I'm nervous my kid won't want to start school...what can I do?

Screaming, kicking and crying. These are all common reactions small children have after their parents drop them off at kindergarten for the first time. Few people are big fans of change and for no one is that more true than tiny tots. That's just one of the reasons they may resist the classroom so much at first.

However, instead of experiencing a mountain of guilt after dropping your little one off, keep in mind that there are some things that Parenting.com recommends doing before your lovebug has a meltdown that include:

     ♦ Tell her that she's ready
A lot of the time, children are nervous about starting school because they don't have a lot of confidence. The website suggests giving your bundle of joy's ego a boost by explaining that she already knows how to do a lot of the things her teacher will ask her to do - for example, saying please and thank you and sitting in a circle.

     ♦ Start preparing ahead of time
You shouldn't anticipate that she's going to be ready for kindergarten if you haven't spent some time letting her know what to expect. Tell her how long she'll spend there every day, what her teacher's name will be and what'll she'll be doing in the classroom. That'll help her feel more in control and less afraid.

     ♦ Let her know that she doesn't have to know everything
Reassure her that there's nothing wrong with not knowing everything that and that everyone is going to be new and have trouble understanding things the instructor says from time to time.