Meet the Teacher Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I love getting to know my new little students and their families. Also, after weeks of preparing and labelling everything from cubby names to snack placemats, its nice to put a face to a name.
I have one rule for Meet the teacher Day. Keep it simple.
Meet the Teacher by Snail Mail
Welcome letter
The first thing I do is send out a Meet the Teacher welcome letter. As you can imagine, deciding what to put in your welcome letter can be a bit of a challenge. So, a few years ago I got smart and created a 3-photo, 3-paragraph simple template. While I have seen lots of amazing and cute welcome letters out there, I chose to go clean and simple. As a result, I might need to switch out one or two of the photos each year and edit the paragraphs, but it is easy-peas-y and fast. As you can see, I do the same for my amazing Teacher’s Aide. Therefore the kids and their parents have a face to my name and a few details about me and my family. I always include pets, because kids love that.
Most importantly, I send the letters by snail mail a week or two before the in-person Meet the Teacher day. Kids love getting mail that is just for them. Consequently, they feel special and a positive connection is made right from the start!
The Scavenger Hunt
Another of my favorite things to do is sending the kids on a scavenger hunt. Because I teach 3-5 year-olds, I have to keep everything simple. However, I want the kids to get to know the classroom, the school, and where to put their stuff. For that reason, I picked the 3 most important places for them to find for our scavenger hunt. When they come in, we give them one of these cute little cards and a pen to check off the list. I have found that this helps the parents as much as the kids. Once the checklist is completed, they come back to me for a little prize.
A Simple Reward Can Lead to a Positive Connection
This year my class theme is Monsters, so I found these cute squishy balls on amazon. They reminded me of fuzzy monsters, so I went for it. Plus, they are soft and squishy, and I know little kids love stuff like that! When the kids bring their scavenger hunt card to me and I hand them their prize…a little magic happens. We make a positive connection that I now will help ease the first day anxiety so many kids feel. And so, when the first day comes they associate me with something pleasant. Thus, less crying for the kids and less anxiety for the parents.
If you are on a tight budget, there are other options. I years past, I have picked up bags of multiple ducks or frogs at the dollar store for prizes. Stickers or hand stamps are also a low-cost prize anyone can manage. The point is, make a positive connection every step of the “Meet the Teacher” path and your year will get off to a great start!
For more ideas click here for another blog post with other great tips to start your year off right! or visit kindergartenchaos.com for even more fun ideas!
Have a great year!
