Big Feelings, Big Day! – A Story for Children Starting School
Feel every butterfly before the big first day of school! This warm animated story helps children feel brave, confident and genuinely excited about starting school aged 2–7.
About This Video
The night before the first day of school, Leo cannot sleep. His new school bag is packed and ready by the door, his new shoes are clean and rigid and unfamiliar, and his stomach feels like it is hosting a small weather system. The next morning he eats half his cereal, puts on his new uniform and stands at the school gate trying to remember how to breathe normally. What happens next is the story — and it is completely real, genuinely funny, exactly as hard as Leo expects and then, unexpectedly, exactly as good.
Essential for children aged 2 to 7 starting nursery, Reception or any new school. The most powerful time to watch is the evening before the first day — so Leo's brave story is fresh in your child's mind when they reach their own school gate the next morning. Free to watch.
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Parents' Questions
What does Leo experience in the My First Day at School animated story?
Leo's first day of school is shown with complete honesty — the pre-school stomach butterflies, the moment of release when his parent lets go of his hand at the gate, the not-knowing where to sit at carpet time, the lunch hall that seems enormous and loud, finding someone to stand next to in the playground, and the one moment that changes everything: another child who is also standing alone on the edge of the playground and also looks like they could use a friend. By home time, Leo has survived a day that felt impossible the night before — and that is the whole story.
How can parents use this first day story to talk about school anxiety with their child?
After watching, use Leo's specific experiences as conversation starting points: 'Leo felt wobbly in his tummy before school. Has your tummy ever felt like that?' 'What helped Leo feel better in the playground?' 'What do you think is the first thing you will do when you arrive at school?' These questions, anchored to Leo's specific story, open natural conversations that children find easier than direct questions about their own feelings. The story gives children a character to identify with and a narrative to lean on — both are more useful than reassurance alone.
What age is Big Feelings, Big Day starting school story designed for?
Designed specifically for children aged 3 to 7 starting nursery or Reception, though the emotional territory — doing something genuinely difficult for the first time — resonates across the full 2 to 7 range. Most powerful when watched two to three days before starting school to give the story time to settle and be discussed, and then again on the evening before the actual first day. Parents consistently report that children who have watched this video several times before their first day approach the school gate with phrases borrowed from Leo's story — a small but reliable sign that the narrative has done its job.
