BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JANUARY 8, 2024

If your little one is starting childcare this new year, now’s the time to get them used to the idea! 

One great way to do this is to read some books about going to childcare, and there are some gorgeous titles that will familiarise your under-five with daycare routines, address those first day niggles, and build excitement page-by-page.  

For starters, here are six books that deal with the big childcare transition in a brilliant way: 

1. Ladybirds Do Not Go to Day Care 

If your child isn’t too keen to spread their wings at daycare, or just has *much* better things to do, this new release is definitely worth a read.  

In it, Ravi is dressed as his favourite insect and quite convinced that ladybirds like him do not go to daycare!  

He’d much rather stay home and munch aphids, but as the story progresses, Ravi’s nervousness about his new childcare chapter eases. 

Your early learner will love the giggles and gentle encouragement this book offers, and it’s good to know that Ladybirds Do Not Go to Day Care is the first book in the Preschool Problems series, which will deal with other challenges, like bike-riding and toilet-training. 

2. Daycare For You 

Whether your child is called Hannah, Hiraani, Max or Montgomery, this book puts them at the centre of the story! 

Daycare For You is a personalised read that’s perfect for your under-four, because it includes your child’s name and the name of the daycare they’re enrolled in, then takes your little one through a whole day of fun early learning experiences.  

Sharing this story will familiarise your child with daycare routines and activities before their first day, and this one-of-a-kind book is definitely a keeper.  

3. When Mummy Goes to Work 

If your baby or toddler is starting childcare because you’re going back to work, this rhyming board book will help to explain what work is, and also reassure your tiny tot that your love for them will remain as strong as ever when you’re back at the coalface.   

When Daddy Goes to Work is a companion title that explains things from a fatherly perspective, and both stories are reassuring to read, with illustrations to swoon over – kind of in the style of Guess How Much I Love You.   

4. I’m Ready for Preschool 

This board book is part of the I’m Ready series, which celebrates exciting milestones in little humans’ lives with the help of some adorable animals! 

In I’m Ready for Preschool, you’ll follow a cuddly koala as they prepare for their first day, both practically and emotionally, and it’s awesome to see the pages awash with green, gold and other Australiana.  

5. Pearl Goes to Preschool 

If you’ve got a twirly, whirly, prancy, dancy kind of kid, then they’ll love this story about a little ballerina whose mum proposes a move to preschool.  

Before Pearl pirouettes in that direction, she has a few questions she’d like answered, and Pearl Goes to Preschool takes the mystery out of the preschool or kindy transition in a delightfully dancy way.  

6. Llama Llama Misses Mama 

This picture book is an oldie, but a greatie!  

It features a cute little llama as he experiences his first day at preschool, and Llama Llama Misses Mama is a joy for us parents to read, thanks to all the fun rhymes. 

There’s also real heart in this book, as Llama Llama’s excitement about preschool morphs to separation anxiety, and his new childcare family rallies round to turn that little llama frown upside down! 

We hope one, or all, of these books helps your under-five to prepare for childcare in a cuddly storytime way, and here’s to a brilliant new chapter in your little one’s life.