My first Meet the Teacher Night was a learning experience for sure. I did the best I could, but afterward, I made a long list of things to remember for the next year. This week I wanted to share some Meet the Teacher Night activities and ideas to inspire you to create a memorable night for those kids and their parents!
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Planning for Meet the Teacher Night
Before any big event, a plan is always necessary. And Meet the Teacher Night counts as a big event in my book!
Start by creating a plan for what you want to do/offer that night in the way of activities. Write them all down in a notebook.
Then create a detailed list of what items you will need to make or purchase for Meet the Teacher Night. I also like to write little notes to myself with details about each activity.
You likely only have a limited amount of time in your classroom before school starts, so you want to make the most of it!
Here are some tips for setting up your classroom and for organizing for Meet the Teacher Night.
Meet the Teacher Night Activities
The goal of Meet the Teacher Night is to do just that..meet the teacher.
This isn’t the time to have full-on parent conferences or to get the whole life story of each child.
You are in control of setting the tone for Meet the Teacher Night in your classroom, so give them a set of directions to follow.
1. Shake Hands and Introduce Yourself
First impressions matter! So make a good one by shaking the student’s hand and their parent’s hands as well.
I recommend, if possible, standing outside your door so you can greet students as they arrive. Plus, you aren’t stuck in the classroom if a parent corners you.
I always acknowledge the student first and shake their hand. It’s usually kind of awkward because they have no idea what they are doing (at least second graders). But you are teaching them social skills!
After meeting the kids I make it a point to introduce myself to the parent by my first AND last name.
I want my students’ parents to realize that we are on the same playing field and I am their equal, not superior (or inferior). I encourage them to call me Kelly because that’s way friendlier.
2. Find their Seat
Once introductions are over, you can instruct students to find their new desk.
Whether you will assign seats or allow students to pick their own is up to you (although I firmly believe that assigning seats is best and here’s why).
3. Collect Student Materials
If students brought their materials, be sure to have a system in place for collecting them.
Any of the community materials, collect in a central location. But their special folders and spirals can stay at their desk.
4.Tour the Classroom
Allow your students time to tour the classroom and find areas such as their desk, station areas, and the classroom library.
I usually type up a list of things to find so the students can get familiar with their classroom.
- library
- stations
- classroom jobs area
- technology center
- calendar
5. Collect Info
While students are touring the classroom, parents can be filling out any important information that you need from them.
Head here to see how you can organize that information more efficiently.
6.Give Lots of Info
If you create folders as I share above, then parents can quickly get the information they need to take home and peruse at their leisure. I would rather give my parents too much reading material, than not enough.
I like using foldables like the ones below to send home with parents about all the things that we are going to be doing in the upcoming year.
7. School Scavenger Hunt
Sometimes the hardest part is getting the parents or kids out of your room. Allow your tour to end with a scavenger hunt around the rest of the school.
They can go say “hi” to the librarian and give the coach a high five.
Meet the Teacher Night is such an exciting night for both the students and the teachers. Set yourself up for success by being organized and making the best first impression possible!
Prep for the First Day in a 3 Day Challenge
You can get even more help getting your classroom set up, organized, and prepped for the first day in this free 3-day challenge- Prep for the First Day.
In the three day challenge you will learn:
- The items you need on your back to school checklist (+ a downloadable checklist)
- How to set up your classroom in an organized way
- Things you need to have in place before the first day
In Conclusion,
First impressions matter. By having an organized classroom and a well-established plan for your Meet the Teacher (or Back to School), you will be making a great first impression on your new students and their parents.
Remember to use the following activities to help have a fun Meet the Teacher Night!
- Shake students’ (and their parents’) hands
- Have students find their seat
- Collect student materials
- Send students on a tour of their new classroom
- Gather information about each student
- Give lots and lots of information to parents (in paper form!)
- Utilize a “scavenger hunt” to get students and parents to leave your classroom
Quick Links
I mentioned quite a few links in this post…Here’s a recap of them all!
- 6 Steps for Setting Up a Classroom
- How to have an Organized Meet the Teacher Night
- Elementary Station Organization Tips
- Elementary Library Organization Tips
- How to Prep for the First Day- a 3-day challenge
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Until next time,
If you found this helpful, make sure to pin it to your Pinterest Board for reference and so other great teachers can find it!
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