First-Day Jitters Are More Than Nerves: Why Sensory Supports Matter From Day One

The first day of school is exciting.

New backpacks. Freshly sharpened pencils. New teachers. Seeing friends again.

But for many students, the first days of school can also feel like a lot.

New classrooms. Different routines. Unfamiliar expectations. Crowded hallways. Bells ringing. Chairs scraping. More sitting. More listening. More transitions. And after a summer with a very different schedule, suddenly being expected to regulate through an entire school day again.

We often call it "first-day jitters."

But sometimes what looks like nervousness, excessive energy, silliness, avoidance, tears, difficulty listening, or even challenging behavior is also a child trying to manage all of the sensory and emotional demands that come with returning to school.

As a school-based occupational therapist, that's why I believe one of the best things we can do at the beginning of the year is simple:

Don't wait for students to struggle before giving them tools to regulate.

The First Day Is a Sensory Experience

Think about walking into school from a child's perspective.

The hallway may be louder than they've experienced all summer.

There are people everywhere.

They're trying to remember where to put their backpack, where to sit, when they're allowed to talk, where they're supposed to walk, what happens next — and perhaps even how to open that brand-new lunch container someone bought them.

For younger students, it may be their first time spending an entire day away from home.

For older students, there may be new classrooms, changing classes, increased academic expectations, new social situations, and less downtime.

And underneath all of that, their bodies are processing an enormous amount of sensory information.

That's a lot of work before the academics even begin.

First-Day Jitters Don't Look the Same in Every Child

The student who is overwhelmed isn't always the child crying at the classroom door.

It might be the child who:

• Can't stop moving in his chair.

• Suddenly needs to sharpen his pencil for the fourth time.

• Becomes extra silly during transitions.

• Covers her ears in a noisy hallway.

• Has difficulty getting started on an assignment.

• Melts down over something seemingly small.

• Asks to go to the bathroom repeatedly.

• Withdraws and becomes unusually quiet.

• Has difficulty keeping hands to himself in line.

• Seems completely fine at school — and falls apart the moment he gets home.

These behaviors don't automatically mean a child has a sensory processing difficulty.

Sometimes they simply mean:

This is a lot for my body right now.

And that's where proactive supports can make such a difference.

What If We Supported Regulation Before the Struggle?

We tend to think about sensory strategies reactively.

A student becomes overwhelmed, so we give them a break.

A child can't sit still, so we send them to move.

A student is upset, so we suggest taking deep breaths.

Those strategies can certainly be helpful.

But what if we shifted the timing?

What if the movement came before the long period of sitting?

What if the calming activity happened before the difficult transition?

What if students learned where and how to reset before they were already dysregulated?

That's the power of being proactive.

Instead of asking only:

"What should we do when this child is struggling?"

We can also ask:

"What can we put in place so this child is less likely to get there?"

Proactive Doesn't Have to Mean Complicated

Supporting sensory and regulation needs doesn't require every school to build a sensory room.

It doesn't have to mean creating an elaborate schedule of sensory breaks.

And it certainly doesn't have to add another complicated program to a teacher's already-full plate.

Sometimes small changes are enough.

A few minutes of movement before morning work.

A calming activity outside the classroom.

A movement station students can use during a hallway transition.

A quiet reset space in the corner of a classroom.

A portable sensory path that can be rolled out when needed and shared between spaces.

A breathing activity before a test.

A whole-class movement break after prolonged sitting.

Start small.

The goal isn't to create more for teachers to manage.

It's to build regulation opportunities into things students are already doing.

Movement Isn't Taking Away From Learning

Especially during the first weeks of school, there can be pressure to establish routines and get students academically engaged as quickly as possible.

But movement doesn't have to compete with learning.

For many students, purposeful movement can help them become more ready for what comes next.

When a child has an appropriate opportunity to move, reset, breathe, push, stretch, march, balance, or simply step away for a moment, we're giving their body another tool for regulation.

And when the body is more regulated, participating in classroom expectations may become easier.

That's why I don't view movement and sensory supports as something separate from the school day.

They're one way we help prepare students for the school day.

Teach the Tools Before They're Needed

The beginning of the year is also the perfect time to introduce sensory and regulation resources.

Don't wait until a student is upset to show them a calming space for the first time.

Don't introduce a sensory path only after someone is having difficulty.

Teach students what the resources are, how to use them, and when they might help.

Let the whole class practice.

Normalize taking a breath.

Normalize movement.

Normalize recognizing when your body needs something.

When these supports are simply part of the school environment, using them doesn't have to feel like a punishment or something reserved for "the kid who is struggling."

It becomes another tool available to students.

A Different Way to Prepare for Day One

We spend so much time preparing our schools for the first day.

Bulletin boards are ready.

Name tags are on desks.

Lesson plans are written.

Supplies are organized.

Hallways look beautiful.

But as you're walking through your school before those doors open, consider adding one more question to your checklist:

Where can our students go — or what can they do — when their bodies need to move, calm, or reset?

You may already have the perfect space.

And it might only take one small addition to make it useful.

Try This Tomorrow

Walk through your students' first day from their perspective.

Where will they wait?

Where will it be loud?

When will they be expected to sit for a longer period?

Which transitions might feel overwhelming?

