We all know the importance of parental involvement in the achievement of our students. This post offers tips for parents who want to support their students.
Family and Community Engagement is essential. It is important to involve the entire school in creating an environment that supports parents. We
Parent involvement activities for daycare help you bond with parents and build relationships! Quality care is important, but communication is too.
Looking for ways to increase parental involvement in your classroom? Then check out this infographic that lists 20 ways you can get parents more involved.
Every year, schools work to build partnerships with parents through parental involvement events. Research shows that children are much more successful when their grown ups are involved. Parental involvement has always been an interest of mine, and today, I'd like to share a collection of parent night ideas that my schools have enjoyed.
Increase parent involvement with these 50 Ideas for parent volunteers in the classroom
Find ideas on how to utilize parent volunteers both inside and outside of the classroom to help build community and lighten your teacher load.
Do you want to develop lasting relationships with your parents and families? Use this ultimate list of parent workshop topics and start engaging today.
As teachers, one of our greatest resources can be the parents of the students we work with. It takes time and effort to foster strong relationships with parents, but it is often more than worth it in the end. I've worked with parents that are ready to jump right in and become a partner right away and others that needed more coaxing. There are several things you can do to create a welcoming environment that produces parent allies or even parent partners. This list is going to contain things I have done in my classroom, things my friends have shared with me, and things that I have thought about implementing when I get back into the classroom after my parental leave is over. Do not feel the pressure to do all of these things at the same time. You know your classroom and the parents you're working with best. You want to include them without overwhelming them. Do what feels right to you! Reach Out Right Away The easiest was to open a positive dialogue is to send a letter home before school even starts. Include something in the envelope for the student and something for the parents to introduce yourself. Give them your contact information and when you're available to take phone calls. Something I have not done, but I will consider doing in the future is including a photograph of myself and any other adult working in the classroom. My daughter's teachers did this and it lessened a lot of her anxiety as she prepared for the new school year. Teach Them About the Programs Often times, our parents have been out of the classroom as a student for years and have never been in the classroom as a teacher. Some of the programming may be confusing or overwhelming. I like to share which reading and math programs we will be using, along with any websites that may be helpful for them to use at home. Another thing I like to share with the parents I am working with is some information about the special education program their child is in. I created a Parent's Guide to Co-teaching that has been very helpful and well-received. If you're co-teaching, I encourage you to check it out! Accept Help When it is Offered How many times has a parent offered to help you and you politely declined? I know that sometimes it feels like it can be more work to find something for them to do, but often times the parents are literally willing to do anything to help! At the beginning of the year, create a list of things that you would be willing to hand off to a helpful parent, should they ask. Some of the help I have accepted (and offered as a parent) are running centers during rotations, organizing the classroom library, making copies, making play-dough, cutting out lamination pieces, and creating bulletin boards. Regular Communication Regular and expected communication is so important. Whether you send home a communication log, behavior charts, or newsletters, it is important to be consistent. When you have consistent positive communication, it will be easier to approach a parent about any issues that may arise. For some of my less verbal students, that means a daily communication log. I found that a lot of parents felt that the book was mine and they didn't feel comfortable writing in it so I created a printable version that I love! Not only does it encourage the parents to write in it every day, I can easily check off information and add in details as needed. Having a layout to write in saves me a lot of time when I have multiple logs to fill out at the end of the day. Newsletters are also great for communication! I know that as a parent, I love knowing what is going on in the classroom. I like to include a lot of photographs in my newsletters so that it makes the families I work with feel like they are a part of the classroom. Encourage Questions Welcome questions! Most of the time, when a parents is questioning something that you're doing in the classroom, they are honestly wondering the reasoning or research behind it. They want to know more so they can understand what is working and not working for their child. Take the time to answer their questions and alleviate their concerns. Make yourself approachable! Put Your Listening Ears On Do you know what goals the parents in your classroom have for their children? Are you aware of their short term and long term concerns? You may be the expert in education, but they are the expert in their child. They are a valuable resource and you will learn so much if you just listen. Before special education meetings, I like to ask for parental input. You can either call or ask on paper. I like to send home an IEP Parent Input sheet a few weeks before a meeting which gives the families enough time to really think about any questions, concerns, or goals they have. Do Not Judge or Take Offense Every family situation is different. Do not be judgmental if something is going on at home that you do not agree with, such as a child being allowed to stay up until midnight on a school night. You do not know the reasoning behind that decision or the parent may not know that is difficult for their child to focus after those late nights. Present your concern. Listen to the parent. Offer suggestions if opportunity arrises. Just like you, they are more likely to share their difficulties when they are confident they will not be judged. Do not take things personally. You are working with humans and sometimes it can become stressful for everybody involved. Sometimes harsh words are thrown in your direction. Do not take critiques or negative words personally. Take a deep breath and move on. Don't forget, that you are the professional. Of course, sometimes the negative comments can get out of hand. In this case, ask another teacher or an administrator to sit in on any contact you have with that parent to protect yourself. You can read more about how I handle difficult meetings in this blog post. Share Data Teachers are not the only ones that like data! When you do an assessment, send it home. If you are progress monitoring, keep the parents informed on how things are going. I have checklists upon checklists that are helpful in these situations. The parents you work with will thank you for the constant educational updates! I am always looking for more ways to involve parents in my classroom! I would love to hear what else you do to encourage parent involvement!
