The first day in nursery is a powerful transition, sometimes this entails big feelings, fresh routines, and the potential for new relationships. Whether children are toddling into group care for the first time or returning after a break, your welcome sets the tone for the year. The activities you plan can soothe nerves, inspire curiosity, and create the emotional safety children need.
In this article, we’ll share 20 thoughtful first-day activities along with the developmental thinking behind them. You’ll also find tips for supporting families, building routines, and responding to the unique needs of each child.
Early childhood is a time of rapid brain development and transitions like the first day of nursery are deeply felt. Research shows that secure attachments and predictable environments support emotional regulation, while sudden changes without support can lead to stress responses like crying, withdrawal, or even aggression.
When children are greeted with warmth and offered activities that meet them where they are developmentally, emotionally, and socially, they’re more likely to feel safe, confident, and connected.
Before diving into activities, consider how to set the stage:
Create a calm, uncluttered environment. Avoid overstimulation on day one. Use soft lighting, simple displays, and cozy corners.
Use consistent language and routines. Even your hello and goodbye rituals can offer predictability.
Connect with families ahead of time. A welcome call or short visit can help children recognize a familiar face on the first day.
Now, let’s explore 20 powerful first-day nursery activities, with practical ideas, educator tips, and gentle variations for different age groups.
Why it works: Recognizing their name is a milestone and seeing it in their new space helps children feel like they belong.
How to do it: Write children’s names on coat pegs, cubbies, placemats, or blocks. Invite them to “find their name” as they explore.
Variation: Use name cards with photo cues for toddlers or invite preschoolers to decorate their own and then place them in sensory bins for them to locate.
Why it works: Sensory play regulates the nervous system and provides a low-pressure invitation to explore. In sensory play there is no right or wrong way to engage and no prerequisites, making it the perfect settling in activity.
Ideas: Set up trays with dry pasta, kinetic sand, or water beads. Offer scoops, cups, and textures to explore.
Tip: Avoid anything sticky or messy at first, go for familiar, manageable textures.
Why it works: Familiar faces offer security and re-creates the home setting. Having a visible reminder of home eases separation and helps children feel like they belong to the space they’re in.
How to do it: Ask parents to email or bring a family photo. Mount them at eye level with each child’s name, or invite the children to choose a place in the classroom or on the family tree to hang them.
Extension: Add a quiet “photo corner” with family books or a stuffed animal to cuddle for children.
Why it works: Helps children name and understand emotions, an essential skill during transition when children may experience big emotions.
Activity: Use mirrors, photo cards, or illustrated faces. Invite children to make a face, then find the matching card that labels their emotion. Use these faces to hang by the calm corner or space in the classroom and visit it often as a group.
Educator Tip: Model and label your own emotions often: “I feel a little nervous too when I start something new, it’s okay to feel that way.”
Why it works: Predictable songs and simple rituals create belonging. Introduce one on day one, and share the lyrics with parents and continue to weave it into your daily routine throughout the year.
Song Idea: Use a melody like “Frère Jacques” or “Good Morning” and insert each child’s name.
Movement: Invite a small wave, clap, or wiggle. Keep it short and light, some children may prefer to observe and that’s okay, they will join when they’re ready.
Why it works: Touring the space gives children ownership and curiosity, especially if its their first time in the space. Tip: Take children in smaller groups on their first time as leaving a space they just transitioned to, like the classroom, to visit unfamiliar places might trigger a lot of feelings and being in smaller groups allows children to feel safer and experience their emotions easier.
What to include: Show the toilet, cubbies, role-play area, book nook, and garden. Let children take the lead where possible. For children in FS2 or reception classes, encourage them to draw out a map, or follow a simple map of the setting.
Variation: Hide a small mascot (e.g. a teddy or class puppet) in each area to “discover” or to find or encourage children to explore the space by going on a hunt for the stuffie or animal of choice.
