Ready for School: kids' file, Grown-ups' Guide and activity pages

Brave steps
Ages 8–10
Instant PDF

Kit · Ages 8–10

Ready for School: The Big Changes Kit

For first days, new classes and new routines: six short sessions that help your child know what to expect and plan their brave steps.

$9 One-off price. Yours to keep and reprint.

6 sessions in the weeks before the change
A first-day picture plan and a drop-off brave ladder
A goodbye routine you both know
A 13-page Grown-ups' Guide

Instant downloadSecure checkoutNothing is posted

Bundle Get all five kits for $89 Bought separately they're $129, so you save $40.

What lands in your inbox

PDF
Kids' file17 pages · 6 sessions, plans, “All about me”
PDF
Grown-ups' Guide13 pages · for you

Digital product, A4. Refund policy · See the research

When you'll use it

For the weeks before a big change.

Excited and nervous, all at once.

Session 1 names the mixed feelings, so they make more sense.

The tears at the school gate.

A short goodbye routine and a secret gate tool, practised at home first.

“What if nobody plays with me?”

Four ready-to-use ways to start a conversation, practised in role-play.

How it works

Six sessions, in order

1
Big changes, big feelingsNaming the excited and the nervous.
2
What will it be like?Finding out and making a picture plan.
3
My drop-off brave ladderSmall practice runs before the first day.
4
My goodbye routineThe same quick goodbye, plus a gate tool.
5
Making new friendsFour ways to start, and what to try if it doesn't work.
6
After-school check-inBest bit, tricky bit, tomorrow bit.

Six sessions of 10–20 minutes in the weeks before the change. Start two or three weeks out if you can.

What's inside

Everything in the kit.

1
6 illustrated sessionsEach with a warm-up, a Coopers story, an activity and a try-it-this-week.
2
A first-day picture planWhat they know, and what to find out.
3
A drop-off brave ladderSmall steps, from walking past the school to the gate.
4
A goodbye routine pageYour own handshake, high five or secret word.
5
An “All about me” page for the teacherSo their new teacher can get to know them.
6
A first-week trackerFor the after-school check-in.
7
The Grown-ups' Guide, 13 pagesWhat to say, what to praise, and what to do if they cry at the gate.

Honest fit check

Is it right for your family?

A great fit if…

Your child is starting school, a new school or a new class.
They're worried about drop-off, a new teacher or making friends.
You'd like a plan for the first week, not just the first day.

Not the right tool if…

Worries about school are stopping your child from going at all. Please talk to your GP and the school.
Something unsafe is happening at school. Talk to the school straight away.

The research behind it

Built on the same evidence as the Starter Workbook.

Knowing what to expect

Familiarity often makes new situations feel less threatening, so the kit starts with finding out and picturing the day.

Small brave steps

Practising small steps with a parent's support is a core part of parent-led programs for children's everyday worries that have been tested in trials.

These kits are for everyday big feelings. They're skills practice, not therapy, and they don't replace professional help. If your child's worries are stopping them from doing everyday things, talk to your GP.

Read the reference list

Questions about this kit

When should we start?

Two or three weeks before the change is ideal. Session 3 includes practice runs at school, so leave time for those.

Do we need to do the Starter Workbook first?

It helps, because the kits use the same characters and tools. But every kit opens with a quick recap of Name it and Body tools, so you can start here too.

How do I get it?

It's an instant download. Your links arrive by email straight after checkout. Nothing is posted.

Do I need a colour printer?

No. Every page works in black-and-white. Print posters and cards on card if you can.

Can I use it with more than one child?

Yes. Print as many copies as you need for your own family.

What if it isn't right for us?

Email hello@growhappyproject.com.au. If a file is faulty or isn't what we described, we'll fix it or refund you, as the Australian Consumer Law requires. See our refund policy for the details.