Tag: "Back to School"

Fun Ways to Increase Parental Involvement in the Classroom

For most teachers out there, if it hasn’t already, the summer is coming to a close and that means it’s time to go back to school.  You’ve probably been planning what your Welcome Back bulletin board will look like, the way your classroom will be set up, and what you will do with students that first day back but have you given much thought to the parents?Parental Involvement

Meet the Teacher night is often within the first week or two back to school.  This is the time you get to express the standards you will hold your students to but also importantly, this the time to engage parents in the classroom that will continue throughout the year.

There is a huge importance to parental involvement that often goes understated.  Meet the Teacher night is the perfect opportunity to highlight to parents that learning isn’t something that takes place strictly outside of them.  Their involvement is one of the most important components of student achievement and success.

Here is a list of 10 events and activities that will encourage parental involvement in the classroom:

  • Host a “Discovery Night” where parents, students, and teachers learn together, in an interactive way, about a topic that is of universal interest
  • Hold a “Family Reading Night”
  • Have PTA meetings that include students so parents and students can learn together
  • Organize book sales and other fundraisers
  • Arrange an “International Day” where students and parents showcase their culture through food, facts, and/or dress together
  • Offer parent mentoring programs to students including events like career days
  • Organize a “Community Day” which families volunteer their time together
  • Have a “Parent of the Month Club” as well as a “Student of the Month” club to recognize those parents and students who contribute to the school community
  • Host parent workshops on how to support student learning in specific subject areas
  • Invite parents into the classroom to read to classes, be guest speakers, chaperone field trips, and work with students to help plan extracurricular and curriculum-related events.

Meet the Teacher night is not only a great night to stress the important role that parents must take in the class but it’s an opportunity to have parents sign up and commit to events lined up for the early fall.  Have sign-up sheets laid out on a table or desks that give parents a place to pencil in their choice ways of participating.  Of course, there needs to be an understanding that while parents are signing up, they cannot foresee the future.  Situations may arise whether it involves work, another child home sick, or some other unforeseeable event that the parent cannot attend as they would like.  Flexibility and understanding needs to be a part of parental involvement.  Make sure you are covered for each event by requesting a couple more parents than you will actually need.  The possibilities are endless to get parents involved and if you haven’t done many integrated activities with parents and students in the past, you will see how truly enjoyable and educationally rewarding they can be!

Aug 20, 2013 | 0 comments | View Post

Back to School


Welcome Back! Here is a list of some of our favorite welcome back activity ideas.  Hope you enjoy!

ABC’s – This is good for younger kids. Have each student wear a name-tag. Then let them put themselves in alphabetical order. Use either their first or last names. Either way, this is a great way to have the students learn each others names.

Hand out a Welcome Back Goody Bag – Greet your students on the first day with a “Welcome Back” Goody Bag! There are many different items that you could put into it! Some ideas you could choose to put in are pencils, erasers, stickers, a bookmark, silicone bracelets, free homework pass, and name tags!

Create a Welcome Back Brochure – Create a tri-fold brochure for parents that you can give out at “Back-to-School” night, or send out in the mail at the beginning of the school year. Most word processing programs have templates that allow you to simply type in the information, and it creates a brochure for you. Items in your brochure might include a letter telling about yourself, your expectations of your students, class rules, homework policy, events to look forward to during this school year, any volunteers needed, etc. This is a fun creative way to share important information.

All about me worksheet – Hand out a worksheet that lets students share their likes and dislikes. Ask questions that require short answers such as what do you like to be called, favorite school subject, game, food, book, movie, and other preferences.

Appreciation Letter – On your first day back to school, have your students write a letter to their teacher from the previous year. Tell them to include the things they did over the summer, the important things they remember from last year, and what they are looking forward to this year. This is a great way to learn a little about your students and also get a feel of their writing abilities. For a special touch send off the letters to their previous teachers, I’m sure their past teachers will enjoy reading them.

Class from the past – You may not be able to do this one this year, but it’s something to think about for the next year. During the last week of school, ask your students to write letters to your next year’s class. In the letters, have them give advice on how to make the next year a successful one. Randomly place them on your new students’ desks. They will be excited to read these letters from mysterious past class members!

Guess Who – Students fill in blank facts such as age or favorite things. When there is a few extra minutes in your day, pull a card from your stack. Have every child stand in the room. Without reading the child’s name, say 1 line at a time. If the sentence applies to them they remain standing. If it doesn’t they sit down. The students standing will decrease as each line is read, until 1 child remains. Students will not only learn more about their fellow classmates, but will also see how much they have in common.

Aug 31, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post