There’s no putting it off. Summer is waning and that means school is right around the corner. Although it’s no surprise when the bus comes that first day, the change can be hard for anyone to handle. The transition from carefree summer days to school days is challenging. And it’s not just kids who are stressed. Parents also suffer from the back-to-school jitters.

While parents appreciate that their children will be taken care of during the day, it is still stressful to make sure that they are emotionally fully prepared to start or return to school.  Kids may experience conflicting thoughts between wanting to go back to see their friends, and yet still being scared and anxious to leave home.

Here are some tips on how to make the transition easier:

1. Manage your own anxiety in a proactive way so your children will learn healthy ways to cope. The less anxious you are about the situation, the less anxious they will be.
2. Ease back into scheduled days: It can be hard to go from a summer of leisure to a packed schedule in a few days’ time. Instead, start to immerse your family into a scheduled lifestyle before school starts (earlier bed and wake-up times, for example) so that they are not rudely awakened come the start of the school year.
3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Make sure that both you and your kids are getting a balanced diet and a good night’s sleep.
4. Find one-on-one time with your child and engage them in conversations about the start of the new school year. Encourage them to talk about situations (meeting new teachers, who to sit with at lunch, what to do if there’s a bully in your class, etc.) that might be challenging. It will ease their minds—and yours—if they have a plan.
5. Embrace the idea of education: An education is a wonderful thing that kids can easily take for granted. Try to help them to understand how fortunate they are to attend school and make it an experience that they are excited about.
6. Focus on the positive aspects of a new school year: Find the little things that make your family happy during the school year such as seeing friends, engaging in extra-curricular activities, and learning new skills. Having something to look forward to will keep your kids motivated.