It’s that time of year! Students and teachers everywhere are preparing for a new school year. While it is very exciting, it can also leave students and their parents feeling a little nervous because they don’t know what to expect. Back-to-school night is a great way to help ease their worries.
If you are planning your back-to-school night or open house for your new students, you may be wondering how to make the most of it. This night is usually where you make your first impression and naturally, we want to put our best foot forward.
Here are some ideas to make your back-to-school night amazing
- Introduce yourself. Do an introductory slide show about yourself or hand out a sheet so that parents and students can get to know you. Tell them about your family, pets, hobbies, where you went to school, etc. This can go a long way in helping them feel more comfortable on the first day.
- Hand out a wishlist. Are there things you need for your classroom? Include a list of things that parents can send in if they want. This is a great way to get additional supplies that aren’t on your general supply list.
- Include volunteer forms. Get parents involved in helping with events or field trips throughout the year. Having sign-up forms ready to go will help you later on when it is time to line up volunteers for activities throughout the year.
- Give students a tour of the classroom. Show them where their desk will be, where they will put their things when they come in for the day, etc. Students will be more comfortable when they know what to expect.
- Have parents write a letter to their kids for them to read on the first day of school. This is a sweet way to ease those first-day jitters. Parents can write a little note of encouragement for their kiddos and you can hand them out on the first day. Parents will appreciate that you are being mindful of their kids’ emotions, and students will be so happy to see they have a note from their parents.
These bright and colorful notecards are perfect for this activity.
You can set up a station with the notecards, pens, a sign, and instructions. Parents can do this while the students tour the classroom or you can leave out a “getting to know you” sheet for students to work on during this time.
Get my free printable sign for the table here!
Looking for more back-to-school night ideas? Check out my post here!
What are your favorite things to do during back-to-school night? Let me know in the comments!