Explore fresh ideas for parent involvement and power up your new school year. Uncover new strategies to engage and collaborate with parents in the classroom journey.
By Jennifer Larson - The key to improving parent engagement is a consistent and simplified flow of communication between school, home and all other stakeholders.
Parent involvement matters. In this post, the benefits of having parent support are shared. Parent handouts for teachers are included.
Customize this “PTO Parent Punch Card” with your group’s key events for the year to encourage attendance. Distribute to parents in your welcome packet and encourage them to bring it to events. For every event they attend, give them a punch (or stamp). If they’ve “punched” all events by the end of the year, they’ll be entered to win a prize. You could even make significant events worth two punches!
Getting parents involved as school volunteers or PTO volunteers wont' be so hard once you learn the secrets to what's turning them off in the first place!
As teachers, it's important to keep the parent teacher communication open. Learn how to build rapport with 6 ways to keep parents in the know.
Make parent communication easier with these parent handouts! These parent letters are an easy way to connect home and school! Perfect for back to school, parent conferences, and Open House. If you need ways to support families and improve parent communication, these letters are just what you need! Give parents a helping hand with reading and talking with their child about school at home! These letters are also available in SPANISH by clicking HERE! CLICK HERE for the MEGA bundle of ALL parent letters and save 20% This resource includes: 4 NO PREP letters Color and black and white versions 10 Ways to Help with Reading at Home 10 Terms to Know When Reading Fiction at Home 10 Terms to Know When Reading Nonfiction at Home 10 Ways to Talk to Your Child About School These letters are perfect for: Parent Teacher Conferences Back to School Open House Parent Involvement Parent Support Learning at Home Take a look at what satisfied teachers are saying about Parent Handouts: ❤️"My parents loved this resource!" ❤️"The parents in my classroom appreciated all of the tips to help their child grow academically." ❤️"I will definitely be using these from here on out for Meet the Teacher night!" ❤️"Great resource for Parent-Teacher Conferences!" Are you looking for more ways to communicate with parents? Parent Letters: 10 Ways to Help with Math Parent Letters: 10 Ways to Help with STEAM Monthly Mindset Newsletters Classroom Forms for Parent Communication Check out these resources: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Fables Inference All-Stars Point of View Paired Text CLICK HERE to follow my store and get the first look at freebies, new products, and sales!
Parent involvement activities for daycare help you bond with parents and build relationships! Quality care is important, but communication is too.
Grab this set of parent handouts to share information with parents on topics such as shoe tying, phonemic awareness, and so much more.
