Back-to-school can be both exciting… and challenging, especially for our youngest learners. Insight Counseling Psychotherapist Mary Morehouse weighs on how to make the transition to the classroom as seamless as possible.

No. 1: Start transitioning the bed time.

No. 2: Reflect on what went well last year. Ask kids what they want to keep doing this year, what they want to improve on, and what do they hope to do in the new year?

No. 3: If there’s some anxiety, it can also be helpful to make a list of what kids know and what kids don’t know. Mary says the list of what you don’t know should be longer than what you do.

No. 4: As parents, we should take a step back and give kids space to bring their own problems up. Refrain from problem-solving for your kids.