It is time to get ready to go back to school, and, for some students, a new school year creates great anxiety.

• Back To School Section

"It is 100 percent normal for children of all ages to feel great anxiety at the start of a new school year. There are some things parents can do to help make the transition smoother. Help your children learn ways to start a conversation with other children, including things like, 'Cool jeans. Where did you get them?' Or, 'I love Legos. Do you want to play, too?" said Liz Zack, editorial director of pregnancy and parenting for iVillage.

Some of the students KPRC Local 2 talked to at the Houston Children's Museum were worried if new classmates would be mean or if anyone in the class was going to like them.

"Don't stress about making a friend. Be yourself. Do things you enjoy doing and students and people that are like you will flock to you. You will end up doing things with people that have similar interests and those will be your friends. Don't focus on the act of making a friend but just get involved in the the things you enjoy doing," recommended Nefertari Mundy, manager of Houston Independent School District Secondary Counseling.

Counselors remind parents to tell their children they are not the only ones nervous at the start of school, and even teachers get nervous.

"It is very nerve-wracking. You get very nervous because you have to get a classroom together and you have got all these students who are just as nervous as you starting back," teacher Robin Boudreaux said.

Teachers recommend parents take students by their school and let them walk the halls and find their classroom and the lunchroom before school starts.

"If you are a parent of a child starting a new school, try not to linger at the school on the first day," said Mundy. "Give them a hug. Tell them what to expect during the school day, but do not hang around the school all day. If you are sad about them leaving,  never let them see you sweat because children will feed off your anxiety. If they see you get teary-eyed, they will sort of do the same thing. So try to keep yourself together until you are in the car or home, and then you can have your sad moment."

Mundy recommended parents put a note in their child's lunch the first day of school to express and interest in what they are doing and reassure them about what is going to happen during the school day.

"You can write, 'Dear Johnny, you are going to have a great day. These are some of things that you are going to be doing at school during the day. I can't wait to talk to you about them when you get home.'"

Mundy said parents should sit down with their child after the first day of school and let them share everything so they can establish an open line of communication for the entire school year.