The one night that is most stressful for me is definitely Meet-the-Teacher Night, but I have learned through the years that it can also be fun!
I’ll be the first one to say that I love it, but I am also terrified of it ALL at the same time. I mean, having gone through days of PDs, getting my class list like several hours before, and being expected to have every child’s name labeled on #allthethings, forms passed out, my classroom completely setup, and everything ready to welcome twenty-something kids and their families?!!! I mean, “Really?” (Insert crying and laughing emoji.) hahah….
While I still get nervous and excited this special night, I have learned throughout the years that with some preparation beforehand, this night can be also FUN for both the kids and ME! Scroll down to read more!
1. Introduce Yourself Digitally
Create a slideshow of fun information about yourself and let it loop on the front board As parents and students come in and out of your classroom, they will have an opportunity to get to know you better by reading all about you!
2. Scavenger Hunt
To help your students become familiar with your classroom, use a scavenger hunt and complete some important tasks even before the First Day of School! I have done this for years, and it truly works like a charm! Once the students and their parents have found their seat, thes cavenger hunt placed on their desk will ask them complete certain tasks including dropping off supplies, filling out important forms, and visiting different areas in our school. I have also added for my students to take a picture at our photo op area, find their cubby, Book Box, and different learning areas in our classroom in the past several years. These inclusions have helped my students become even more familiar with our classroom and ease those First Day Jitters greatly for my students. Once all tasks are completed, students are asked to return the form to me and receive a small gift for stopping by! Click to the image below for the complete set of Meet-the-Teacher Night Packet including EDITTABLE forms, signs, and printables!
3. Photo Op
This is one of the easiest photo ops that I have ever done in my classroom! I simply hung bright colored streamers on an anchor chart rack and made these easy speech bubbles as props for my kids. As part of their Meet-the-Teacher Night Scavenger Hunt, they were to take a photo here. The kids thought it was so fun, and their parents completely loved it! Scroll down and click on the images to download the newly updated Speech Bubble Photo Op Props with my HDFonts for FREE!
4. Student Gifts
Speaking of student gifts, here’s what I gifted my students at Meet-the-Teacher Night last year after they turned in their Scavenger Hunt! These were super easy to put together. I simply bought a handful of glow sticks and tied two together with black ribbon along with these tags. They were super excited to receive these and were even more excited for the First Day of School! For the complete set of Student Gift Tags for the entire year, scroll down and click to the images below.
Meet-the-Teacher Night can be stressful, but it DOESN’T have to! With good preparation, it can be a breeze and you too will have a great time with your students! You GOT THIS! 🙂
To read more click below!
Check out my Classroom Reveal last year!
I really like the gift tag quotes. Especially because they can be attached to items that aren’t too expensive to buy for the whole class.
Thanks!