One of my favorite nights of the entire school year is just around the corner…MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT! It’s so exciting to get to meet new students, shake hands with new parents, and show your new group of people who you are on that first night. BUT…

It can also be super stressful and nerve wracking, right? 🙈 I mean, all those new people…are they going to like me? Am I going to make a good first impression? What if I don’t have all the answers??

Well, DON’T WORRY! I’ve got all the tips and ideas to make sure your first time meeting your students and parents is an organized success that makes you look like the most competent teacher ever…even if you don’t feel that way all the time. 😉 Come see how…and check out a couple FREEBIES at the end of the post too!

1. Be insanely organized.

Like, more organized that you think you need to be. With THAT many students and parents coming in and out of your classroom all evening, keeping things organized gives you so much peace of mind that you’ll have answers for MOST of the questions you get. It also allows you to show your new families that you are a competent, prepared teacher who is going to be on top of it this year, which is always a good thing!

Here’s a list of things I would make sure are organized and set up before Meet the Teacher Night begins…

Have forms for parents to complete organized in a folder for every family
Place bins/baskets around your room for students to place supplies in for you to sort later
Arrange desks in order and apply name tags
Place a sign in sheet at the door to keep track of everyone who participated
Post an informational slide telling families a little bit about yourself
Prepare an engaging activity or two for students to complete as they explore your classroom
Have a small “gift” or note for each family to take with them when they leave

2. Label all the things.

Label your baskets, bins, folders, and all the spaces and places in your room that will be interacted with during the evening at some point. I’d usually label my baskets and bins with labels that tell what belongs in them, like “markers”, “paper”, “parent forms”, etc. That way, when you point people in the direction that they’re looking for, the labels reinforce that they’re in the right place.

Labeling all the things also allows you to keep track of what you have and what you still need after everyone has gone home. You can see which families you still need forms from, you can tell if you’re going to need to find or purchase more of a certain supply, and you can tell if there is anything you missed before the school year really starts up.

3. Plan for more than expected.

In order to get all the information I needed as a teacher, I always had a folder prepared for each family that included all the forms they’d need to complete and return to me. But, in addition to my roster, I’d make about 5 extra folders with no specific name on them as well so that if anyone showed up who hadn’t registered yet or who I didn’t know was a part of my classroom, I could include them quickly because I prepared ahead of time.

These folders were filled with forms that were different from the school’s forms and required information about student allergies, parent preferences about classroom occurrences, and most importantly, PARENT CONTACT information. Even though the school had all of that filed somewhere, I wanted to have that official info for myself to be able to grab at a moment’s notice. The forms I always used are LINKED HERE.

Also, planning to have a few activities ready, like a photo booth, scavenger hunt, or even play dough at desks, is always a nice way to keep your students engaged and show the parents that you care about their kids and their memories. Having a few ideas planned to keep everyone smiling is a great way to show you care.

4. Set the mood.

Setting a positive mood in your classroom is another simple way to add some positivity to the evening! Choosing calm background music, adjusting the lighting, and having a presentation or display ready to go are a couple ways I always got my classroom ready for new people.

I’d prepare and play a Spotify playlist LIKE THIS ONE, turn on a few warmly lit lamps or twinkle lights around the room, and display a slide or two with directions on what people should do when they first enter the classroom. Posting clear directions is a simple way to ease anxiety for parents, students, AND YOU! Most people feel less anxious when they know what to expect and what they should be doing.

5. Know where to send questions.

You will absolutely get a MILLION questions on Meet the Teacher night, especially if you have students who are new to the school. So, it’s a great idea to have contact information for other people that parents may need to get in contact with.

Having a list of contact information for the principal, the front office, the special education team, the school counselor, the school nurse, and people in charge of after-school care is a great place to start. If you have other specialists at your school that people may need to get in contact with, you can add that information to your list as well. Being over-prepared with this kind of information helps parents and reminds them that you care about their child as a whole person with many different needs.

GRAB ALL THE MEET THE TEACHER STUFF IN ONE SPOT HERE!

6. Hydrate and bring a snack.

Bring water and your favorite snack to munch on during down times throughout the evening for sure! These are easy ways to keep your energy up and your mood light. I’d also recommend grabbing yourself your favorite kind of drink to sip on through the night too. This is a big night…treat yourself to the mocha. Haha! Oh, also, make sure you run to the bathroom before everyone starts coming into your classroom so you’re not stuck feeling uncomfortable for hours.

7. Smile and greet every person you possibly can when they first walk in.

This is a “do your best” kind of tip. It can be hard to catch every student and every parent as they come in, but do you best to make eye contact and at least flash a little smile and wave at people as they come in. This can be tricky to accomplish if you’re engaged with another family or something that you can’t leave immediately, but do your best to at least make eye contact and smile. This makes every person who walks into your room feel seen, welcomed, and valued…and that’s a great way to start off the year with your students AND their parents.

8. Let parents do the work for you.

One of the simplest ways you can make your night run smoothly is to leave a clipboard out with a prepared paper for parents to write down their immediate questions and email addresses. This is a great spot to send parents when they have a question that you don’t know the answer to right away. You can let them know that you’ll read through the questions, find the answer or contact for the person who can help them, and get in touch with them as soon as possible. This helps them feel heard and helps YOU to remember ALL the little details you need to check on and find answers to. And it’s one more way to collect parent emails, which is a WIN! Haha.

9. Engage the kiddos.

And let’s not forget about the kiddos coming in to meet you that night too! It’s always nice to have something fun prepared for your new students to work on or play with as their parents get all the information and things they need.

Here are some of my favorite ideas for engaging activities for the kids!

A simple scavenger hunt around the room
Play dough waiting to play with at each desk
A name tag or name tent to decorate for the first day of school
A coloring page to work on
An activity page with

10. Send them home excited.

And last, but certainly not least, having a little something for students to take home with them at the end of the evening is such a nice touch. This kind of small gesture helps each one of your students leave your classroom feeling seen, special, and like it matters that they’re a part of your class this year, which it DOES! :) Small gestures can go a surprisingly LONG way with kids, so if you put a little bit of personal thought into your gift, it’s bound to make a little impact on their hearts right from the start.

Some simple gift ideas could include…

Lollipops (with a happy note on them!)
Small play dough
A hand-written note for each kiddo
A small toy (Dollar Tree or Target Dollar Spot have some fun, inexpensive options!)
Bubbles with a note
A small bag of snacks with a note
A picture of you with a short note on the back

Need more Meet the Teacher inspiration? Peek HERE!

I hope these tips feel simple to implement and give you LOTS of stress relief for this fun night coming up! Remember that those parents and kids coming into your classroom are just as excited and nervous to meet you as you are to meet them, but as soon as it gets started, you’ll fall into a groove and things will go so well. I’m so excited for you to meet your new students and wow them with all your organization and attention to details. Go get ‘em, you amazing teacher you! :)

Cheering you on!