Now, I know this year's Open House will look different than it normally does, and that's okay! I know that mine will be different. However, there will be parts that are the same. You may still be meeting the students in the building, or online, but these are some activities and information you can you, they may just have to be adapted.

When Open House starts, everyone is nervous and excited. So clearly when the students come and find your class, they are nervous. They might hide behind their parents, not talk or avoid making eye contact! The best thing to do is to make them feel as welcome and as comfortable as possible;e. Below are just a few ideas for you to try!

I talked about morning greetings in a previous post. This is a great way to make a first impression! This is the perfect time to introduce your greetings at the door. I usually choose 2 greetings for the door, one that involves a little contact (like a high five), and one that involves no contact, (like a salute or a wave). Now this year the open house will have to be contact less, so I will stick to a salute or a wave. I greet them with their name and tell them that I am glad they are in my class this year and I can't wait to get to know them. I also tell them that I can't wait for them to check out the room and tell me what they think. 

The greeting leads perfectly into the next activity for your students. Have a scavenger hunt in your class. Give them a piece of paper with pictures of places you want them to find in the room. These places could include:

You also want your parents to find your business card with your contact information on it. I like to tape it to the board and have parents take it off if the want it. However, this year, I may just write down my information on the board so they can take a picture or attach it to the scavenger hunt. 

When your student is done with the scavenger hunt, they can show the paper to you and you can give them a sticker or a prize if you'd like. I usually also say something along the line of "Great Job! You just finished your first assignment of _____ grade!" They love it. Thought, I will say it probably isn't really great for the upper grades, I can see their reaction now. 

Naturally parents are going to have questions or comments for you about their child. It's totally normal! They are entrusting their child in your care and they want to make sure that you know what is happening  with their child. However, it is really hard to remember what every parent told you. So this is a great solutions for that. Have a google form that they can fill out. Have a QR code for them to scan or a link they can go to. Include whatever you'd like to know. Here are some examples:

The last thing I want to talk about is supplies. In some schools this is where parents can bring in their child's supplies. This is great! I have the parents help me out by unloading their child's supplies.  I do this by leaving a picture list on the table (or desk) with directions on what item to put where. I do pictures because I have students who come in where the family is still learning the English language, and the visuals are helpful and welcoming. 

On my list I include (Of course this was in a non- COVID 19 world):