When will there be lots of directions, people, noise, or stimulation happening at once?

Now choose one of those moments.

Ask yourself:

"What could we put in place five minutes earlier?"

Maybe it's two minutes of movement.

Maybe it's a breathing exercise.

Maybe it's a visual reminder.

Maybe it's a sensory activity students pass on their way back to class.

Start with one proactive support and see what happens.

Because sometimes the best time to help a student regulate is before they need help regulating.

Want to Learn More?

Sacred Steps Sensory Paths were created by a school-based occupational therapist to help schools incorporate purposeful movement and regulation into the spaces and routines they already have.

Schools don't need a sensory room — or even a large hallway — to get started.

You can begin with one individual activity, a calming space, a Starter Set, a portable sensory path, or a full hallway path.

Sacred Steps offers both universal school resources and OT-designed faith-based sensory paths, allowing Catholic and Christian schools to combine purposeful movement and regulation with messages that reinforce their faith throughout the school day.

Products are commercially printed using durable, professional-grade materials designed for school environments, with floor, wall, and portable options available.

Whether you're preparing for the very first day or realizing a few weeks into the year that your students need additional support, you don't have to change everything at once.

Start with one need.
Start with one space.
Start with one purposeful step.

About the Author

Trisha Klausing is a school-based occupational therapist with more than 10 years of experience and the creator of Sacred Steps Sensory Paths. After seeing firsthand how movement and regulation impact students' ability to participate successfully in the school day, she created Sacred Steps to provide schools with purposeful, professionally designed sensory resources — including faith-based options that allow Christian and Catholic schools to support the whole child while reinforcing their faith.

Why Movement Comes Before Learning

Have you ever noticed what happens after a child has a chance to move?

They return to class calmer. More focused. More organized. More ready to learn.

That's not a coincidence.

As a practicing pediatric occupational therapist, I've seen it happen thousands of times.

Many people think movement is a break from learning. In reality, purposeful movement often prepares the brain for learning. One way schools can build proactive movement into the day is through a sensory pathway, which gives students structured opportunities to move, regulate and refocus.

The Brain Was Designed to Move

Children experience the world through movement long before they ever sit at a desk.

Before they learn to read...

They crawl.

They climb.

They balance.

They jump.

They explore.

Movement helps develop the very foundations that support attention, self-regulation, coordination, motor planning, and learning.

When we ask children to sit still for long periods without opportunities to move, many are working against how their brains naturally develop.

Purposeful movement gives the nervous system exactly what it needs to organize itself for learning.

Not All Movement Is Created Equal

As occupational therapists, we don't recommend movement simply because children enjoy it.

We recommend movement because different types of movement provide different benefits.

Jumping can increase alertness.

Balancing challenges body awareness.

Crossing the body's midline supports coordination and motor planning.

Reaching, stretching, crawling, and pushing all provide valuable sensory input that helps children regulate their bodies and attention.

When movement is intentional, it becomes much more than a brain break—it becomes part of the learning process.

What This Looks Like in Schools

Purposeful movement doesn't require a large gym or an extra class period.

It can happen naturally throughout the school day:

• During hallway transitions

• Before a challenging lesson

• While waiting for small-group instruction

• During indoor recess

• As part of a calming corner

• In therapy spaces

• During movement breaks between academic tasks

These small moments of movement can have a meaningful impact on a child's readiness to learn.

Why I Created Sacred Steps

After years of working in schools, I realized something.

Teachers were doing incredible work.

Therapists were supporting students.

Schools cared deeply about helping children succeed.

But many hallways, walls, and common spaces were simply...empty.

I saw an opportunity to transform those everyday spaces into places where movement could happen naturally throughout the day.

That's why I created Sacred Steps.

Every product begins with one question:

"What does a child's brain need before we ask them to learn?"

Every movement is intentionally designed—not simply to be fun, but to help children regulate, focus, and thrive.

Because when we understand how children learn best, movement becomes more than an activity.

It becomes an opportunity.

Try This Tomorrow

Before your next reading lesson, math block, or classroom transition, give students 60 seconds of purposeful movement.

Try:

• ✔️ 10 jumping jacks

• ✔️ Reach up high, then touch your toes

• ✔️ Cross your right hand to your left knee, then switch

• ✔️ Balance on one foot for 10 seconds

• ✔️ March in place while counting to 20

Then simply observe.

Do students settle more quickly?

Do they focus longer?

Do transitions become smoother?

Purposeful movement doesn't have to take a lot of time—it just has to be intentional.

Want to Learn More?

Every Sacred Steps product begins with one simple question:

"What does a child's brain need before we ask them to learn?"

That's why every sensory path, wall activity, calming space, and portable pathway is intentionally designed by a practicing pediatric occupational therapist—not just to be fun, but to help children regulate, focus, and thrive.

Whether you're looking to transform a school hallway, therapy clinic, childcare center, church, library, hospital, or community space, you'll find movement solutions designed with both purpose and practicality in mind.

👉 Explore the Sacred Steps collections and discover the difference purposeful movement can make.

About the Author

Trisha Klausing, MOT, OTR/L is a practicing pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of Sacred Steps Sensory Paths. She designs OT-informed movement experiences that help children regulate, learn, and thrive in schools, therapy clinics, churches, childcare centers, and community spaces.