Do you want to build relationships with parents? Do you want to have an easy way to communicate with parents this school year? Click HERE to download These Parent Assignment Editable Email Cards are a great way to get parents communicating and involved your classroom! This assignment is for parents to complete and email the teacher all the current communication information. The pages are editable for any teacher to use. Give this assignment during the beginning of the year and start building relationships with parents today! Print on Astrobrights for bright announcement for parents. These Parent Assignment Email Cards FEATURE: *2 Editable Parent Assignment Email Cards (Color and Black & White) *Builds relationships and communications with parents *Easy first homework assignment or extra credit Just fill in your email address and print! Hands down the best way to communicate with parents in the busy world today is email and the telephone. If you just need to send a quick note you can email it to a parent, now that you have their correct address. Need to talk personally to a parent? This form also has the parent send you their most current phone number. With over 95% of parents emailing within the first week of school, you will be able to have all their update to date information. After receiving the homework assignment email from the parent be sure to send back a quick reply. "Thank you for your email. I look forward to having a great school year with your child. Sincerely, Mrs. McCown" This is an easy receipt to sender to confirm their email was received. Then save their email to a folder labelled "Parent Contact Emails" for easy access in the future. Click HERE to download This can be a quick and easy tool for your classroom to setup a communications system with all your parents. Let them know in the syllabus or by email how often you will reply to an email (example: Mrs. McCown will respond within 24 to 48 hours to any email or telephone call). Parents will be glad to know you have open communication with them and that they can build a relationship with the teacher to meet the needs of their student. Happy Teaching!
Communication is a big part of the teacher - parent relationship. However, during distance learning it becomes even more important.
Firstly a HUGE welcome and thank you to my new followers, I have seen many people start following us in the last few weeks. I appreciate each and every one of you. This post has been motivated by quite a few conversations I have had in the last month, with my 'parent' hat on. The conversations I have had are private, but I can tell you that they focused on how teachers speak to parents and how information is delivered. It is always insightful for me to be a part of these conversations as I can get a glimpse of life on the other side of the classroom door. I realise that this information, for most of my followers and friends in the teacher-blogging world, will not be needed or new. It is nothing earth-shatteringly new. It is basic and practical. I am hoping however, that if a new teacher stumbles upon this post, it may help them in future conversations with parents... Talking to parents can be difficult. Sometimes you do it on the run, at the classroom door, after a long day with two duties and no lunch break. You have 20+ children to think about. Life in the classroom is very busy. Sometime we forget that we need to be sensitive and think about how our information is received by others. I always have a million things on my mind at work. It's part of the job. It NEVER ends. So, I like to set up frameworks in my mind to deal with the many situations that arise. I like to think about the information I give parents in a 3 step structure. I make sure I include the following steps when I am talking to parents. I don't read it out like a list, but in my mind I am mentally checking each part as I include it. 1. Describing behaviour I see and can observe (e.g. I have noticed that your child is having difficulty writing his name) 2. Describing first what I AM DOING in the classroom to address what I have noticed (e.g. I have modified all our worksheets to include a dotted name for him to trace) 3. Suggesting how the parent could help at home (e.g. It would really help if you could spend a few minutes each night practising - just talking about the letters in his name and writing them in water on the tiles in the bathroom when it is bath time will help). This framework has always helped to make sure that the parent understands that I am aware of her child's needs, that I have started to work towards helping and that I need them to help in the process. I find it really helps to explain what I am doing as a teacher. It is not beneficial to have a parent walk away from the school feeling that their child is struggling and that they are alone in the problem. I would love to hear your ideas about feedback and conversations to parents (and carers) as well!
Promote parent involvement with this Parent Involvement Poster Package. This set of 8 posters is an affordable and engaging way to get your message across. This poster package is perfect for any school, parent center, Federal Programs, and Title I. These posters will look great in any office, classroom, or hallway. Printed on high-quality, heavy cardstock with a protective UV coating.
Helping K-2 Teachers Like You Save Time, Grow Instructional Skills, and Teach With Confidence!
We polled our community to come up with innovative ways to best utilize parent volunteers, both in-person and virtually.
The Elementary Parent Engagement Poster is an essential tool tailored for parents of elementary students, offering insightful guidance and practical tips to enhance involvement in their child's education. With colorful graphics and concise information, this poster serves as a valuable resource, fostering strong partnerships between parents, educators, and young learners for academic growth and holistic development. Printed on high-quality, heavy cardstock with a protective UV coating or on high-quality, peel and stick, non-permanent vinyl.
It's day five of Celebrate Reading and today we are talking about how to set up a guest reader program in your classroom!
Whether you are a parent looking to get involved or a teacher looking for ways to utilize some parental help, this list of 50+ ideas will help.
