First Day of School Countdown: Activities to Ease First-Day Nerves

First-day nerves usually come from one thing: the unknown. Kids do better when the routine, the building, and the goodbye have all become familiar before day one. This is a two-week countdown you can start whenever you have 14 days left, not just for the literal calendar.

Two weeks out: build the routine early

• Shift bedtime and wake time to the school schedule now, not the night before. It takes several days for sleep rhythms to actually adjust.
• Do a trial run of the morning routine on a regular day, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, out the door, so it’s not brand new on day one.
• Read a book about starting school together. Seeing a character go through it first makes it feel less like uncharted territory.
• Talk through what will be the same (you’ll pick them up, they’ll come home) more than what will be different.

One week out: make the unfamiliar familiar

• Drive or walk by the school if you can. If there’s a playground visible, let them play on it once.
• If the school does a meet-the-teacher or open house, go. Even five minutes in the actual classroom helps.
• Practice the goodbye specifically: a short phrase and a quick exit, and practice it more than once so it’s not a surprise.
• Let them help pick out one first-day item, a backpack, lunch box, or outfit, so they have some ownership over the day.
• Label everything now, not the morning of. One less thing to rush.

The last few days: keep it low-key

• Avoid cramming in a big trip or major schedule disruption in the final 48 hours. Kids do better starting school from a calm baseline.
• Pack the bag together the night before and walk through what’s in it, so nothing in the backpack is a surprise either.
• Name the feeling out loud: “it’s normal to feel nervous and excited at the same time.” Kids often don’t have the words for mixed feelings yet.
• Plan something small and predictable for after school, a snack they like, a few minutes of your full attention, so they have something to look forward to.

The morning of

• Get up earlier than you think you need to. A rushed morning adds stress that has nothing to do with school itself.
• Keep the goodbye short. Long goodbyes usually make separation harder, not easier, even though it feels counterintuitive.
• If tears happen at drop-off, that’s normal and usually resolves within a few minutes of you leaving, most teachers will confirm this.
• Resist the urge to ask “was today okay?” the second they get in the car. Give it a beat, snacks help.

If you’re also trying to figure out what else is developmentally normal to expect this year, our age-by-age activity guides and the Family Programs Finder can help you find local pre-K and kindergarten transition programs if your school offers them.