Back-to-school nights, open houses, and meet-the-teacher days are packed full of important information for parents and kids—but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Here are five ways to make your back-to-school events more fun this year without skipping the paperwork.
1. Gamify must-do tasks.
Who doesn’t love games? Whether you’re working with elementary schoolers, high school students, or parents, you’ll win major brownie points by turning tasks like exploring the classroom and filling out emergency contact information into games.
Try making the classroom tour a scavenger hunt, turning your meet-the-teacher session into a guessing game, or quizzing parents on the things their kids will learn this year. (Do they still remember their multiplication tables?) You’ll hold everyone’s attention and make them smile, too.
2. Keep spirits high with energizing snacks.
Healthy snacks like fresh fruit, nut butter-stuffed dates, and allergy-friendly granola bars will keep attendees’ energy up and make your cafeteria or classroom feel more welcoming. Consider offering a few options and creating a snack table. It will bring people together, keep their hands busy, and boost their spirits as they work through their to-do lists.
If you’re not sure what to get, apples are a classic back-to-school event choice! We recommend Galas, Fujis, or even rare and endangered Sebastopol Gravensteins if the timing is right (they have a short and sweet season in August). Our Farm-to-School Team can help you stock your snack station with fruit, and you can also browse our Bulk Snacks page to find packaged snacks everyone will love.
3. Grab attention with colorful visuals.
In the age of Instagram and TikTok, videos and images grab students’ attention more than words do. To keep them (and their parents) engaged, get visual! You can pair your meet-the-teacher talk with a slideshow, add cards with fun fruit and snack facts to your snack table, or mark your stations with signs—like a police car for the critical information station, a backpack for the supply dropoff, or a pile of balls for sports team sign-ups. These simple swaps will help focus everyone’s attention on the event instead of their cell phones or other distractions.
4. Ask for input from parents and students.
Turning tasks into games is a great way to make your back-to-school events more interactive and fun. Another strategy is asking for input from parents and kids. What do your students hope to learn this year? Ask them to write their dream on a paper star and add it to a bulletin board. What wisdom do parents have from their own school days? Hand out popsicle sticks that they can write advice on, collect them in a jar, and read the sticks out loud throughout the school year. This is a great way to help students and parents get to know each other and feel valued.
5. Capture the moment with a photo booth.
Back-to-school events can be milestones, just like the first day of school! So why not set up a photo booth to capture those memories? Parents will love taking photos with their kids—especially the younger ones—while tweens and teens will have fun posing with their friends. You can make silly props like hats and mustaches with construction paper and straws, and run the whole setup with a volunteer or two and an instant-print camera (no need to rent a fancy photo booth).
Start Planning Your Back-to-School Events Today
Trying any or all of these five ideas will make your back-to-school events more fun and successful. And remember, if you want help stocking a healthy and delicious snack table, our Farm-to-School Team is just a click away.