centre of a recognisable first-day moment: the gate, the busy room and the uncertainty of not yet knowing where to begin. It does not ask your child to become the loudest child in the class. Instead, the story makes space for watching, noticing and joining through a simple job with a clear purpose. The coloured-square activity gives young children something concrete to follow, while the gentle ending shows that a first day can begin with one small action. It is particularly suited to children aged four to six who are preparing for school or settling into a new class.

Reading it together

• Read it together before school starts, pausing to ask what your child thinks the classroom might sound and look like.
• Let your child point out the small job they would choose if they felt wobbly in a busy room.
• Return to the sorting scene after a school day and invite your child to share one thing they noticed or tried.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft storybook watercolour keeps the school setting welcoming while leaving plenty of room for familiar classroom details. A sidekick idea: a quiet ladybird on your child's school bag. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.