First-Day Jitters: Getting Kids Excited to Start Preschool

Create Traditions and Rituals

Create a first-day-of-school tradition. Make the day more exciting every year by taking a picture in the same spot, baking a special cake, or getting up early and going out for breakfast together, suggests Rhonda Martin, a mother of two in Richton Park, Illinois.

Create a Goodbye Ritual. "Decide how many hugs you'll give each other, or how many books you'll read before you leave each day," says Flynn. "Never sneak out when your child is engaged in an activity -- on the first day or any other," says Flynn. You don't want him to think that the important adults in his life just disappear.