Audrey Penn’s The Kissing Hand is one of the most-loved back-to-school read-alouds for a reason: it speaks directly to the separation anxiety so many young students (and their families) feel on the first day of school. Chester the raccoon doesn’t want to leave home for school, so his mother teaches him a secret — a kiss in the palm of his hand that he can press to his cheek whenever he misses her. It’s a gentle, reassuring way to talk about big feelings without making them feel scary.
What The Kissing Hand Is About
Chester the raccoon is nervous about starting school and would rather stay home in the woods with his mother. To help him feel brave, his mother kisses the center of his palm and tells him that whenever he feels lonely, all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek and think, “Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you.” Chester carries that secret with him to school — and by the end of the day, he’s teaching it to his new raccoon friends.
Why Teachers Love It for Back-to-School
This book is a natural fit for the first week of school, especially in PreK through 2nd grade classrooms. It gives teachers an easy, low-pressure way to open a conversation about missing home, feeling nervous, and finding comfort — while also building a shared classroom ritual kids can return to all year whenever they need a little reassurance.
Discussion Questions to Ask After Reading
- How did Chester feel about going to school for the first time?
- What did Chester’s mother do to help him feel brave?
- Have you ever felt nervous about trying something new? What helped?
- What could you do if you started missing home during the school day?
- Why do you think Chester wanted to share his secret with his new friends?
Simple No-Prep Classroom Activities
- Give every student a “kissing hand.” Press a heart sticker or stamp into each child’s palm on the first day as a keepsake reminder.
- Trace-and-decorate hand craft. Have students trace their hand on construction paper, add a heart in the center, and decorate it as a take-home reminder.
- “I feel brave when…” writing prompt. A simple sentence starter for early writers to complete and illustrate.
- Class discussion circle. Talk through the discussion questions above as a group to normalize first-day nerves.
- Send a note home. Encourage families to draw or write their own “kissing hand” message with their child the night before school starts.
A printable activity pack for The Kissing Hand is in the works and will be added here once it’s ready — for now, this classroom-tested read-aloud plan is a simple, no-prep way to bring the story into your first days of school.
Looking for more back-to-school read-alouds? Check out our Duck on a Bike activities, Curious George Goes to School activities, or Giraffes Can’t Dance activities.