Personalised book for nursery half day: your child's First Half-Day

What happens in your child's First Half-Day

1. Your child walks to nursery holding a grown-up’s hand.
2. At the door, your child gives a short goodbye wave.
3. Your child chooses an activity and meets the nursery routine.
4. Snack, a song and one final play mark the middle of the morning.
5. The grown-up returns at home time, ready to hear about your child’s half-day.

How the first page could read

This morning, your child puts on their little coat and holds a grown-up’s hand. They are going to nursery for a half-day: hello, play, snack, one more song, then home. At the door, your child gives a wave. “I’ll see you after nursery,” says their grown-up.

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

Why this story works

A half-day can feel easier to picture when it has a simple shape: arriving, saying goodbye, doing a few familiar nursery things and coming home again. This story follows that exact sequence, rather than trying to cover every part of a full day. For a two- or three-year-old, the repeated idea of “then home” gives the morning a clear ending to talk about. Your child is the child on the page, created from their photo, while the nursery details can reflect the small things that matter to your family. Read it before a first session, on the way there, or after home time to retell what happened.

Reading it together

• Read the story together the evening before nursery, pausing to name what comes first and what comes next.
• Use the goodbye page to practise a short wave or the words you plan to say at the door.
• After the session, revisit the final pages and invite your child to point to one thing they did that morning.

Suggested art style: Coloured pencil

Coloured-pencil illustrations give the everyday nursery morning a soft, familiar feel while keeping the routine easy to follow. A sidekick idea: a tiny felt star on your child’s coat zip. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.