As former teachers, we know that back to school night has its pros and cons. While it is an excellent time to meet your students’ families, it can also be a lot of extra work and time outside of school!
One of the most time-consuming things is to come up with a back-to-school night idea that is fun and meaningful. Moreover, an activity that won’t take a ton of extra time to put together.
After years of holding back to school night and open houses at different schools, we brainstormed the best for back-to-school night. Then we put them together in a packet to help teachers like you!
Use these 12 stations in your classroom to gather meaningful information from your new students, while also providing meaningful information to your students and their families.
Materials for the Best Back to School Open House
Every school and every classroom is different. That’s why we made all the docs editable!
To make these 12 different back to school night stations fit your classroom, make simple modifications to the Google Docs. In addition, you can always remove one of the stations or add a new one that works best for your perfect night!
Editable Checklist
Help each parent and/or kids’ family member know exactly what to expect from the night by providing a checklist of the different stations. This helps parents stay on task and know exactly what they need to complete before leaving the classroom.
Since the checklist is editable, you can easily delete stations that don’t fit your classroom, or add a new idea.
Editable Disclosure
Every veteran teacher knows that a disclosure statement is a must for providing parents with an overview of the school year. While you may have your own disclosure statement that you like to use, this editable one may provide you with some new ideas to give yours an update.
If you are a new teacher, this template can be a great way to take away the overwhelm of writing a disclosure statement from scratch.
Editable Teacher Contact Sheet/ Teacher Contact Magnets
While there are days when you may not want parents to always be able to get in touch with you easily, it is helpful to them. This does not mean giving them ways to reach you outside of school though!
All you need to provide is your school email address and classroom phone number. If you have a school webpage you can also list that. Another helpful idea can be to list times that you will be available to reply (this helps set boundaries at the beginning of the year).
Newsletter Template
A newsletter is a great way to introduce parents and kids to what they can expect during the school year. You can use this template to outline expectations for the year, explain the schedule for each school day, present classroom rules, or explain how you use homework in your classroom.
Throughout the year, you can also use this template to share information about new units, testing dates, or important school events.
Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Set yourself up for success on the first day of school by helping students get familiar with the classroom during a scavenger hunt. This activity is a great way for kids to get comfortable in the room with the support of their parents.
However, if you don’t have time to do this during the open house you can also use this as a class activity during school. In addition, our school community scavenger hunt is a great way to help students explore the school beyond the classroom.
More Back to School Night Activity Ideas
In addition to the 5 stations outlined above, there are 7 more included in this resource! Head on over to our store on Teachers Pay Teachers to learn more about each of these additional activities.
- Parent Survey
- Student Survey
- Volunteer Forms
- Donation Cards- 4 Options
- Treat/Gift Tags- 4 Options
- All About Me Page- 4 Options
- All About the Teacher Page
- Name Plate Craft Template
- Photo Booth Props – 6 Options
- Student Information Page
12 Station Signs & Editable Station Instructions
In addition to the materials needed for each activity, we have also provided all the materials needed for classroom setup. Inside your resource packet you will find signs for each station. Simply print and put up around the room.
In addition, you will also find editable station instructions, because just like during the class time, an activity is only as effective as its instructions. These clear and detailed directions for each activity just need to be printed. You can also edit them first.
If you added any new stations, remember to write up some new instructions. You can use the cards already provided and just edit one with the new directions.
Hosting a Virtual Back to School Night
Even though most schools are in person, there has been a push for more virtual resources since distance learning became more prevalent. Whether or not you have a fully virtual classroom, it is helpful to have virtual resources available for those who prefer them.
Many of the activities in this resource can be used on a digital platform. Simply upload each activity into Google Docs and then share the folder with kids and their parents. For activities that
For example, turn the donation cards into a Google Survey or film a video of the different areas of the classroom for a virtual classroom scavenger hunt. If you have a fully virtual classroom, you can even make a classroom scavenger hunt that goes through where to find things online.
Even if you don’t need to hold a virtual night for every student, it is a good idea to have a simplified virtual version for parents who are unable to attend in person.
