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Customizable Story Book Idea (Free Printables)

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For small children, the first day of school is an exciting prospect, but it can also be difficult for some to make the transition from home to the classroom. Leaving behind the familiarity of home, including favorite toys and belongings, can be downright daunting for little people! 
My son has had the same stuffed puppy dog, Abe, since he was a tiny infant, and the return of school days means that Abe has to be left at home while Jack goes about the business of learning. 

Yesterday as Jack was headed to school, he brought Abe downstairs and asked if I could spend a little time with him throughout the day, since he was getting lonely on Jack’s bed all by himself. It was Jack’s sweet suggestion that prompted me to make a fun little story book for Abe to give to Jack once he got off the bus yesterday afternoon, full of all of the details of Abe’s fun day at home. Jack was genuinely delighted, and as he was leaving home this morning, the last words out of his mouth were that he can’t wait to see what adventures Abe has today while he’s gone. Jack bounded out the door with a genuine pep in his step. I would say this idea was a hit!
The concept behind my little book was to stage Abe in all sorts of interesting, sometimes humorous, situations throughout the house, doing everything from playing ball and eating lunch to reading one of Jack’s favorite books and helping out with chores. I snapped pictures with my phone, and then I imported them into a document using my word processing software before typing up a little story to go along with them.
Here is how Abe’s story goes:


When Abe and I were finished with the creative process, I printed the story onto cardstock, trimmed the pages in half with a paper cutter, and then bound all of the pages together using my Bind-it-All machine. Total time for this project: about an hour, from start to finish. But the end result is a story book that Jack will undoubtedly read over and over again!

If you would like to ease the transition from home to school for your little one, a fun story like this might be just the ticket! If your child doesn’t have a stuffed animal he or she is particularly fond of, another fun idea would be to write a book from the perspective of a beloved pet.
I have created a printable version of my book that you can fill in by hand. The inside pages contain a blank space where you can adhere your photos, and a box where you can write the wording for your story. Be sure to include the date in the heart on the back cover for posterity’s sake!
To save this file to your computer, click on the arrow in the lower right-hand side of the download box below. The file is in PDF format, so you will need a PDF reader to view it. If you are enjoying this post via email subscription or in a reader, you will likely have to visit the blog to download your copy.

Have a great day, everyone!

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Comments

  4. Jenny says

    Oh.my.word!! How precious!!! What a creative and adorable idea. Thank you for sharing the printable! I’m going to get to work… 🙂

  7. Nat and Holly says

    This is so adorable Amy! What a sweet thing to do for your son. I am totally making this for my son’s first day of pre-school next week. He is leaving behind a precious friend, Tiger, and he will love this book! Thank you 🙂

  12. eat. sleep. MAKE. says

    Oh wow Amy, what a unique and brilliant idea! My daughter is beginning preschool this week for the first time, and I’m sure she’d love to see what her little stuffed rabbit, “Hunny Bunny” was up to all day! Thanks so much for sharing the printables!