It’s that time of year again: Summer is winding down and families are preparing for the new school year. Whether your child is headed to kindergarten for the first time or returning for another year of preschool, the transition from summer to school is packed with emotions.

It’s perfectly natural for even the most enthusiastic young learner to feel nervous and uncertain. A new school year comes with a new classroom, a new teacher and new classmates. The classroom rules and routines are likely to change, as are the behavioral and academic expectations. It’s a lot to manage when you’re young.

Many children struggle to find the words to describe how they’re feeling when under stress, so it’s important to watch for behavioral changes. You know your child’s baseline. If your child normally falls asleep easily and sleeps through the night, but begins to struggle with bedtime or has nightmares or night wakings as the school year approaches, this is a good indicator that your child is experiencing anxiety. Other signs of stress can include the following:

While many children will enter the first day of school without a worry, it does help to spend time focusing on the emotional needs of your child as the transition approaches. Take these steps to help your child prepare for a new school year. As parents create safe talking spaces with their child(ren), please read how you can support the conversation.

Transitions can be just as difficult for parents as they are for kids. Children often take their cues from their parents. If, like many parents, you feel stressed and anxious about the new school year, your kids are likely to internalize feelings of worry or uncertainty. Be sure to talk openly with your spouse, a friend or family member to work through your own concerns. The more you prepare yourself for the transition, the better able you will be to prepare your child.

“How are you feeling about going back to school?” might sound like a simple question, but it’s an important conversation starter for your child. To help kids bring their emotions to the surface, it helps to check in regularly and ask questions that open the door to talking about feelings.

Try these questions as conversation starters to address the many emotions that occur during the back to school transition:

Take time to listen to and process how your child answers a question and talk it through before you move on. Many kids feel the need to put a positive spin on school to please parents and teachers, but the truth is that it’s perfectly natural to experience ups and downs on any given day. Acknowledge that trying something new can be fun, but can also be a little scary. The more we teach kids to talk about their feelings, the better able they are to manage their emotions.

Start the school routine early

Three weeks before the start of school is a good time to get back on your school schedule. Bump up bedtime by 5 to 10 minutes each night until your child returns to the school bedtime schedule.

To read more tips on how to support your child with back to school jitters, please click on the link below.