Get off on the right foot with your families with these Meet the Teacher Night ideas and activities.
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Ideas and Activities for Meet the Teacher Night
The day is marked on the calendar: “Meet the Teacher Night.” How do you plan for the best night possible?
Consider your goals.
These may include:
- Make a personal connection with the parents. After all, they are your partners for the year.
- If the students are attending, begin to establish rapport with each of them.
- Tell parents how their child can be successful.
- Make it brief, informative, and fun.
Preparing for Meet the Teacher Night
The most successful Meet the Teacher Nights involve preparation.
Here’s what you need to do to prepare.
Clean Your Room
This one seems basic, but it is essential.
First impressions matter.
You want parents to see that you are an organized and prepared teacher–and also that your classroom is a positive learning environment.
Organize Your Talking Points
What information do you need to cover?
Have an outline.
Practice what you are going to say.
Make sure you are not talking for longer than 30 minutes (and try for shorter than that if possible).
Create a Presentation
Since you are a teacher, you know that it helps to present information in multisensory ways.
In addition to talking to parents, have a Powerpoint presentation to reinforce your points.
You could include pictures from last year, graphics, and animations (if that’s your jam).
This serves a triple purpose:
- It keeps your audience engaged and attentive
- It keeps you on track
- You can send it out to any parents who could not attend
Think About Signups
Meet the Teacher Night is a great time to ask for chaperones, room parents, supplies, and parent-teacher conference signups.
How will you go about that?
Have a plan.
Meet the Teacher Night Activities for Families
If children plan to attend Meet the Teacher Night, you need to have some activities to keep them engaged.
Parents may even bring younger siblings to your classroom.
Here are some ideas for Meet the Teacher activities for families.
Activity Stations
If you need to entertain younger siblings, have a section where they can play.
Here are some ideas:
- Plastic animals and kinetic sand
- Puzzles
- Stickers, crayons, and coloring pages
- Foam blocks
Scavenger Hunt
Create a signup scavenger hunt.
Hang up the signup sheets around the room and give families a master sheet to check off when have located each signup sheet (and signed up).
Would You Rather
Play a few rounds of “Would You Rather” where the families move to one side of the room or the other depending on their answers.
Check out this list of Back to School Would You Rather questions.
This is a great way to make connections and gather conversation starters.
Classroom Tour
Show off your classroom.
Where do students store their supplies?
Read quietly?
What are your centers?
Where do you display student work?
Where do students turn in assignments?
This is information your kids and parents want to know.
Pass Out a Launching Activity
After you are finished, hand out a sheet to launch kids and families into exploring more of the school.
These could be set up as a scavenger hunt (e.g., “Give a coach a high five”) or as a “Top 5 Things to Do on Meet the Teacher Night” (e.g. “#4. Get a sticker from the librarian.”).
Meet the Teacher Ideas
Put your best foot forward on Meet the Teacher Night.
Introduce Yourself
Stand at your classroom door and shake hands with everyone who enters.
Make eye contact and smile.
These first impressions matter.
Give Plenty of Information
You can either cover the high points and give handouts with the details, or you can cover everything in a slideshow that you also send out afterward.
Think about all the questions parents may have and cover those items:
- Classroom rules and expectations
- Homework amount
- Grading/late work policy
- Your contact information (how and when parents should contact you)
- Class schedule
- Upcoming special events/field trips
You do not need to cover everything parents need to know for the year, but make sure you cover what they need to know for the next couple of months.
Send Them Out with Something Sweet
Consider handing out a small favor at the end of the night.
This could be a magnet with a meaningful quotation, a small candy with a note, or a bookmark.
The Best Ideas for Meet the Teacher Night
With a little planning, your Meet the Teacher Night is sure to be a success.
Students will feel excited, parents will feel equipped, and you?
You’ll be ready for the year!