The Queen broke a longstanding habit and appeared in public on the anniversary of her father's death and her accession to the throne, at the start of the first and most significant of her diamond jubilee celebrations.

The hoopla will have to wait until the four-day bank holiday over the first weekend in June. Royal tours of the country and the Commonwealth have not yet got under way and the commemorations may not finally peter out until after the 60th anniversary of her coronation in June next year, but 6 February definitively marks the anniversary of her reign.

She normally stays quietly indoors at Sandringham at the end of her long annual post-Christmas break on her Norfolk estate, but she emerged to visit nearby King's Lynn and the children of a village infants school.

It was an altogether more low-key, less formal event than the 21-and 41-gun salutes that commemorated the Queen's reign at military ceremonies at the Tower of London, Portsmouth and Edinburgh Castle.

Gayle Platt, the headteacher of Dersingham infants and nursery school, who was born when the Queen had already been on the throne for nearly a quarter of a century, said the children had been bursting with excitement. "They cannot wait … They've been learning a few songs and singing and practising their curtseying."

A class of six- and seven-year-olds was discussing the Big Friendly Giant, and in particular how to capture Roald Dahl's popular character, when the small friendly monarch walked in. "What are they doing this morning?" she whispered to the teacher, Catherine Mallett. Does the Queen know that she has a small walk-on part in the story? If so, no one seemed to notice the coincidence. To the infants it may have seemed as strange – or as natural – as if the BFG himself had materialised in their midst.

The tour continued with a visit to a montage of photocopied newspaper pages about the coronation, compiled from a collection garnered by the parents of another teacher, Lee Williamson, which the Queen – who may have been the only person present who could remember the original occasion – said uncontroversially was a really lovely effect. "It was worth it because it brought a smile to her face," Williamson said afterwards.

The visit concluded with a children's concert, culminating in a rendition of Let's Do The Time Warp Again, from the Rocky Horror Show, a production that may hitherto have passed Her Majesty by.

There was a more formal visit to King's Lynn town hall to receive a loyal address from the mayor, Colin Sampson, who told her: "Locally, your majesty has made a matchless contribution to our economy and brought enjoyment to many by inviting members of the public to share so much of your Sandringham home. West Norfolk residents are very appreciative of all that your majesty has done to support the area and your majesty has earned a very special place in their hearts."

Outside in the bitter cold, a crowd of loyal monarchists had gathered from as far afield as London to cheer. "I love that the monarchy is above politics and feel that the Queen represents that best of all," said Laura Skrynski, a longtime royal watcher who had travelled from the capital. "She stands for integrity and respect and I am inspired by her faith. She has been a constant through our lives."

Janet Carter, also from London, who has been following the royals for 50 years, said: "Her dedication to the nation is wonderful and she has been the perfect monarch for so many years. Today is an opportunity for us all to acknowledge that." Gillian Williams, from King's Lynn, chipped in: "She is made in Britain and that is something we can take great pride in. Today is a very exciting day to say thank you to a marvellous lady."

Their sentiments echoed those of 60 years ago, not least in the then Manchester Guardian, which opined that the throne was as secure "in the love of all who acknowledge allegiance to it as it has ever been in history … It is a great inheritance – and a heavy burden – that now falls to the girl [sic] who becomes Queen. All may have confidence that she will wear the Crown nobly and will wish her well."

Buckingham Palace issued a message from the 85-year-old Queen, now Britain's oldest and second-longest-reigning monarch, rededicating herself to the service of the nation, a pledge first made in 1947 when she was 21, and thanking her subjects for their continuing support.

The focus of the diamond jubilee celebrations will be in June, with a flotilla of 1,000 vessels sailing, steaming and rowing down the Thames in London, an open-air concert at Buckingham Palace and a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral.

As the Queen left the town hall, three cheers and a cry of "God bless you ma'am" rang out – doubtless the first of many she will hear this year. If she had a sense of Let's Do The Time Warp Again as she retired for an afternoon rest at Sandringham, the Rocky Horror Show may not have been entirely to blame.