Has your child recently reached the age where he or she is old enough to finally attend preschool? You may feel a mixture of emotions. On one hand, you may be excited to get a bit of free time while your child gets to make friends with other kids. On the other hand, you may be worried about how your little one will react to the new environment. If your child is feeling nervous and worried about attending school, there are some easy ways to get him or her to feel less anxious and much more excited about it.

1. Read Fun Books About Going to Preschool

Do you love reading to your son or daughter? If you like to sit down with your little one and read books each night as part of your regular routine, it would be a good idea to start introducing a few preschool-friendly stories each night leading up to the first day. There are tons of books to choose from, but these are a few great ones to consider buying and reading:

• Preschool Time by Mij Kelly
• Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
• Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London

While reading these stories, your child may have some questions to ask. It is a great time to have some conversations on how much fun your little one will get to have while learning all kinds of new things.

2. Consider Letting Your Child Pick Out a Cool New Backpack

It may seem simple, but allowing your child to pick out a new backpack may make him or her feel more excited about going to preschool. There are thousands of different backpacks to choose from, some of which have popular cartoon characters featured on them. If your son or daughter can find a backpack with their favorite character displayed on the front of it, they may be anticipating the first day of preschool so they can show it off to all the new friends they are going to make.

3. Attend a Meet and Greet With the Teachers

If the preschool you are sending your child to has a meet and greet scheduled before the first day of school, make sure to attend. It is a great opportunity for your child to become more familiar with the teachers who he or she will see daily throughout the year. It may also give your little one a chance to meet other kids that will be in the classroom for the first time. If the school does not have a meet and greet planned out for the students, you can always ask to bring your little one in a day or two in advance to meet with the teachers to see how nice and friendly they are.

If your child is feeling nervous about going to preschool, you can always help him or her relax by reading some fun books about it, letting your child pick out a backpack or other supplies and even attending a meet and greet with the teachers. Before you know it, your little one will probably love going to school each day.