First Day of School Story
- Full sample story · 5 min
- One price: $9.99
- Read by our storyteller or in your own voice
Starting school, kindergarten or nursery is a big step, and the night before can feel very long. A story that walks your child through the day, from hanging up their coat to the moment their grown-up comes back at pick-up time, makes the unknown a little more familiar. Mention their teacher, a toy or a friend, and the story will include them.
Many families play it for a week or two before the first day, then keep it going through the first weeks, when tired children need a calm end to the day. Grandparents often send it as a good-luck present. Listen to Sam's story below: it's a complete story, read in the same voice, so you know just what you'll get.
Listen to a sample: Sam's story
This is a complete gift story, written for Sam (age 5) from Grandpa Joe, read in the same voice and style as the one you'll receive. Your child's story is written for them alone after you order.
Tap any sentence in the story to start reading from there. It stops at the end.
Sam's Very First School Day
For Sam, who starts kindergarten this week, with love and a big good-luck hug from Grandpa Joe.
Sam's Very First School Day
On the morning of Sam's very first day of school, the sun came up early, just to have a look. Sam came down to breakfast in their new shoes, the purple ones with the bendy soles. Bubbles the goldfish swam three fast circles around his bowl, which is how goldfish say good luck.
Sam's backpack had a front pocket with a zipper, and in the front pocket was Ginger. Ginger was a small orange fox with one ear that flopped over, and she was coming to school to keep an eye on things. "Are you ready, Ginger?" Sam whispered. Ginger didn't say anything, but her floppy ear looked ready. Sam's tummy felt fluttery, as if it were full of tiny butterflies, all wearing new shoes too.
Dad walked Sam all the way to the classroom door. There was so much to look at. There was a row of coat hooks with names above them, and one of them said SAM in big blue letters, with a fox sticker next to it. Ginger thought that was a very good sign. There was a rug with a rainbow on it, a fish tank full of stripy fish, and a basket of crayons in every color you could name, and a few you couldn't.
The teacher was called Ms. Rivera. She had a soft voice and a cardigan with big pockets, and she crouched down so she was just the same height as Sam. "Hello, Sam," she said. "We've been waiting for you. Would you like to hang your backpack on your hook?" Sam looked up at Dad. Dad gave them a hug, the big squeezy kind. "I'll be right here at pick-up time," he said. "Right by this door. Three o'clock." "Three o'clock," said Sam. "Three o'clock," said Dad.
And then there was a lot of school. There was story time on the rainbow rug, with a book about a snail who wanted to see the sea. There was drawing time, and Sam drew a purple rainbow with a fox at the end of it. There was snack time, with apple slices, and a girl called June showed Sam how to turn an apple slice into a smile. There was a song with clapping, a song with stamping, and a song where everyone had to be as quiet as a mouse, which Sam turned out to be very good at.
Every now and then, Sam thought about Ginger, waiting in the pocket on the hook. Every now and then, Sam thought about three o'clock. But mostly, Sam was busy.
At three o'clock, Ms. Rivera opened the classroom door. And who do you think was standing right there, exactly where he said he would be? Dad. "How was it?" he asked, scooping Sam up. Sam thought about the rainbow rug, and the purple rainbow, and the apple-slice smile, and the quiet-as-a-mouse song. "Good," said Sam. "Can I go again tomorrow?" "You can go again tomorrow," said Dad. "And I'll be right here at three o'clock." On the way home, Sam unzipped the front pocket and told Ginger everything.
That night, Sam was so sleepy they could hardly keep their eyes open. Ginger was tucked under their chin, Bubbles was blowing slow bubbles in his bowl, and the butterflies in Sam's tummy had taken off their new shoes and gone to bed. "Goodnight, Sam," whispered Dad. "Goodnight, school," whispered Sam, and they were asleep before you could say three o'clock.
Sweet dreams, Sam, and have a wonderful first day.
What you get
- The narrated story as an MP3 to keep: it plays on any phone and works on a Yoto Make Your Own card or a Toniebox Creative-Tonie.
- A printable keepsake page with the dedication and the whole story.
- Read by our British storyteller, or in your own voice if you record it once (only your own voice, with a separate consent step).
- For bilingual families: add a Chinese version with Mandarin narration at no extra cost.
Tell us about the child
One price, $9.99, paid once; no subscription. We write the story after you order and read it aloud; if writing or narrating fails, you aren't charged.
First Day of School Story: common questions
- What do we receive?
- A story about the child's first day, with them as the hero, opening with your dedication and read aloud by our storyteller. You get the narrated MP3 to keep, which works on any phone, a Yoto Make Your Own card or a Toniebox Creative-Tonie, and a printable keepsake page with the dedication and the story. Both stay saved in your account.
- How long does it take?
- Usually a couple of minutes from paying. We write the story and narrate it straight away, and it appears in your account along with the printable page, ready for bedtime. If the writing or the narration fails, you aren't charged.
- Can I hear it before I buy?
- Yes. Sam's story on this page is a full first-day story, written in the same style and read in the same voice as the one you'll get. We can't preview your own child's story, because it is written for them only after you order, but the sample shows you exactly what it will be like.
- Is it OK for a child who's nervous about starting school?
- That's who it's written for. The story walks through the day in order, from saying goodbye to snack time, and always ends with the grown-up coming back at pick-up time. Tell us the teacher's name, who's doing pick-up or the toy going in the backpack, and the story will use them. It works for kindergarten, preschool and nursery too.
Stories are written by AI from what you tell us and checked by moderation; narration is AI. Sample stories are our own.