Once again, summer went by in a flash, and here you are, ready to head back to school once again. With the start of school comes back-to-school nights, meet-the-teacher days, and open house events. These are a fantastic opportunity for teachers to get to know students and their families and vice versa. That’s not to say that it isn’t stressful. Fortunately, these 25 back-to-school night ideas and tips will make the experience fun, easy, and meaningful for everyone involved. Take a deep breath, then and dive in!
1. Set up stations
Back-to-school night is all about housekeeping—getting information from parents, letting kids see the classroom and desks, dropping off supplies, and more. It’s a lot to get done in a short amount of time, so set up clearly numbered stations to make it easy for parents and kids to see and do it all. This also allows you to go back at the end of the night and easily see who completed what.
2. Provide a back-to-school night checklist
Once you have your stations or tasks set up, give parents (or kids) a checklist when they walk in the door or put it on students’ desks. This way, they can make sure they’ve completed everything there is to do, and stations won’t get clogged with everyone trying to do them in order.
3. Collect all the papers
If you’re looking for back-to-school night ideas to help you organize all the paperwork, have baskets ready to accept each form as parents turn them in. This will save you time sorting things later on.
4. Create teacher contact info magnets
Got business cards with your name, number, and email on them? Stick a magnet to the back and hand them out. This way, parents can stick one to the fridge at home rather than tossing the card in a desk drawer and never seeing it again.
5. Put together a flip-book to send home
There’s so much information for parents and kids to absorb at back-to-school night. Rather than handing out a stack of papers that can be lost, assemble everything into a simple flip-book that keeps everything all in one place. It’ll take some work up front, but you can use it year after year.
6. Help parents and students get to know you
For most kids, the most important part of back-to-school night is getting to meet their teacher. You want to meet everyone, but you don’t want to spend the whole night answering the same questions. Put together a brief but informative letter that lets families know a little more about you and your teaching style.
Learn more: Free Meet the Teacher Templates (Digital and Printable)
7. Send them on a scavenger hunt
Students will want to explore your classroom. Make it a focused activity with a scavenger hunt sheet. Include important parts of the classroom and even the school itself, like bathrooms and the lunch room, playground, and office.
Get it: Use these back-to-school clip art images to create your own scavenger hunt.
8. Play a guessing game
Another fun station is a guessing game. This could be all about you, helping parents get to know the teacher. It could be all about your grade (What read-alouds do we do in 4th grade?), especially if your grade has projects that younger students look forward to completing. Or it could be about the staff around the school (Who is the person who helps us when we are sick?). Create questions about the information you want to highlight and create a Jeopardy-style game or use note cards for a hands-on version.
9. Picture match game
If your back-to-school night occurs a few weeks into the school year, have students create self-portraits of themselves. Then, post them on a bulletin board and have parents match the self-portrait with the child. It’s a great way to learn names, and students can share what they’ve already learned about their peers.
10. Back-to-school bingo
Create a bingo card with tasks that students should do during back-to-school night so they can complete the tasks until they have a cover-all. Include silly facts or information. For example, you can have slots like: meet another parent and tell them your favorite memory from this grade.
11. Let students choose their seats …
“Where will I sit?” It’s a question on every kid’s mind. If you’re feeling up to it, let them choose their own seats (you can always change them after a few days if needed) by putting out name tags for them to use. They can drop off their supplies at their chosen desk too.
12. … or help them find their seats
If you’d rather choose your students’ seats in advance, make sure it’s easy for them to find their place. We love this teacher’s idea of using balloons with students’ names on them to mark each seat. The kids can take the balloons home when they leave too.
13. Play “Are You Smarter Than …”
If you have a sit-down format where parents are expected to listen to a presentation about your grade, play “Are You Smarter Than a …” with facts from your grade level. This game gives parents a feel for what their child will be learning, and injects some humor and fun into what can be a long night.
14. Find out what kids want to learn this year
You’ll be the coolest teacher ever right from the start when you let them write on their desks! Use dry-erase marker to write their names followed by “wants to learn.” Have kids fill in the blank when they find their seats. The next school day, use this information to engage students in their first goal-setting activity of the year.
15. Create a back-to-school night photo booth
Back-to-school night photo booths are always a big hit. They don’t necessarily need to be fancy; just a few props and a sign indicating the school, grade, and year can do it. Tip: Have parents text you the photo they take of their child, and you can easily build your parent contact list on your phone.
16. Share your wish list with parents
It’s no secret that teachers spend a lot of money on their students. Let parents know how they can help out. Create a Giving Tree display with information about what your classroom needs. It doesn’t have to be all store-bought supplies either—you may need leftover clothes for the pretend-play area or toilet paper rolls for science, and used books are always welcome.
17. Collect and sort supplies
Looking for ideas for organizing that pile of supplies you have to sort at the end of back-to-school night? Set up a series of boxes or bins for parents to drop off any communal classroom supplies, one by one.
Learn more: How to manage classroom supplies
18. Learn what students want from their teacher (you!)
Kids or their parents can answer this question, giving you a heads-up about what the students in your class need in the year ahead.
19. Get parents signed up
Think about all the ways you could use parents’ help in your classroom and then put out sign-up sheets. Think field trip chaperones, mystery readers, room parents. This is a great time to get parents to sign up, and for you to get a feel for which parents you want to work with this year.
20. Have parents write kids an encouraging note
How sweet is this idea? Have parents write a note to their child, then tuck those parent notes away for a day when a student needs a little extra encouragement or motivation.
21. Give parents tips on helping their students succeed
Back-to-school night is also a good time to help parents understand what they can do to support their child in the year ahead. Write a brochure about tips for your grade level or the skills that students need to succeed. (Save this for parent conferences too!)
22. A-maze them with a fun back-to-school night gift
It certainly isn’t necessary, but if you’re looking for back-to-school night take-home gift ideas, it’s a fun way to have kids leave on a happy note. And there’s no need for gifts to be expensive; even a pencil with a cheerful note attached is enough to say “I’m glad you’re in my class!”
Learn more: Easy Back-to-School Gift
23. Thank parents for their commit-“mint”
Snacks are nice, but they can be expensive. A bowl of mints will set you back just a couple of bucks and help you reinforce the idea that education is about commitment and teamwork!
24. Random acts of kindness challenge
Give students homework that they can do with their parents with a random acts of kindness challenge. If your back-to-school night falls before the first day of school, challenge students to complete a bingo board of kindness (any row or column) by the time they come on the first day. If school is already in session, challenge students to complete acts of kindness by the next Monday or holiday.
25. Get them excited for the year to come
Before they leave, have kids and parents share what they’re looking forward to in the year ahead. Use this information to create a bulletin board or revisit it when the school year seems to be dragging.
