10 Best Books for the First Day of Preschool
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The complete list of books to help prepare and celebrate the first day of preschool with children. Young students enjoy reading these books with parents at home or in the classroom with their new friends!
🧑🏫 Why We Recommend Them
The first day of preschool is one Very Big Day in a child’s life. They may feel emotions ranging from excited and happy to nervous and uneasy. They may even seem completely unfazed by it all!
To help them process whatever emotions they’re feeling and mark the milestone, we recommend reading a few quality focused books about preschool.
Reading these books help to refine their expectations, ease anxiety, and build enthusiasm.
👉 This list includes reading teacher-approved books appropriate for children ages 3-5, all with positive messaging about preschool.
👉 Parents can read them at home in preparation for the upcoming school year, or teachers can read them to the entire group of students!
👉 Each book includes a link to the read aloud version, so your child can enjoy all the books for free at your convenience!
📚 Book List
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
A quick read with silly illustrations about a T Rex getting into a bit mischief while learning the rules of preschool.
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
Preschool Day Hooray! by Linda Leopold Strauss
This is a fun rhyming poem book that helps set expectations about the preschool routine.
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
It’s the First Day of Preschool, Chloe Zoe! by Jane Smith
A sweet story about the mixed emotions a child may feel about preschool, as well as managing anxiety and finding friends in a new school environment.
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
This story is absolutely beautiful! It’s about a young raccoon feeling nervous about leaving his mother for school. She shares the family story of the Kissing Hand, so that he can remember it whenever he feels uneasy.
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
D.W.’s Guide to Preschool by Marc Brown
If your child is already acquainted with the Arthur characters, I love the idea of allowing his younger sister, D.W., to make the introduction to preschool. She also has a guide to good manners, if that’s something that interests you!
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
Pearl Goes to Preschool by Julie Fortenberry
Our kids love this story! A little ballerina named Pearl doesn’t want to go to preschool, but she learns to enjoy it!
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
Preschool, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg
This book is just lovely! It goes through a more modern preschool routine, complete with daily handwashing and a list of rules children will need to follow in a classroom.
📚 Buy on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing
We love the rhymes in this book! It’s a spin on “Twas The Night Before Christmas” poem, told about all the children preparing for their first day of preschool.
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
My Preschool by Anne Rockwell
It’s a very reassuring story about what happens in preschool to help manage expectations. The illustrations are particularly sweet in this book.
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
Pete the Kitty’s First Day of Preschool by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete gets ready and goes to his very first day of preschool. He has such a pleasant time that he doesn’t want to go home at the end of the day!
📚 Buy it on Amazon or watch the read aloud version.
🎒More Preschool Resources
- All About Me Printable Worksheets for PreK
- Printable Phonetic Alphabet Flashcards
- All About Letter A: Get 11 free printable worksheets!
- Printable Alphabet Booklet
- Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Let us know in the comments if you like any of these books too, or if there are any you think we should add to the list!
Incredible list! It will take you and your child some time before you get used to childcare or preschool — and that’s a fact. However, having these kinds of books could be of great benefit to us parents as well as the preschool staff. The illustrations look amazing.
Shelley, Using high-quality children’s books is so important to instill a life-long love for reading in our children. Thank you for the kind feedback. -Katie