Students love to be comforted by a good story on the first day in a new classroom. It's a great way to help the students feel comfortable with their new surroundings, and it also lets you get to know your students a little bit by asking them questions about the stories as you are reading them!
Check out some of my favorites below!
A Kissing Hand for Chester Raccoon (The Kissing Hand Series)
This is a classic first day of Kindergarten story! I have read it every year on the first day for the last 16 years! It is the perfect way to get students talking about their feelings and emotions on their first day of Kindergarten, and to help them realize they are not alone! Many of them will have the same feelings! One extension to the story is to create a First Day Feelings Anchor Chart, like the one below. I usually leave this hanging up in our classroom for the first month or so of school, so that we can refer back to it for discussions, writing and drawing activities! I use School Smart unruled chart tablets to create my anchor charts. School Smart Chart Tablet, 24 x 32 Inches, Unruled, 25 Sheets
There is also an adorable stuffed animal that goes along with the story! Check it out below! Have your students sit in a "share circle", and pass Chester, the raccoon around the circle, taking turns sharing their first day of school feelings!
Another classic for the fist day of school! Students will easily connect with this story and their own first day jitters. After reading the story, serve them some "jitter juice" to help them get rid of their first day jitters! So fun! It always get a few giggles out of my students!
I hope this gives you some ideas for getting started on your first day of Kindergarten! I'm always looking for new ideas, so if you have a favorite first day story, please share it in the comments below!
