Michael woke up before his alarm on the morning of his very first day of school. His new backpack waited beside the door, and his shoes looked almost too clean to wear. He was excited, but a small nervous flutter bounced around inside his tummy.
A morning full of butterflies
“Good morning, schoolboy,” Mom said with a smile. Michael sat up and hugged his blanket. “What if I don’t know anyone?” he asked. Mom reminded him that every child in his class would be having a first day too. “You only need one brave hello to begin,” she said.
At breakfast, Michael’s spoon made tiny circles in his cereal. Mom helped him name the things he was looking forward to: drawing pictures, learning new games and finding out what was inside the school library. With every idea, the flutter in his tummy became a little softer.
The journey to school
The yellow bus stopped with a friendly hiss. Michael squeezed Mom’s hand, took one deep breath and climbed aboard. At the window, he waved until she became a small shape at the end of the street.
A child across the aisle gave him a shy smile. Michael remembered Mom’s advice. “Hello, I’m Michael,” he said. “I’m Sam,” the child replied. That one brave hello made the bus feel much less enormous.
A classroom of new faces
Ms. Johnson welcomed everyone at the classroom door. She showed Michael where to hang his backpack and pointed out his seat. The room smelled of crayons and new books. There were colourful letters on the wall and a reading corner filled with cushions.
The class played a welcome game. Each child said their name and chose a favourite animal. Michael chose a dolphin. When everyone clapped, he realised that nobody expected him to know everything. They were all learning together.
During art time, Michael drew the school bus, his mom waving and a big blue dolphin swimming above them like a guardian in the sky. Sam asked to borrow a green crayon, and Michael happily shared it.
New friends and a happy ending
At recess, Michael raced Sam to the slide. Soon two more children joined their game. They took turns, cheered for one another and invented a rule that the ground below the slide was a sparkling ocean.
Back inside, the children built a tall block tower and added drawings around it. Michael’s hands were busy, his smile was wide, and the morning butterflies had disappeared completely.
At lunch, Michael sat with his new friends. They compared sandwiches, talked about their pets and planned another playground adventure for tomorrow. School no longer felt like a building full of strangers.
When Michael saw Mom after school, he ran into her arms. “I said a brave hello,” he told her, “and then I said lots more.” On the walk home, he described every picture, game and new friend. Tomorrow would not be his first day anymore—but Michael already knew it would be another good one.
Talk about the story
- What helped Michael feel braver?
- What would you look forward to on a first day?
- How can you help someone who is new?
Commentary