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CHARLOTTE -- It's hard for students to suddenly go from afternoon dips in the pool to afternoons spent in a classroom, just ask any parent. Psychologists say establishing routines now will help ease the sometimes harsh transition.

"The kids are going to want to keep playing and they're not going to necessarily want to do their routine," licensed psychologist Dr. Stephen Elliott said. "So make it a checklist and you're going to want to tie their privileges, their daily privileges with things on the checklist."

Elliott says to be successful, parents should establish a structured environment and stick to it.

"Structure helps all children, teenagers, everybody," he said. "As a psychologist, we look at structure [which] equals a feeling of safety and security."

Getting students the necessary shots is also on the back to school list. Requirements include polio, meningitis, mumps and chicken pox vaccines.

"How many of those you need varies on what grade you're entering," Dr. Stephen Keener with the Mecklenburg County Health Department said.

Those shots may no longer be free for those who have insurance because of a new state law. The law requires those with insurance to determine if the vaccines are covered. Those with insurance must show proof that the shots will not be paid for before receiving the vaccine for free health department clinics.

In Mecklenburg County, they are administering the vaccine its had since before the law went into effect to everyone for free, whether they have insurance or not.

"At the present time we're able to serve everybody as we did before. But I would just caution parents, the sooner they can get this done, the easier it will be," Dr. Keener advised.

The Mecklenburg County Health Department will host a series of free back to school clinics. For more information you can go to its website.