Open House and Meet the Teacher Night Freebies

We had our open house/meet the teacher night. I had such an awesome turnout! I am SO excited because I have a super sweet group of students this year! I absolutely love meeting my kids on open house night, and I always think it is so sweet how shy they all are. I know each one of their personalities will shine bright in no time!

I wanted to share with you this amazing idea I got from Reagan over at Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits. She is an absolute genius! This is an Open House or Meet the Teacher Night Management idea with free printables included!

Instead of just having parents or guardians roam around your classroom, and wait for instruction from you, these signs will guide them. They are set up in a station-like format with explicit directions and forms at each station. All I did to create the stations was print out the numbered station sign, laminate it, and glue a popsicle stick on the back. Then, I put them in tin cups (or just stuck them between two desks above).

The night went off without a hitch because of the signs, I swear it! It can be so tough to greet families at the door, then go talk to a group of students, then direct parents on where to go, then answer questions! Oh my goodness!

The parents absolutely loved the organization, too!

I have attached a PDF form of the actual signs I used this evening for you to grab as a freebie, HERE!!

Because of the many requests I’ve received, you can now grab an editable version of these signs that I made in powerpoint HERE. That way you can create your own!

I’ve also included editable versions of the documents I keep at each station. I’ve included my parent letter, volunteer sign up, transportation form, and parent questionnaire. Please know that I wrote these for my classroom, so feel free to change them to fit your needs. Click HERE to grab the forms.

FREE Editable Documents for the Beginning of the Year - Young Teacher Love by Kristine Nannini

I did have a few families who were unable to make it. In order to stay organized, I made sure that I didn’t put anything to the side or in a file cabinet. Instead, I made up manilla folders for each student who didn’t attend, and then I made a few extra folders in case I get any new students later on. This way, I will have all of these students’ open house papers in one place. They are tucked away in a folder so that none go missing. I can simply grab a folder of papers out of my file cabinet and send them home with the student on their first day of school.

And I want to share another freebie with you! I put up my super cute “Welcome Sign” that you can grab for free HERE! There are tons of different options and grade levels included in this freebie!

FREE Welcome Sign by Kristine Nannini
FREE Welcome Sign by Kristine Nannini
One more thing that I set out for my families was this scavenger hunt. I have seen so many awesome classroom scavenger hunts, but I was having a hard time finding a school-wide one. It’s hard to have an entire class of students and parents in your room for an hour. This scavenger hunt is perfect because it lets the students and parents get out to mingle with other families, and it is a great opportunity for students to “show off” their school and introduce their parents to some fellow staff members! My kids loved it! I always give the students that complete the scavenger hunt a little prize, too.

Here are a snapshot of the scavenger hunt, and you can click HERE to grab it for free!

Enjoy!

40 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    where did you get the chevron rug? i LOVE it!

  2. I keep laughing every time I see that rug tonight! We all have it!! Big Lots owes us!!! I loved reading this :)

  3. Thanks ladies!! I’m happy to share!

    Shannon- that’s better than no parents! I was happy this year I had the most ever. I had 15 out of 28!

  4. I love your sneak peek pictures and all of your creative ideas and freebies!! Mostly, I love your energy and enthusiasm that I can pick up on!! Thanks for sharing! :)

    Debra

  5. Anonymous says:

    I love the bright colors in your room. Can you take a picture of your room this back to school so I can see it? I want to use bright colors in my room next year.

  6. Thanks!!:) I plan on keeping everything the same (boring I know!) check out some of my other blog posts to see more pics!

  7. Out of curiousity, what do you put in your short open house letter? I’m trying to decide if I’ll make one or not. I give out a handbook with everything families will need to know about my 5th grade classroom the first day of school. I usually have 65% of kids show up for Meet the Teacher Night, so I don’t necessarily want to give out anything I’m just going to be giving the first da of school. But I figure an introductory letter might be nice. I do however also send out a Welcome Back letter in the mail that sort of introduces the class, a short supply list, and the time of Meet the Teacher Night. What do you think? Should I make one for that night or forego it? And if I do make one, what do you include? Thanks!

  8. YOU are a ROCK STAR!! Hope you’re having a great summer. BTW, where did you get the “labels” that you used on your book bins in your library? Thank you SOOOOOO much for sharing so many of your great ideas! Any chance you could share pictures of what you’re room looks/looked like? I was just moved into a new room and struggling with creative ideas.

  9. I am excited to use this idea at our orientation night! Is there anyway to get the forms you use for each station? (ex. the letter, transportation, child information sheets)

    kristy.younker@gmail.com

  10. This is my first year teaching 4th grade, and I’m thrilled! Thank you for sharing your Open House resources:)

  11. When I click on the links, it opens up in Google Docs. Any chance you can send them to me via email? My email is piajoy at gmail dot com.

    Thank you so much for sharing…love these!

  12. Anonymous says:

    These signs are amazing! I was so nervous for my first open house and now I feel a lot better! Thank you!!!

  13. Could you tell me the name of the font you used on your sign headers? I love them! And if you don’t mind I am a first year teacher and would love to see what kind of open house letter you used. My email is scontino3@gmail.com any advice would be greatly appreciated!

  14. Cute, cute, cute! Thanks so much! I’m such a fan-girl of yours. I love your “stuff” on TPT and you are SUCH an inspiration (coming from a 9 year [whoa!] veteran teacher)!

  15. Are the sheets you used in your Back To School pack?

  16. Thank you! Love the documents!

  17. Hi! I just found your blog and simply LOVE LOVE LOVE it and all of your awesome Open House goodies!!! <3

    Quick question, is there any way I could buy your scavenger hunt and be able to edit it? I just looked at your TpT account but didn't see it there. I'm a first year first grade teacher and would love love love to do this interactive, explore the entire school scavenger hunt rather than the typical put your supplies away thing.

    Thanks again and have a great evening! :)

    1. Kristine Nannini says:

      Thanks so much, Maggie! This scavenger hunt isn’t for sale, it’s just a freebie I offer on my blog to my readers! :)

  18. I love the signs and the documents. When I try to open the link to the powerpoint version, it comes up as a pdf that isn’t editable. Is there another way to access it?

    1. Kristine Nannini says:

      Hi Devon- I include both the PDF and the editable PowerPoint versions. Keep reading, and you’ll see the link to the editable PowerPoint right below the PDF link. Enjoy! :)

  19. Ronda McLaughlin says:

    Is there an editable version of the scavenger hunt? I think my first graders would love it!

  20. Ronda McLaughlin says:

    Is there an editable version of the scavenger hunt?

    1. Kristine Nannini says:

      Hi Ronda- This freebie is not editable due to the fonts, borders, clipart, etc. in the document. The artists of these have terms of use that state that I must use them in a secure PDF file, and I don’t want to break their terms. Sorry!

  21. Thank you so much for being so generous by sharing these awesome resources – esp. considering the time you spent in their creation!! Have a great beginning.

    1. Kristine Nannini says:

      Thanks so much, Susan!

  22. Hello,
    I downloaded your editable open house signs and I can’t seem to be able to edit them. Can you give me some suggestions. Thanks so much! I LOVE your products!

  23. I am not able to download your signs and edit them. I would love any suggestions. I would love to adapt them and use them! Could they be purchased and emailed to me? Thanks!

    1. Kristine Nannini says:

      Hi Liz! I just checked the file, and everything looks great on my end. Make sure you’re logged into Google with an account. Then, you’ll be prompted with the option to download the PowerPoint. You can then download the PowerPoint and edit the free files as needed. I hope this helps!

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