24 Activities to Get Families Involved in Schools

24 Activities to Get Families Involved in Schools

There are many ways to engage and involve families within the school community. However, if a school's effort in family involvementis generic, they will get surface-level engagement in return. With the right techniques to understand the wants and needs of the community, schools can serve and tailor the involvement opportunities to meet their time, interests, and demands.

Create the Conditions for Family Involvement at Your School

If families do not feel welcome in their school, involvement will be low. So, schools must take the time to build authentic relationships with familiesas a foundation before requesting their attendance at programs or activities. It's also helpful for schools to be mindful of everyone's schedules and try to plan functions during different times of the day to allow for more involvement.

Check out the beginning-, intermediate-, and advanced-level activities below for schools to build relationships and get families truly involved.

Build Relationships for Family Involvement

Beginning-Level Activities to Build Relationships for Family Involvement:

1. 1. Host an Open House before school begins for students and families to talk to their teachers in person
   2. Send flyers home with dates of field trips and highlight opportunities to volunteer or chaperone
   3. Communicate times and dates of events like classroom parties where families can choose to volunteer

Intermediate-Level Activities to Build Relationships for Family Involvement:

1. 1. Make introductory phone calls home during the summer when rosters are complete
   2. Conduct home visits during the summer to start building relationships and understand student's homes and communities
   3. Call home for both positive and challenging behavior events to maintain communication 
   4. Train staff to communicate with language, cultural differences, and respect in mind
   5. Have an open-door classroom policy for volunteering to encourage families to take advantage of opportunities whenever they have the availability

Advanced-Level Activities to Build Relationships for Family Involvement:

1. 1. Send a questionnaire to families asking the days and times they are available to volunteer for classroom parties, functions, and trips
   2. Create flexible volunteering opportunities across different days, times, tasks, and grade levels based on the questionnaire responses 
   3. Create regular, positive communication streams with families about their student's academic, social, and behavioral progress

Activities to Boost Family Engagement

After creating the conditions for family involvement, many fun and appealing activities can increase their engagement in their student's education and school community.

Beginning-Level Activities to Keep Families Engaged in Schools: 

1. 1. Assign a reading journal or log for homework that families sign upon completion
   2. Send a class newsletter home weekly or monthly with curriculum themes and highlights 
   3. Send student work home with notes on what they did well and where they can improve
   4. Host Muffins with Moms, Donuts with Dads, and Grandparents Day with light refreshments and a craft to do together in the classroom

Intermediate-Level Activities to Keep Families Engaged in Schools:

1. 1. Hold a Literacy Night where families can learn different reading strategies to help their students at their current reading level and complete fun activities together
   2. Ask families to present to their student's class or different grades about their profession or business
   3. Send supplementary material for families to work on with their students at home
   4. Host Family School Lunches where families can come and eat with their students in the cafeteria or other spaces each quarter or month
   5. Plan talent shows, engineering nights, movie nights, award ceremonies, book fairs, dances, and more for families to attend

Advanced-Level Activities to Keep Families Engaged in Schools:

1. Assign family science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) projects to complete at home
2. Create classroom website pages for families to receive curriculum tips, knowledge, announcements, and more
3. Host family workshops where they can receive information from different service providers and educators 
4. Create a family resource center where families can find a variety of information

Family Involvement Leads to Student Success

No matter which level your school is currently at, there are many things you can do to increase family involvement at your school. Creating a committee to oversee family engagement is a great way to tap into your staff's creativity and passions.

National Parent Involvement Day is on the third Thursday of November and is a great time to plan some spectacular activities for families and students to engage in together. Remember to build strong, trusting relationships with families first, then increase family engagement with relevant, accessible, and fun activities. 

Engage Parents and Families

Learn how Unified Classroom® Behavior Support can help you increase family involvement in your K-12 organization.

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