This article contains several useful ideas you can implement in your classroom to help enhance the engagement of your students' parents.
The Elementary Parent Engagement Poster is an essential tool tailored for parents of elementary students, offering insightful guidance and practical tips to enhance involvement in their child's education. With colorful graphics and concise information, this poster serves as a valuable resource, fostering strong partnerships between parents, educators, and young learners for academic growth and holistic development. Printed on high-quality, heavy cardstock with a protective UV coating or on high-quality, peel and stick, non-permanent vinyl.
Even finicky middle schoolers will have fun with these ideas and events—although they probably won’t admit it.
Photo by Iulia Mihailov on Unsplash What is your first memory of your parents? When you reflect on your childhood, who and what do you remember? The benef
We all know how important it is to be involved in our child’s education. Parental involvement includes helping kids with their homework, participating in activities with kids, volunteering at school…
Discover simple ways for parent-teacher collaboration to make maths learning fun and effective for your child.
I'm the kind of person that likes to get ready for the next year before the end of this year. I know. You can call me crazy. It's ok. I understand. But it's the way I am. So what am I getting ready? Forms to send home during Meet and Greet: My Parent Survey (it's free!). I keep this in my communication folder. This is what I send home so that I can take pictures for my blog. I know it has my information on it, but if you need it for something else, then maybe you can use it as a template. Click HERE to download it. And I send this home so that I can show some movies that are apparently PG. Click HERE to download it. Click the picture below to get all these forms in my {TPT store} I'm also restocking my calendar bins for next year! Head over to {THIS} post to see how I organize all of my monthly calendar-type activities. I already have my calendar pieces done...but I'm getting ready all the pages that I want to use IN the calendar bundle. Check out my post on the calendar bundle HERE. Our monthly poetry covers are printed up for the year. Find out how I use poetry in the classroom and download the covers for free {HERE} I also have our monthly writing journal covers ready to go... the journals themselves aren't done yet, but hopefully I'll have a wonderful parent volunteer next year to do them for me. See how I use the journals and download the covers for free {HERE}. I've also sent my Spelling Journals to the Print Shop. I'm opting to use these this year instead of doing my phonics notebook, only because it's my first year in First grade AND at my new school, so I want to see what they can handle before I dive in full force! haha. But I used my Phonics Notebook this year and LOVED it...You can check that out HERE. I've also sent my Vocabulary Journals to our print shop (I like send things to the print shop because they copy off a whole class set, with a cover and back cover AND bind them with a spiral thingy.... to me, NOT having to do it is worth me paying for it! lol) Check out my vocabulary Journals HERE. I also have copied off all the writing pages and family notes for our Monthly Family Projects! IF I have enough time, I might even get frisky and run off all the templates for the crafts! I'm also getting ready our Memory Books for next year... as we're finishing up this year's Memory books! lol You can read more about them {HERE} There are "All About Me" pages for the beginning of the year and the end of the year, so you can see the difference between the 2 times of year. It's always so fun to see the changes! Then, there are monthly writing pages, so the students can write about what they learned that month. The kids have really been having fun with this. Check them out in my TpT store {HERE}. You can grab a FREEBIE from these memory books {HERE} I have also printed out and laminated my personal behavior charts that I use from Rachelle. You can read my post on how I use them {HERE}, although, I must say, I am thinking of changing the plan...again! haha! I've also printed up my name tags for next year - I love that I don't have to go on a hunt to buy them every year! They have everything I want on them! You can download them for free on {THIS} post. I've had my wonderful parent volunteer trace and cut out my jerseys for me. In the beginning of the year, the kids decorate their jersey with their number on it and I leave them up all year. Why do they have numbers? FOR SO MANY THINGS! I have a post on what I use numbers for {HERE}. And last but not least, I got all planned out for next year! I came across Traci's curriculum planner, and I knew it would be perfect for me since I don't use the district adopted series. I have my whole year planned out! This is such a beautiful sight. I wish I had this for this year as a first year 1st grade teacher. but now I won't be so "lost" next year - haha! Check it out on Traci's blog {HERE}! WHEW!! That's a lot! And I still have more on my list to do for next year! And, um, this year isn't even over yet - haha! Oh well. I will be thankful next year in the beginning of the year.
