Personalised book for first day at nursery: your child's first morning

What happens in your child's First Nursery Morning

1. Your child wakes up for nursery morning.
2. Your child gets dressed and packs a comfort item.
3. Your child walks to the nursery door with their grown-up.
4. Your child joins the morning routine and meets other children.
5. Your child comes home and tells the story of the day.

How the first page could read

This morning, your child has a new place to go. Socks are on, shoes are waiting, and a familiar comfort item is tucked close. There is time for breakfast, time for a cuddle, and then it is time to walk to the nursery door together.

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

Why this story works

For a two- or three-year-old, the first nursery morning is made up of small, recognisable steps: getting dressed, leaving home, carrying something familiar and reaching the door. This story keeps those moments clear and gentle, with your child at the centre of each one. The goodbye is shown as one part of a full day, followed by settling into a simple routine and coming home again. Reading it beforehand gives parents a practical way to talk through the order of the morning. A familiar comfort item can make the pictures feel especially close to the child’s own experience.

Reading it together

• Read the story together the evening before nursery and point out the steps that will happen in the morning.
• Let your child hold their comfort item while you read the page about arriving at the door.
• After nursery, revisit the final pages and invite your child to share one thing they did that day.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft storybook watercolour keeps the nursery setting warm, calm and easy for a young child to take in. A sidekick idea: a much-loved soft toy carried by your child. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.