Why it works: This activity nurtures self-awareness and sparks meaningful connections. When educators show genuine interest in each child’s preferences, it fosters trust and strengthens the caregiver-child bond. Use information gathered from family meetings or “All About Me” forms to personalize interactions and create a sense of belonging from day one.
For older toddlers and preschoolers: Offer simple prompts like “I like…” or “My favorite toy is…” alongside visual choices. Children can circle or place stickers on the images that reflect their interests, giving educators valuable insight into what brings them joy.
For younger children: Share “All About Me” forms with families before their child’s start date. These can be completed at home to help you get to know each child’s routine, comfort items, and personality. [Feel free to download our printable version here.] (LINK TO PRINTABLE)
Creative twist: Set out collage materials and invite children to freely create their own mat. Narrate their process with curiosity: “You chose the blue feather, it's so soft!” Giving children the freedom to select their own materials offers a window into their preferences, while your narration supports language development and emotional expression.
Why it works: Transitional objects, like a soft toy or blanket from home, offer children emotional comfort, a sense of continuity, and a reassuring reminder of their safe base. These items also give educators valuable insight into a child’s home life, interests, and sources of comfort. They can ease separation anxiety and support the settling-in process, especially during the early weeks.
Invite families to send in a familiar item with their child on the first day, something soft, safe, and loved. Let children know they are welcome to use their item throughout the day whenever they need reassurance.
Gradual transitions: As children grow more confident in their new environment, educators can gently encourage short periods where the item stays in their cubby, first for a small part of the day, then for longer stretches, and eventually, when the child is ready, the object can remain at home.
Bonus Tip: Keep a small basket of cuddly toys or sensory comfort items available for children who didn’t bring their own. This helps ensure every child has access to a comforting object if needed. You can also encourage parents to share a photo of a special item from home, especially if the original is too valuable or delicate to bring to nursery.
Conversation tip: Use these transitional objects as bridges for connection. Ask questions like, “What’s your teddy’s name?” or “Did your blanket come from home?” These small exchanges help children feel seen, heard, and valued.
Why it works: Dramatic play is a powerful tool for helping young children make sense of their experiences. By reenacting familiar routines like drop-offs and pickups, children can process big emotions, build resilience, and practice coping strategies in a safe, imaginative way.
Set the stage: Create a cozy role-play corner that mimics a nursery drop-off area. Include dolls, small backpacks, soft blankets, and door props. Add items like empty perfume bottles or gently used costume donations from families to enrich the experience, familiar scents and clothing can spark comforting connections to home.
Invite children to take on roles: caregiver, child, or even a nursery teacher. You might hear them echoing phrases they've heard during their own transitions, which gives you valuable insight into their emotional world.
Language tip: Use gentle narration to guide the play and validate feelings:
“Dolly was sad when Mama left, but she felt better after cuddling her blanket and playing with the blocks. And Mama came back, just like always.”
This kind of storytelling helps children internalize the message that separation is temporary and safe, and that caregivers always return.
Why it works: Visual timetables help children make sense of the day by offering predictability and structure. They are especially supportive for visual learners, neurodivergent children, and those who are still developing receptive language skills. Knowing “what’s next” can ease anxiety, reduce transitions-related stress, and build independence.
How to create it: Use real-life photos whenever possible, images of the nursery environment, daily routines, and children engaging in activities. Children tend to relate more easily to familiar faces and settings than to generic illustrations. You might photograph breakfast time, outdoor play, nap mats, or the reading corner, then print and laminate the images for durability.
Activity: Create a picture-based daily schedule that includes key moments like arrival, breakfast, group time, free play, lunch, rest, and pickup. Place it at the children’s eye level and introduce it as part of your morning circle or check-in time.
Routine tip: Refer to the visual schedule consistently throughout the day to build understanding and trust:
“We had snack, now it’s time to go outside.”
“After we tidy up, it’s story time.”
