First Day of School Messages: 55+ Things to Write

The first day of school is a bigger moment for the parents than anyone admits, and a card in the lunchbox is remembered long after the uniform stops fitting. Here are 55+ messages for every stage.

Send yours in a free congratulations ecard, or tuck a note into the bag.

Starting school for the first time

1. Good luck on your first day! You are going to be brilliant.
2. Big day today! Have a wonderful time.
3. Good luck! Be kind, be brave, and have fun.
4. First day of school! So proud of you already.
5. Have a great first day. We will be right here at the end of it.
6. Good luck today! You are so ready for this.
7. Have the best first day! Cannot wait to hear all about it.
8. Good luck! Make a friend, ask questions, and enjoy yourself.
9. Big day! You are going to love it.
10. Have a wonderful first day at school. So proud of you.

For a new school year

1. Good luck for the new year! Go and enjoy it.
2. New class, new teacher, same brilliant you. Have a great year.
3. Good luck this year! Work hard and have fun in roughly equal measure.
4. Have a great start to the year. You have got this.
5. New year, fresh start. Make it a good one.
6. Good luck! Hope this is your best year yet.
7. Have a brilliant year. We are proud of you.
8. Good luck with the new year! Enjoy every bit of it.
9. Back to it! Have a great term.
10. Wishing you a happy and successful school year.

Starting secondary school

1. Good luck at your new school. It feels enormous now and it will not for long.
2. Big step today. You are more ready than you feel.
3. Good luck! Getting lost on day one is a tradition, not a failure.
4. New school, new start. Go and make it yours.
5. Good luck! Be yourself — it works better than anything else.
6. Have a great first day. Everyone else is nervous too, whatever they look like.
7. Good luck! Ask for help when you need it. That is what the teachers are for.
8. Proud of you for taking this on. Have a brilliant day.

Starting university or college

1. Good luck! Enjoy every part of this — it goes faster than anyone tells you.
2. Big move. You have earned your place and you will do well.
3. Good luck at university! Say yes to things in the first fortnight.
4. Have a brilliant time. Ring home occasionally.
5. Good luck! Homesickness is normal and it passes. So does everyone else’s.
6. Off you go. So proud of you.
7. Good luck! Work hard, sleep sometimes, enjoy all of it.
8. Wishing you a wonderful first term.

From parents

1. Have a brilliant first day, love. We will be waiting at the gate.
2. So proud of you today. Whatever happens, we are here.
3. Good luck, love. Be yourself — that is more than enough.
4. We are so proud of you. Go and have a great day.
5. Good luck today! We will want every detail at teatime.
6. Have a wonderful day, love. You are braver than you know.
7. Big day for you and a big day for us. So proud.
8. Good luck! Nothing changes about how much we love you.

Funny messages

1. Good luck! Remember which peg is yours. That is most of the battle.
2. Have a great first day! Try not to teach the teacher anything on day one.
3. Good luck! Your mother has cried twice already and it is only eight o’clock.
4. Big day! Somebody will cry and it will probably be a parent.
5. Good luck! The uniform will never look this clean again.
6. Have a great day! Homework starts tomorrow. Enjoy today.

Short messages

1. Good luck today!
2. Have a brilliant first day.
3. So proud of you.
4. You have got this!
5. Big day — enjoy it!
6. Have a great year.
7. Off you go!
8. Thinking of you today.

How to write it

1. Focus on kindness and courage, not achievement. Day one is about settling in, not results.
2. Normalise the nerves. “Everyone else is nervous too” is the single most useful line for an older child.
3. Say what happens afterwards. Young children want to know who is collecting them.
4. Keep it short enough to read alone. A note in a bag gets read at a desk, not at home.

Send it — and pair it with a gift

A free congratulations ecard works for older children and students. See also good luck messages and graduation wishes:

FAQ

What do you write for a first day of school?

Wish them a good day, mention being kind and brave rather than clever, and say who will be there at the end of it.

What do you write for a child starting secondary school?

Acknowledge that it feels enormous, normalise the nerves, and remind them that getting lost on day one happens to everyone.

What do you write to someone starting university?

Encourage them to say yes to things early, mention that homesickness is normal, and keep the pressure off their results.

Should a card go in the bag?

For younger children, yes — a short note found at lunchtime is enormously reassuring. Keep it brief so they can read it alone.

What is a good short message?

“Good luck on your first day! You are going to be brilliant.”

What should you avoid writing?

Pressure about performance, comparisons with siblings, or anything that suggests they should not be nervous.

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