Schools are reopening cross the country and some kids are heading back into classrooms after months of remote learning.

While parents might be breathing a collective sigh of relief, kids might hear the news with mixed emotions younger children have taken a long time to settle into this new routine, while older children are contenting with the social and educational challenges of returning to class.

Its a lot for someone of any age to take in, so HuffPost UK asked two child psychologists what parents can do to help. Heres what they had to say.

How are children feeling right now?

The first step in supporting a child of any age is not to make assumptions about how they might be feeling, said Dan OHare, co-chair of the British Psychological Societys Division for Educational and Child Psychology.

Childrens views and childrens voices have been entirely absent from any government discussion and I think that actually, what theyre doing is seeing children as this homogenous group, and theyre not, he told HuffPost UK. All children have different needs and are different.

Theres an approach called emotional coaching in educational psychology, which encourages adults to imagine ourselves in a similar scenario in order to understand how children might be feeling. In this instance, it might be as simple as thinking about how youd feel going back to work after a long absence.

This might bring up feelings of anxiety, relief, excitement, nerves about the unknown, or a mixture of emotions.

Children may be eager to see their friends, or they may be worried those friendship dynamics might have changed, said child psychologist Amanda Gummer . Some students may also be anxious about what is expected of them especially with the new testing processes and the social distancing.

Children of any age can struggle to articulate how theyre feeling, but changes of behavior may best the best indicator that theyre apprehensive about the news. Children being unusually clingy, picking at their food and not sleeping are all signs that theres something going on for them, said Gummer of younger kids. If its school-related, they may clam up when you mention it, or could even try and hide their lunch box or school uniform.

How can you encourage children to open up?

The number one thing adults can do to encourage open conversation is something educational psychologists call wondering aloud, said OHare.

This involves saying a phrase such as: Im wondering if youre feeling a bit nervous or excited about going back to school?

Labelling their feelings and just putting it out there can be so powerful, explained OHare, because a child might say yes, thats exactly how Im feeling, or it gives them a chance to say no, Im actually really sad because we played loads of games and Im going to miss you. It just opens up the conversation.

With older kids, it can help to given them advance warning of the conversation and what you hope to discuss, so it doesnt feel like an unexpected interrogation. This doesnt need to be too formal, you can say something like: Later this week, maybe Friday, we could have a chat about going back to school and how youre feeling about it?

Open questions are key Are you looking forward to going back to school? is a yes or no question. Give them time to get their thoughts together and chat to their friends about it, said OHare.

Peers are important for older children, so it can be a nice idea to open up the conversation by externalizing thoughts in this way. What does Kayleigh think about it? What does Ahmed think about it, because hasnt his mom been at home? can work where a direct question doesnt. Talking about stuff out there can sometimes be easier than in here, OHare added.

How can you help to prepare kids practically?

Encouraging self-management skills such as getting themselves dressed and going to the bathroom independently will help younger children prepare for the transition to the classroom, said Gummer. Role playing a school day with your child can really help too, she added.

Giving a child visual reminders about school can also help ease uncertainty. You can do this by looking at the schools website together, or sharing resources the teacher has sent home.

It can also help to chat with younger children about their memories of school. Ask them where they line up in the morning, who they stand next to or what color spot they stand on.

All of those details will make it feel real, rather than this uncertain mystery thats happening, said OHare. If children dont have a really clear sense, they can sometimes fill the blanks with their imagination, and their imagination probably makes things worse than theyre going to be.

This latter point is also relevant for older students. Try to be truthful with them about new elements of school, even if you admit you dont know all the answers yet.

Talk to them about the challenges theyve faced during lockdown and help them prepare for a shift in friendship dynamics when everyone is back in the same place again, added Gummer.

Reminding children whatever their age that youre there for them if they think of anything else is also going to make them feel reassured and supported.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK.