Parent tip
Set out picture books before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.
Going to Nursery Bookshelf
A small dedicated shelf of picture books about going to nursery — read them daily for two weeks before the start, so the unknown becomes familiar.
Activity details
Instructions
- Borrow or buy three to four picture books about starting nursery — any titles you like the look of.
- Pick a small shelf or basket and put them all in one place. Show your child: 'These are our nursery books.'
- Read one of the books together at the same time each day — bedtime works well.
- Point out what's happening on each page: 'Look, the children are putting their coats on a peg.'
- Connect to your child's life: 'Your peg will have a sticker with your name on it.'
- Read your child's questions back to them: 'You're wondering who pours the milk.'
- After two weeks, your child will know the books by heart — that's the goal.
- Take one favourite book to nursery for the first day in their bag.
What success looks like
A few quiet minutes together without pressure. If your child relaxes even slightly, that’s self-regulation building.
Borrow or buy three or four picture books about going to nursery for the first time, give them their own little spot on your child's shelf, and read them every single day in the run-up. The story becomes a script your toddler rehearses in their head — the coats, the cubby holes, the singing time, the goodbye — so when the real nursery happens, the events feel like things they've already seen instead of frightening surprises. Repetition is the magic ingredient.
Why it helps
AAP HealthyChildren guidance on preparing a child for childcare specifically lists 'read books about child care' as a key strategy. The reason is developmental: at this age, hearing an event rehearsed in story form is the toddler's primary way of preparing for it. The National Literacy Trust notes that children who hear stories about the events in their lives show measurably less anxiety when the events actually happen, because they've already encountered the script.
Variations
- Make your own book using photos from the actual nursery — a real-life storybook is even more powerful than published ones.
- Read the same book three days in a row before moving on to the next, so each story really lands.
- On the morning of the first day, read just the very first page together as a final calming touchstone.
Safety tips
- Choose books with gentle, positive resolutions — avoid any that dramatise extreme distress at drop-off.
- Don't force the read if your child is asking for a different book — you can always return to it.
- If a book mentions a specific scary detail your nursery doesn't have, skip that page or rewrite it on the fly.
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