Personalised book for child starting new school after moving: your child Saves a Seat at Lunch

What happens in your child Saves a Seat at Lunch

1. Your child walks into their new classroom and learns where to put their coat.
2. As lunchtime gets closer, your child wonders what the noisy lunch hall will be like.
3. Your child spots a table with one empty chair and takes a careful breath.
4. A child nearby asks about your child's lunch, beginning a short, friendly chat.
5. Before going outside, your child saves a seat for tomorrow and practises saying hello.

How the first page could read

On your child's first morning at the new school, everything looks neat and unfamiliar: the playground lines, the classroom pegs, the lunch hall doors. Your child has remembered their lunchbox and their name label. But when the bell rings for lunch, one question follows them down the corridor: where shall I sit?

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

Why this story works

At five to eight, a new school can be full of practical unknowns: which peg is yours, what happens at break and where you eat lunch. This story does not rush your child towards a ready-made best friend. It gives them a familiar school-day setting and keeps the action small: noticing a spare chair, asking a simple question and sharing a few words. That makes it a useful read before the first day, or for revisiting after school when you want to ask, “What was lunchtime like?” Personal details can make the new-school scene feel recognisably theirs.

Reading it together

• Read it before a school visit, pausing at the lunch-hall page to talk through what your child might pack.
• Ask your child to point out the practical details they notice, such as the trays, tables and playground door.
• After their first day, ask which part of the story felt most like their own lunchtime.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft storybook watercolour keeps the new school setting warm and recognisable without making the busy lunch hall feel overwhelming. A sidekick idea: a cheerful classmate with a spare seat. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.