Tips for Preschool Open House
If you’re a new preschool teacher, you might be feeling overwhelmed! I remember the feeling! One event that’s on your mind is planning your open house. Open house is a chance for you to meet your new students and their guardians. It’s the perfect time to make a great impression and set the tone for the school year. Today I’m sharing my top tips for preschool open house.
Preparing for Open House
A great way to make a good impression is to be well-organized and have your classroom ready. Parents don’t want to walk into a classroom that is half put together or is a mess.
- Organize the Space: Make sure your classroom is clean, welcoming, and organized. It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be totally done.
- Labels and Names: Have your room labeled with pictures or word cards to help parents and students know where things are. It’s always great to have their names on their cubbies, mailboxes, birthday wall, and other places.
- Prepare Materials: If you have a Meet the Teacher printable or other papers to pass out, make sure those are ready to go and in an area where parents won’t miss it!
- Plan Activities: This is totally optional, but it can be fun! Set up an engaging activity, like a scavenger hunt, to help parents and students explore your classroom and have something to do during open house. If you plan to pass out a gift, like this surprise play dough, make sure that is ready to go!
Making a Positive First Impression
First impressions can make a lasting impact! Make sure it’s a positive one!
- Greet Families Warmly: Make parents and children feel welcome from the moment they arrive. A smile can go a long way!
- Be Ready to Engage: Make yourself available so parents can ask questions and get to know you better. You might have to be the first one to initiate conversations, so think of questions to ask parents. Also, be prepared to answer questions about discipline, curriculum, and special needs support.
- Showcase your Room: Highlight features of the classroom and how they support learning and development.
Parent Meeting
It’s a good idea to have a short meeting with the parents to go over important details. You may want to share your teaching philosophy, the curriculum you’re using, and how discipline is handled in your classroom. I recommend passing out a packet of information when they walk into the classroom and then when you have the meeting, you can refer to this information in the packet. (I used this packet and changed it to work for preschool!)
One important detail you may want to go cover is how you handle snack time. You can give suggestions for snacks and announce if there are any allergies in the classroom. Another important thing to address is bringing extra sets of clothes in case they need them at school. Since you’ll have preschoolers in the room during this meeting, make sure it is brief and remind them they can ask you questions during the open house.
Last Tips
Lastly, make sure to engage with your students. It will help them feel more comfortable on the first day of school if they connect with you at open house. I recommend having your open house for one hour.
I hope these tips give you ideas for a successful open house! I’m cheering you on!