Over time, children may begin to anticipate and verbalize the routine themselves, an empowering milestone in their day-to-day experience.
Why it works: Mirror play supports the development of self-awareness and emotional literacy. Seeing their reflection helps young children begin to understand themselves as separate individuals, an important developmental milestone. It also provides a meaningful opportunity to introduce and label emotions in real time.
Setup: Place child-safe, low-level mirrors in an inviting space, along with open-ended materials such as sensory scarves, costume hats, or textured fabric. For older children, offer a transient art experience, encourage them to re-create what they see in the mirror using loose parts like buttons, pebbles, yarn, or feathers. This encourages both self-expression and fine motor development.
Language support: Use gentle, descriptive language to help children connect their physical expressions to emotional states.
“You’re looking at your big smile! I see you. It looks like you’re happy. How do you feel?”
“You made your eyebrows scrunch up like this—maybe you’re feeling unsure?”
With time, this kind of mirrored interaction helps children build a vocabulary for their feelings and fosters greater empathy for others too.
Why it works: Giving children opportunities to make choices, especially in nonverbal ways, builds autonomy and fosters a sense of control in what can feel like an unfamiliar environment. A sticker choice board also offers educators valuable insight into each child’s preferences, helping you tailor your approach and build stronger relationships.
Board prompts: Create a visual board with clear, engaging images of common nursery activities such as blocks, water play, painting, books, or the home corner. Above the board, add a simple prompt like:
“What would you like to play today?”
Invite children to place a sticker under the activity they’re most interested in exploring. This makes preferences visible and empowers even shy or nonverbal children to communicate in a safe, supported way.
Extension idea: Allow children to co-create new activity options with adult support. For example, if a child wants to play with trains and it’s not on the board, offer to take a photo and add it. This communicates that their voice matters and that their ideas shape the environment.
Why it works: Collaborative art activities like handprint murals promote a sense of community and shared identity. They also provide a visual reminder that “we all belong here.” By contributing to a group project, children begin to feel connected to their peers and the space around them.
Activity: Invite each child to dip their hands in washable paint or press them into an ink pad, then stamp their handprints onto a large mural or canvas labeled “Our Nursery Family” or “Welcome to Our Class.” Add names beneath each print to help children recognize and celebrate one another.
Adaptation: For children who are hesitant to get messy, offer alternatives such as using dot markers, footprints, or even tracing around their hands with support. Participation should always feel safe and optional.
Bonus idea: Display the mural prominently near the entrance or circle time area. Revisit it often as a visual anchor, something children can return to and feel proud of.
Why it works: Introducing a class mascot, whether a puppet, plush animal, or character, provides children with a safe, consistent "friend" to support transitions, storytelling, and shared routines. A mascot can act as a bridge for connection, easing separation anxiety and giving children a fun, low-pressure way to express themselves.
Meet the Mascot: Introduce your mascot with a special welcome, perhaps a cheerful song, a letter “from” the mascot, or a dramatic entrance during morning circle. Give the mascot a name and personality that children can grow familiar with. For example:
“This is Leo the Lion. He’s a little shy today, but he’s so excited to meet his new friends.”
Home Connection: Rotate the mascot each weekend, send it home with a different child along with a small “Mascot Journal” where families can add photos, drawings, or notes about their time together. This builds a home-school bridge and gives children a chance to share part of their family life with the group.
“Leo went to the park with Ava this weekend and even had a picnic!”
Engagement Tip: Use the mascot in everyday classroom moments to model behavior and foster participation:
“Leo says it’s time to tidy up. Who can show him how we put our blocks away?”
“Let’s build a tower tall enough for Leo to sit on!”
Including the mascot in daily routines adds a playful, relational element that encourages communication, imagination, and group cohesion.
Why it works: A cozy book nook offers children a calm retreat, a place to self-regulate, explore language, and feel safe. Books can soothe, distract, and engage, especially during moments of emotional overwhelm. Providing children with choice within this space empowers them, fosters independence, and gives educators insight into their interests and identities.
