Sarah sat on the edge of her bed, clutching her favorite teddy bear tightly. Today was her first day of school, and her tummy felt full of butterflies. She looked at her new backpack and neat school uniform, trying to be brave.
“What if nobody likes me?” she whispered to her teddy bear. The morning sunlight streamed through her window, making her butterfly wall stickers sparkle. Her mom had helped her pick out a special red ribbon for her hair, but even that didn’t make her feel better.
When Sarah reached the school, it seemed enormous. The big brick building towered above her, and the sound of children laughing and talking filled the air. Her legs felt wobbly as she approached the entrance.
Then she met Mrs. Brown, her teacher. Mrs. Brown had kind eyes behind her glasses and wore a colorful scarf that danced in the breeze. “Welcome, Sarah!” she said with a warm smile. “Would you like to help me ring the morning bell?”
Sarah nodded shyly, and the sound of the brass bell echoing across the schoolyard made her feel a little bit special.
In the classroom, Sarah discovered that school wasn’t as scary as she thought. Mrs. Brown made learning numbers fun with colorful building blocks, and during story time, Sarah found herself raising her hand to answer questions.
The boy next to her, Tommy, shared his crayons when Sarah forgot hers. “I like your hair ribbon,” he said with a friendly smile. “Red is my favorite color too!” Sarah felt a warm glow inside – maybe making friends wasn’t so hard after all.
By afternoon playtime, Sarah was having so much fun she almost forgot about her morning fears. She and Tommy took turns on the swings, seeing who could go higher. The warm sunshine made her red ribbon glow, and her laughter joined the happy sounds of the playground.
“I did it!” Sarah thought proudly, pumping her legs to swing higher. “I was scared, but I did it!” The afternoon breeze carried the sweet smell of flowers from the fence, and Sarah couldn’t wait to tell her mom about all her adventures.
That night, as she hugged her teddy bear, Sarah smiled. School wasn’t scary at all – it was the beginning of a wonderful new adventure.