Will my teacher be nice? Where will I sit? Will the other kids like me? Butterflies dance in most kids’ stomachs at the mere thought of starting school. Making them feel comfortable and familiar with school surroundings can go a long way. Take it from the experts.

"As a teacher, half of ensuring a successful first week is establishing routine and explaining where the bathroom is, what happens when you go to gym class and when to expect recess," explains Cathy Dunne, a seventh grade teacher in the Toronto area. While teachers play a pivotal role in the back-to-school transition, your approach can also have a big impact on your child’s attitude toward school. Here are some teacher-inspired tips that you can do at home to help get your child into the routine.

Get ready early: Ease back-to-school anxiety by being prepared. Help your child lay out her clothes and pack her backpack the night before. Remember to pack a healthy lunch and a snack that your child can open and eat on their own. Also, brains function best with a good night sleep—so early to bed.

Build familiarity: If new to the school, find out what entrance and exit to use, where the bathroom is and which classroom your child will be in. If taking the bus, visit the bus stop location and explain how to get on and off, especially if it’s the first time. Show your child their drop off and pick up spot at school—if you're not sure call the school ahead of time to find out.

Also, some schools will allow you to take a tour during the summer and even arrange to meet the teacher. On a school tour, third grade Alberta teacher Fay Felesky encourages getting students excited by making them feel ownership. "Tell them, this is your school, your gymnasium, your lunch room."

Prepare the teacher: Be sure to let your child's teacher know any specifics on the first day. If your child has a bladder infection, for example, and needs to go to the bathroom frequently or your child has an allergy, explain all the details to the teacher. "You don’t want a child to have a bad experience because they’re asking to go to the bathroom every half hour and the teacher says, ‘No,’ thinking they don’t need to go so frequently but really they do," explains Felesky.

Talk, talk, talk: Leading up to the big day, Felesky suggests talking about going back to school frequently and with a positive attitude. If possible, meet some kids beforehand that will be going to the same school. Plus, "Read them children’s school stories to get them ready for what to expect," Felesky encourages—you can find reviewed book suggestions in Back to school books.

Be sure to explain the role of the teacher to your child. "Encourage the child to speak up and let the teacher know if they’re having problems. This is especially important if a child is getting bullied, which can happen even on the first day. They need to know they can talk to the teacher and should."

Listen to the experts: Don’t forget to talk to the real expert—your child of course!—to make sure he or she has what they need. We asked the Zeeks kids, aged nine to 14, what they like best about going back to school. Here’s what they said:

Seeing my peeps (friends) is the best and not having to stay home all day. - ket60

My favorite thing about going back to school is leaving at the end of the day. - wigurl43

My favorite thing about going to school this year is I am going into high school, and I will be in a different building. - pinkcashmere15

I am going into middle school and I am a little nervous. Not all my friends will be there. I like the backpack my mom bought me. - pop900