Help students explore first-day feelings with this interactive Kindergarten read-aloud lesson companion for Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! by Hyewon Yum.
This warm and engaging story offers a humorous look at the first day of school—especially when a parent may be more nervous than the student! The lesson encourages students to identify emotions, make personal connections and recognize that people can experience the same event in different ways.
Designed for the first month of Kindergarten, this low-prep resource supports oral language, comprehension, classroom community and social-emotional learning.
What’s Included
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Complete educator lesson plan
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Student-friendly learning focus
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Materials list
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Minds On activity
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Before-, during- and after-reading prompts
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Interactive first-day feelings discussion
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Whole-group activity
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Consolidation prompts
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Assessment look-fors
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Differentiation and extension ideas
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Student activity templates
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Documentation suggestions
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Next instructional steps
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Ontario Kindergarten 2026 curriculum connections
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Relevant U.S. Common Core Kindergarten connections
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Learning Focus
Students will have opportunities to:
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Identify and name different emotions
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Discuss first-day experiences
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Make personal connections to a story
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Recognize that people may feel differently about the same event
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Listen and respond during classroom conversations
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Communicate ideas through speaking, drawing and writing
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Develop empathy for the feelings of others
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Identify strategies that can help someone feel more comfortable
Interactive Read-Aloud Lesson
Before reading, students are invited to think about how they felt when they arrived at school. They may have felt excited, nervous, happy, curious, worried—or a combination of several emotions.
During the story, students listen for clues that show how the characters are feeling. They consider how facial expressions, actions and words can help readers understand emotions.
After reading, students compare the feelings of the parent and student, discuss how feelings can change and share strategies that can help someone feel more comfortable at school.
Student Activity
The included response activity gives students an opportunity to reflect on their own first-day feelings.
Students may:
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Draw a picture of themselves arriving at school
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Identify an emotion
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Complete a simple sentence frame
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Dictate their response to an educator
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Share their experience with a partner or the class
The activity can be completed independently, in a small group or through educator-supported scribing.
Assessment Opportunities
Educators can observe whether students:
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Identify and name an emotion
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Make a personal connection to the story
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Use details from illustrations or events to explain their thinking
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Listen and respond to classmates
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Recognize that two people may feel differently
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Suggest an appropriate strategy for managing first-day feelings
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Communicate through speaking, drawing, labelling or writing
Differentiation
Support students by offering emotion visuals, two response choices, sentence starters, educator modelling or an opportunity to point, draw or act instead of speaking.
Extend the learning by inviting students to explain why a character may feel a particular way, compare two characters’ perspectives or create advice for someone preparing for their first day of Kindergarten.
Perfect For
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The first day of Kindergarten
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The first week or month of school
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Whole-group read-alouds
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Social-emotional learning
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Oral-language development
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Classroom community building
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Small-group literacy instruction
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Kindergarten observations
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Homeschool Kindergarten
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Pre-K and early Grade 1 classrooms
Curriculum Connections
This resource includes connections to the Ontario Kindergarten Program 2026 and relevant U.S. Common Core Kindergarten literacy and communication standards.
Curriculum connections should be selected and documented according to the learning demonstrated by each student.
Please Note
The published book is not included. You will need your own copy of Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! or may borrow one from your school or local library.
This independent educational resource is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the author, illustrator or publisher of the book.
Created by Sweet Little Learners.
