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Is it possible that the first day of school is upon us already?! Oh my this summer did fly by! While parents and teachers have so much on their minds in preparation for the big day, our little ones have a whole other set of worries… first day jitters! This Jitter Juice Recipe and Poem are sure to help!
*Pair this with our Back to School Activities and Centers for Pre-K & Kindergarten!
One of my most favorite ways to get first day of school jitters out is to read the hilariously funny and unpredictable children’s book called, “First Day Jitters,” and then create the most delicious Jitter Juice Recipe to take away those butterflies in our bellies!
If you haven’t read this storybook yet, it is a must! I don’t want to spoil the ending for you but I will tell you that there’s a BIG surprise at the end. A surprise that will, without a doubt, help the little ones in your life through those first day jitters.
After you’ve read, “First Day Jitters” to your children, then you must make them this delicious Jitter Juice Recipe and read them the adorable poem! It won’t disappoint!
Whether you are making this tasty drink at home with your own kids or in the classroom, we have all the tips and tricks you need to make it an awesome experience, including a printable of the ingredients and a fun poem.
So, once you mix your delicious Jitter Juice, don’t forget the awesome Jitter Juice label (free label and recipe below) and pour! We colored in the label with markers, but you could also print the design on colored paper.
The kids LOVED making the Jitter Juice. Plus, did you know it’s a well known fact that adding a “special ingredient” of sprinkles helps to get those jitters out? 😉
As we sprinkle our special ingredient inside our tasty treat, we also recite our Jitter Juice Poem.
Serve in a plastic cup with a silly straw!
Now it’s time to enjoy! (Remember, you can print the fun label below with our poem, too.)
Check out our super sweet Jitter Juice poem below! (Grab your downloadable pdf version at the end of the post.)
This is perfect to print and color at school on the first day, and send home in case parents want to make it too!
Ready to say goodbye to those first day jitters? Grab your FREE label, poem, and printable recipe by clicking the large, yellow download button below!
© 2024 THE KINDERGARTEN CONNECTION
22 Responses
I’ve got to agree with this poster, I would never mention it to my son’s first teacher on his very first day of school but I was pretty upset that I’m finding out about jitter juice through a Google search and not from an email from her. He was really freaked out on the first day that he drank something funny at school because everyone else was and he was so relieved when I finally found out it was soda. Maybe you never got complaints from a parent, but who’s actually going to start the year off wrong for their kid by complaining? It sounds like a fun activity, but parent communication is a must here.
Kate,
Parent communication is always a great idea. It is important and helpful to start the year off on the right foot! 🙂
HI! I think you handled the previous negative response very well here!
It should not be assumed that teachers/parents who use “Jitter Juice” don’t also use yoga, deep breathing, dance etc.
In my home we don’t participate in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny etc. BUT I would never criticize families who do.
My daughter did this activity in K and I have taught grades K-3 over the past 15 years. I have had many of the same concerns as some of the other people who responded and you answered them all perfectly.
I look forward to piloting this project Monday!
Hi! Did you make the mix ahead of time and pour it back into the Sprite bottle? That seems like such an easy way to serve it. Thanks!
Hi Liz,
We did make the juice ahead of time and add it back to the soda bottle but any container will work. We like the soda bottle because it helps keep the fizzy carbonation in the bottle until we serve. 🙂
My daughter teaches kindergarten and her students 🥰 it….
Thank you!
It’s up to the individual, whatever works for them, We also are Christians, & We pray 🙏 for the students. God Bless You Abundantly!
Thank you for sharing! We hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
Hi! Parent here, it might be wise to suggest that kindergarten teachers send an email to guardians before this activity. There’s nothing like your frazzled five-year-old coming home to tell you that her teacher gave her a pink fizzy drink to stop her from being nervous about the first day of school!
Hi Bethany,
I have never had a problem with parents being upset but you make a good point. It’s also important to check the ingredients for the Jitter Juice and make sure there aren’t any food allergies in your class. 🙂
Alternative: 100% fruit juice diluted with sparking water. This will not cause jitters. The Sprite and Hawaiian Punch drink will.
Hi Paige! Love that idea for an alternative for those who choose not to use soda or punch – thanks for sharing!
Yes, Paige, great idea!
When in the day do you do this in your day? During snack in the afternoon or earlier in the day, perhaps morning? Wonderful idea!!!
Hi Jennifer!
This is a great question. I like to first read the story, “First Day Jitters,” in the morning when it makes the most sense for the schedule. Then we prepare the Jitter Juice and recite the poem together. It seems to be a great start to the day for us! Have fun and enjoy!
I am obsessed with this idea and I want to do it with my firsties! Do you ever get worried that parents might be mad about giving them a sugary drink? Or maybe a student has a reaction? Just wondering! I’m new to my school and just want to be careful haha.
Hi Calley!
Great questions! I usually serve a very small amount to each student and I’ve never had an upset parent. They actually comment how creative and fun an idea it is for getting rid of those first day jitters. You should definitely check the ingredients for the Jitter Juice mixture you use and make sure there aren’t any food allergies in your class. Especially since food allergies are so common. Have a wonderful start to your school year!
I do object! How about talking about the jitters and then exploring healthy ways to deal with them, like “shake them out” with dance, movement, physical activity. Or great time to teach deep breathing, yoga prayer, or other healthy ways to self calm. You are teaching them to calm their anxiety with an unhealthy drink, food, sugar. Bad habit that has potential to lead to obesity and addictions.
Hi there! Love those ideas for deep breathing, yoga, etc – those are all valuable for teaching calm, and my class and I also LOVE to dance and shake – we do it daily! The point of this activity is for parents at home (or teachers, too) who want to do something fun to make back to school an exciting time for kids with a snack and story. A great alternative if you prefer not to use these ingredients is 100% fruit juice, or even sparkling water or anything you choose. And your choice may be to skip the activity altogether and that is great too – your choices sound like they will be the best for you and your kids. The point really is the time spent having fun during Back to School season, however you choose to do it. Hope you have a wonderful B2S season with your kiddos! : )
Adorable that you call them “firsties”! You can add word play by asking them, “Are you firsty?” Then give them a drink!
Hi! Thank you so much for making this! I noticed that when it downloaded it only came in black and white. The label is not in color. I thought I’d let you know.
HI Nastacia! The printable for the label is a black and white design – in the pictures in the post it was colored with marker 🙂 I will update the post directions with that info though so that others are aware it is black and white before downloading. 🙂 Hope you enjoy jitter juice with your kiddos too!
You could probably use a paint type app/software on whatever device ur using to color It in preprinting too. Tho of course coloring by hand is pretty simple too
But it u want that uniformed all printed look there wr3 ways to fill spots with color in diff apps n software. Me being a late 80s baby … and 90s kid, my mind goes straight to the paint program on most desktop computers and the little paint can used to fill entire sections with boarders to fill with color lol