Tip: Display 5–6 carefully selected books front-facing, and pair each one with a matching visual choice card. This allows nonverbal children to simply point to the card when choosing a story. For multilingual settings, include books in children’s home languages where possible, this not only supports language development but also affirms identity and belonging.
For older children (e.g., FS2 or Reception): Encourage group decision-making by letting the class vote on a “Book of the Week.” Use simple tokens or Velcro dots under book covers so children can cast their vote visually.
Suggestion: Begin the year with stories about starting school, feelings, and separation, books like Owl Babies, The Kissing Hand, Llama Llama Misses Mama, or Come to School Too, Blue Kangaroo. These narratives help children process common experiences and normalize big emotions.
Reading tip: Revisit the same book across multiple days. Repetition provides comfort, deepens understanding, and builds confidence.
“You remember what happens next! That’s right, Owl Baby says ‘I want my mummy!’”
A familiar story can become an anchor for your group, something they return to with joy and recognition as they settle in.
Why it works: Wearing something special, especially something made together, can provide children with a reassuring sense of continuity between home and nursery. Tactile bracelets serve as gentle transitional objects, helping children feel grounded, connected, and seen.
Make together: Set up a simple invitation with pipe cleaners and large, easy-to-thread beads. Children can choose their own colors, textures, or patterns as they create their welcome bracelet with adult support. The act of making it becomes a moment of connection, while the finished bracelet offers a portable sense of comfort throughout the day.
Language idea: While creating, use affirming language to build emotional safety:
“This is your special bracelet. You can wear it when you miss home or want to remember that you’re safe here.”
Extension idea: Offer to make a matching bracelet to send home with the child’s parent or caregiver.
“Look, you and Mummy have matching bracelets today!”
This symbolic link can ease separation anxiety and help children feel that home and nursery are not so far apart.
Variation: If some children arrive with a bracelet from home, consider creating a shared "bracelet board" for children to hang them on during messy play or naptime. This promotes care and autonomy while respecting the comfort the item brings.
Why it works: Captures a memory and gives children something to share with family.
Setup: A small frame, crown, or chalkboard sign with “My First Day!” and the date.
Send home: Print, message the photo or upload it onto the Parent App as part of your home-to-nursery communication.
Why it works: Releases energy, supports coordination, and gives a sense of group fun.
Music Tip: Use familiar nursery rhymes or calming drum beats. Keep groups small and short to prevent overwhelm and allow them to disconnect for a little while.
Variation: Try “stop and wiggle,” or dancing with scarves or ribbons. There are plenty of songs on youtube that you can use to encourage movement or action based songs.
Why it works: Offers a playful reason to explore the room, helping children get comfortable.
How to do it: Hide safe, familiar items like toy animals or color blocks. Provide a basket and invite children to collect one of each.
Adaptation: For younger toddlers, hide duplicates and let them find at their own pace.
Why it works: Painting with water is mess-free and magical, ideal for first-day creativity without pressure.
Materials: Cups of water, big brushes, and fences or pavement.
Language: Celebrate process over product: “You made long swooshes! I see your brush dancing.”
While you're welcoming the children, don’t forget the parents. First-day nerves often affect adults just as much. Here are a few gentle ways to support them:
Offer a clear drop-off routine. Rehearse it with families in advance.
Have tissues ready. Both for little tears and big ones.
Send a quick first-day update. A photo, note, or voice message helps parents feel reassured.
Follow up. At the end of the day or later in the week, share a small story of joy or progress.
You don’t need to do everything at once. Choose a few calm, connective activities and let your observations guide the day. Children are all unique, some may jump in headfirst, while others need space to warm up.
The most important part of any first-day activity? You. Your tone, body language, and presence are what make children feel safe enough to explore, play, and belong.
Here’s to a joyful start and a beautiful year ahead.
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