Personalised story about making friends at school: your child Meets Their Table Team

What happens in your child Meets Their Table Team

1. Your child finds a seat at the classroom table
2. The table team shares names and chooses craft materials
3. Your child joins in with a small, hands-on activity
4. A new child needs a place to sit
5. Your child makes room and feels proud of the table team

How the first page could read

On your child's first morning at school, the classroom hummed with small voices and busy hands. A tray of bright paper sat on one table, with four little chairs around it. “This is your table team,” said the teacher. Your child looked at the empty chair, then took a careful breath and sat down.

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 children aged four to six, a shared table is one of the most recognisable parts of a Reception classroom. This story keeps the focus on a small, manageable moment: sitting down, hearing new names, choosing materials and joining an activity alongside other children. The friendship grows through practical actions rather than big speeches, giving parents and children concrete moments to talk about before school. When your child makes room for someone else, the story also shows that being part of a group can include noticing who needs a seat. Their own photo on the cover and throughout the book keeps the classroom scene centred on them.

Reading it together

• Read it together before the first day and pause to name the kinds of activities your child might find on a classroom table.
• Ask your child what they could say when they sit beside someone new, such as “Hello, I’m your child.”
• After reading, practise making space at a table during a snack, puzzle or colouring activity.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft storybook watercolour gives the classroom, craft materials and new faces a calm, familiar feel. A sidekick idea: a cheerful classroom snail on the pencil pot. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.