This is a heartwarming story that many preschool and kindergarten teachers like using on the first day of school.The story is about a raccoon who was nervous about his first day of school. Your preschoolers can very likely relate to the feelings the raccoon had. After reading the story, guide your students in stamping a red hand print on the top of a piece of white construction drawing paper. While it dries, have them draw a portrait of their own family on a small piece of paper, then tape that to the hand print paper and let them tell about their portraits during Circle Time. A great theme-related snack to correspond would be hand print cookies with a heart in the center.
This little bear will give your preschoolers a new "friend" who starts school with them. You can either draw a complete bear or draw bear parts (arms, legs, belly, head, nose and eyes) and have the children cut and paste the parts together. Whichever you choose, when they've made a bear out of brown construction paper, provide them with one drawing of an apple and one drawing of a pencil. After they've decorated their bear friend, show them how to paste an apple in one of the bear's paws and a pencil in the other for a back-to-school bear who is eager to start preschool. When they're done, have a time of sharing where your preschoolers each share how their bear feels about starting preschool. What they share is likely to reflect how the student feels, so you'll have a chance to address those feelings in a non-threatening way. If you like the idea of having the students glue the parts together but are concerned about drawing body parts, DLTK provides a template you can use.
Whether or not your preschoolers ride a yellow bus to school, they may enjoy this craft. For those who do ride a bus to preschool, this craft is helpful in familiarizing them with what they are now encountering. Cut off the lid of an egg carton, then guide the children in painting it yellow. As the paint dries, have them all cut out two "wheels" from black construction paper. (The size should be proportionate to the bus, but unless you provide a template, preschoolers may make them larger or smaller. A good idea is to aim for circles that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter.) Write "School" at the top of the bus, or let your students do that, and they'll have a nice school bus craft. As an extension on this activity, let your students talk about how they get to preschool each day with their school buses during a time of sharing.