Tips and Tricks for a Successful Meet The Teacher Open House
Meet The Teacher Night is almost here! This is an amazing opportunity for students and families to meet their new teacher and learn about the upcoming school year. You want to make a great first impression. Remember, the goal is for your students to feel excited for the first day of school and for their guardians to be informed about the upcoming year. Throughout this blog post, I’ll share my best tips and tricks for making meet the teacher open house a success! Keep en eye open for a meet the teacher night freebie!
Preparing for a Successful Event
When planning and preparing for your back to school night there are a few things to consider. First, you’ll want your classroom to be inviting and welcoming because your students will enter it for the first time. You’ll want to consider how individuals will move throughout your classroom, so you don’t create a traffic jam. Consider using stations to break up your room into different areas. This method encourages families and students to explore the classroom and interact with each other. Some open house stations to consider using are a sign-in station, meet the teacher, school supply drop off, and teacher scavenger hunt (more on this later).
Next, your classroom does not need to be fully decorated for open house night to feel welcoming. Ensure it is well-lit and clean, you can always add some fun welcome banners to your bulletin boards for some extra sparkle! Remember, your new students and their families might be looking at the classroom, but ultimately they are there to meet you! So wear your most welcoming smile!
If your school year has not started yet, one thing you should prepare ahead of time for the event is student name tags. Have them placed at each student’s desk so the child or parent can sit there during your informational session. If your school year has already started, you can showcase some of your student work on your bulletin boards. These make the perfect decorations and bulletin board displays.
Communicate With Students and Families
You’ll likely need to share information about the upcoming school year with families at your open house event. If you’re unsure what topics you’re required to cover, ask your team teacher, mentor, or administrator. Once you know exactly what information you must share, create a short presentation to display as you discuss information with families. School forms and handouts are another easy way to ensure families have all the important information, and they can take them home when they leave at the end of the night. Some topics to consider outlining in these parent resources are curriculum goals, classroom expectations, and school policies. Remember, you want your communication and delivery to be engaging, clear, and concise.
Your goal is to engage with all students and families at your Meet the Teacher Night. Potential language barriers should be considered while preparing your materials for students and families. Offering bilingual materials, or having an interpreter present may make for an even more successful open house! No one will miss out on any valuable information.
Open House Ideas and Free Resources
There are many open house ideas and resources floating around on Pinterest, but I’d love to share a comprehensive resource. This resource has everything you need for a successful Meet The Teacher Night. The first is this Swiftie Inspired Back to School Forms. These pages are beautiful and include helpful classroom forms, management resources, and classroom displays to use during your open house. Everything comes with a premade, print-and-go version, to save time! Editable PowerPoint presentations are also included in your download, so you can edit each form or resource. This kit features cohesive dreamy pastel skies and butterflies. Check out the entire resource here.
This open house kit comes with many resource types and is very versatile. Designate your parent stations using these beautiful station signs. Use the editable teacher templates to create a welcome packet with curriculum information, or edit the flipbook to have it in one place. Collect important information about your students like the “About my child”, “Allergies”, and “Contact Information” pages. Many teachers have a classroom wish list of supplies and books. Rather than print a long list of the different things you need, create a QR code that families can scan or take with them. A whole display is included in the back-to-school forms resource so you can do this in your classroom during your meet the teacher open house.
I’d love to share a free resource from the back-to-school kit to bring some sparkle to your parent night! In your free download, you’ll receive an “All About your Child” page for guardians to share helpful information about their child. You’ll also receive a “Procedures Checklist” to track your lessons on classroom expectations during the first few weeks of school. Click here to download this free resource.
Fun and Engaging Activities
A great way to keep students and families engaged while you’re greeting everyone is through interactive hands-on activities! One of my favorite things to have students do is a scavenger hunt around the classroom. You can set this up in various ways, but I’ll share my two favorites. Students may be looking for items or areas in the classroom. For example, where would I go in this room to read a book? I would go to the classroom library to read! Another idea is to do a scavenger hunt about yourself. Consider sharing a few of your favorite things. This is a fun way for students to get to know their new teacher!
I love having parents and guardians write their child a note to read on the first day of school. Place a few sticky notes on the students’ desks so families can easily write their notes. Then, have the guardian stick the note to their child’s desk. These positive notes take away the first-day jitters for sure! If you check your sign-in sheet and notice that some parents did not attend, write the child a note so they don’t feel left out. We want all our students to start the new school year feeling encouraged!
A fun, but not necessary activity is a back-to-school-night photo booth. An actual photo booth can cost a lot of money to rent, so instead have a designated spot in your classroom for families to snap a photo. Students have a great time taking photos in their new classroom and this activity adds to the excitement of a new school year!
Prepare for Questions
Many new teachers get so nervous about their meet the teacher open house because they are worried about parents asking questions, and not having the answers. Remember, it’s ok to say, “I’m not sure, let me check on that and get back to you.” The important thing is that you follow up when you have the answer. Having a notebook on hand to write down notes, like this, is very helpful.
There are many parent questions you can prepare for! Familiarize yourself with the school policies, the subject areas, and the content you’ll teach. This will help you feel more confident during your presentation and the Q&A.
Addressing Absentees
If a student and their family do not attend the open house reach out via phone or email. Send the guardian the PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation and any handouts they missed. You’ll make a good impression and it demonstrates your thoroughness.
Meet The Teacher Open House Night is the perfect way to excite your new students about the school year and build lasting relationships with families. Prepare and plan using some of the open house ideas I outlined. Don’t forget those open house freebies, click here to download your free forms.
