Kids Corner › School Season
When School Feels Scary
A gentle story for little ones who feel nervous about school
Read aloud › take your time › it’s okay to pause
Maybe school is starting soon, and your stomach feels funny when you think about it.
Maybe you’re worried about the new classroom, or the new teacher, or whether anyone will want to sit with you at lunch. Maybe you had a good friend at your old school, and now things are different and you don’t know how it will feel. Maybe you just woke up this morning and the word “school” was enough to make your chest feel tight.
That nervous feeling is real. It’s not silly. It’s not wrong. Lots of children — and lots of grown-ups — feel scared when something new or hard is coming. The butterflies in your stomach are just telling you that you care about how things go.
But here is something important to know: God already knows exactly what that classroom looks like. He has already been there. And He is going ahead of you right now.
In the Bible, there was a man named Joshua. His job was to lead a whole nation of people into a new land — one that felt scary and uncertain. Before Joshua even took one step, God said something quiet and strong to him:
Whithersoever thou goest. That means “everywhere you go.” To the new school. Down the unfamiliar hallway. Into the lunchroom. God is there. He does not send you in alone.
The Bible also gives us a short, honest prayer for moments when the scared feeling comes:
Notice what it does not say. It does not say “I will never be afraid.” It says when I am afraid. Being scared is allowed. The verse just tells us what to do with the scared feeling: trust God right in the middle of it.
So when the butterfly feeling comes — on the night before school, or on the bus, or right outside the classroom door — you can say quietly inside: “I’m scared. But I trust You.” That is enough. That is brave.
God goes before you. He is already in that room. And He will be standing right there when you walk in.
Color this › take your time
Color the child, the school, and the bright morning sky any colors you like.
Let’s Talk About the Story
Choose the best answer. If it’s not quite right, you’ll get a gentle hint.
1. What does the story say the “butterflies in your stomach” feeling really means?
2. In the story, where does God go before you?
3. What did God tell Joshua before he went into the new land?
4. Psalm 56:3 says “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” What does this mean?
5. What is a short, honest prayer you can say when you feel scared walking into school?
“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” — Joshua 1:9 (KJV)
God goes ahead of you into every hallway, every new room, every first day. You are not walking in alone.
I sat with this
Scared is allowed. Trust is brave. He is already there.