Teacher’s Brain

Tips For Your Back-To-School Open House

Back-to-school Open House night is very exciting for students and their parents because after a long summer, they finally get to go and see what the new school year will be like and meet their new teacher. For teachers on the other hand, it can be a little stressful, especially if talking in front of groups of adults makes you a little nervous! This is completely natural. These are people you are going to have a relationship with for the next school year and you want to make a great impression, while not showing how nervous or overwhelmed you might be. 

Your goal for an Open House is to meet your students and their families, establish rules, explain how your classroom will run, and most importantly, make a great first impression! This is a huge day for everyone. The key to a smooth open house is to make sure you plan ahead so you are prepared and make sure there is plenty for the parents and students to do besides just talking to you.

Here are some tips to make your Open House night a success

  • Have a slide show ready for the parents to watch. Include in your presentation a little about yourself, what they can expect for classroom structure and routines, rules, and expectations. This is great because it not only saves you from having to do a lot of public speaking, but it also helps set the tone with the parents from the start so you are all on the same page. 
  • Take family photos of each child with their family. This can be a fun way to help break the ice and get to know your students and their family. You can use these pictures in fun crafts with your students later in the year. You can even use them in some classroom decor to help your students feel more relaxed and comfortable when they start the school year and see a picture of themselves with their family. 
  • Set up some fun crafts and activities for the students to do with their families. This will help build excitement for the actual school year and it may ease some of their nerves. 
  • Have volunteer sign-up sheets set out for parents. Trust me, this list will come in handy later when you need help with classroom parties or activities. You’ll have a list of parents ready to go! 

 

Don’t get too overwhelmed. I created some fun Open House activities to help make the whole night easier for you!

All About Me Mini Me People Activity

These printables will help personalize a little mini me for your students to make during Open House. You can also use them for measurement or All About Me Projects. Students can design their own shirt, use their own colors, cut, paste together, and add yarn or doll hair to help make their Mini Me special. Open House

Open House Scavenger Hunt

This is an easy way to help your students show their families the important locations in the classroom! Use these print and go templates or personalize it with the editable PowerPoint!

Open House

All About Me Printables Back-To-School Quilt Squares

Quilt Squares are a great way to get to know your students! After children fill out the squares, you can hang them up to make a cute quilt type display in your room. Put a border around and some ribbon on all four corners to make it extra cute for Open House. There is a suggested plan and a blank one you can use for any topic.

Open House

Back To School Toolkit

This back to school toolkit has everything you could need for your open house and the rest of the school year! It has student information sheets, open house sign in sheets, student passes, parent sign up forms, class rules posters, name tags and so much more. 

Open House

 

Do you have any tips for your back to school open house? Let me know in the comments! 

For some first day of school activities, check out my post here!

Open House

 

 

 

 

First Day Of School Activities

The first day of school is exciting for both teachers and students. The anticipation of starting a brand new school year is so fun but let’s admit it, it can be a little nerve-racking sometimes! It can feel like planning for a huge event for a room full of elementary aged kids. It is so important to make a good impression on your students and get started off on the right foot, so you want to plan it out just right. You want your students to really get to know you and your personality so they can trust you and enjoy learning in your class. However, you also want to establish rules and guidelines so your expectations are clear. Laying it all out at the beginning will set you all up for success from the very start. 

 

Your perfect first day of school should include a couple of crucial components.

 

  •  Start the day by introducing yourself and getting to know your students. You can try a fun ice breaker game or activity to help get your students relaxed and comfortable. It can be hard for some students to come to school on the first day in an environment that they are not familiar with. Get to know you activities will help them feel comfortable in their new classroom. 
  • Explain your rules and expectations clearly. It is so important for students to know what is expected of them, what is acceptable behavior in class, and what isn’t. Come up with a way that you will reinforce good classroom behavior and what methods you will use when there is misbehavior. 
  • Share a schedule. It helps students to know what to expect each day. Establishing a routine can help greatly increase their comfort and confidence level. 
  • Create a classroom community. Helping your students feel a sense of belonging and acceptance in your classroom will be so important to their success. Along with helping them academically, it can also help them when it comes to developing their social skills and making new friends. 

 

To help you make a good first impression on your students and make the first day of school a memorable one, I created this fun back to school resource that is perfect for kindergarten teachers.

 

I included a FULL day of detailed lesson plans with printables, links, editable plans, suggested plans, ideas and activities to make prepping as easy as possible. 

First day

 

What do you do to make your first day of school special for your students? Let me know in the comments!

Want more information on getting ready for kindergarten? Click here!