Open House Ideas

So, are you getting ready to meet your students and parents for the first time?  We have our Open House/Meet the Teacher night a couple of days before school starts.  I do like that we do it this way because it gives the kids a chance to come and meet me, see the classroom, and bring their supplies prior to the first day.  I know it helps some kids that are really nervous about starting a new school year. 

What a WHIRLWIND though, right?  You get to meet all of these new students/parents in a short amount of time.  They ask you all sorts of questions or give you a “heads up” about their child.  I always keep a paper and pencil nearby to jot down anything important they feel the need to tell me that night.

Here are 5 Open House Ideas that may help you prepare!

1 I use a Powerpoint file that I project onto the Smart Board.  I run it in a continuous loop.  It contains some important information that parents may have questions about.  This way, they can see the answers to some of their questions before asking me.

2 I order magnets from Vistaprint that contain all of my contact information.  I have had several parents comment about them.  They seem to be a hit, so I keep getting them.

3 I make a little “treat” bag for the students with a cute Welcome poem on it.  These are free in my TPT Store.  There are several different backgrounds to choose from also.

4 You know those cute little paper tablets that are in the shape of different things like apples or frogs?  I have a zillion of these pads of paper and this is one way that I use them.  I put one on each students desk and the parents write their child a little note for the first day and put it into their mailbox.  When the students leave the first day of school, they get a note from their parents.  If I have parents that don’t come to Open House, I write a note to those students so that they aren’t left out.

5 Lastly, I take their picture when they come in to meet me!  I have them hold the sign below.  It is also free in my store and I have K-4.  I use these pictures to put into their Time Capsule that we do at the end of the year.

I hope these ideas have inspired you to get things going for Open House!  I need to get busy myself!