Parent engagement boosts student outcomes; the data speaks for itself. It can be challenging for schools and teachers to commit to additional work and planning outside the typical school day, but that investment yields incredible rewards. You can read more about the studies of its effectiveness here or check out the impact some of our Possip Partners have seen through increased family engagement!
Jump To...
- How do you engage parents effectively?
- Goals of Parent Engagement
- Examples of Parent Engagement
- Family Engagement Activities (Examples)
- Activities to Build Family Relationships
- Parent Engagement Ideas for Parents with Multiple Barriers
- Parent Engagement Ideas for Elementary School
- For Middle School
- For High School
- Parent Engagement Ideas Hosted at Local Places
How do we encourage, promote, and reward families for their efforts? Firstly, we must break down barriers and provide ways for parents to connect with their children and each other.
How do you engage parents effectively?
Here are five things to consider to effectively engage parents with their child’s schooling:
- Identify barriers and work to resolve them. Are parents busy working? If so, when are the best days and times to reach out to them? Do they not pick up phone calls from unknown callers? Is there a language barrier?
- Learn which communication channels parents prefer. Do parents want to be updated via paper, website, blog, email, phone, social media, or text messages? Maybe all of them?
- Work to get parents into school events. We have found that parents are most invested in events with their child – consider adding an art exhibit, poetry cipher, choir performance- to report card conferences. Have students invite their parents to events.
- Encourage parents to submit ideas and offer feedback. The goal here is to listen to parents and have them take part in the conversation.
- Provide resources for parent engagement. What are the ways schools can easily hear from and capture the insights of parents?.
What are the goals of family engagement?
Family engagement is when parents and educators work together to address the challenges students face. Also, they help students’ performance and improve the school environment. Schools engage with parents for a wide variety of reasons:
- Evaluating academic performance to make sure that students are on track.
- Working with parents so they know how to help their children do well in school.
- Developing relationships with parents so that there is an open dialogue.
- Bringing up issues students may face, such as bullying and drug use.
- Letting parents know about events and programs run by the school.
- Helping the school be better by leveraging the asset and community of parents.
What is an example of family engagement?
Most parents try to be involved on some level. For example, they make sure their kids are engaged in school, doing their homework, and doing well socially. However, this level of involvement doesn’t necessarily mean that they are engaged with what’s going on in the school.
Engagement is about building a relationship between educators and parents. Family engagement might look like attendance at school activities, to volunteerism at school, to participation in school surveys or focus groups. More specifically, schools can take a look at how active parents are with school activities.
For instance, schools can look at volunteering, PTA meetings, regular communication with teachers, and participation in surveys or requests for feedback.
To that end, we’ve collected a list of 60 different family engagement ideas!
Family Engagement Activities (Examples)
Family Engagement Activities to Improve Student Success
- Volunteer in Classrooms: Assist teachers with daily activities or special projects, providing additional support and resources.
- Participate in School Boards or Committees: Engage in decision-making processes and school policy development.
- Attend Parent-Teacher Conferences: Stay informed about their child’s progress and discuss strategies with teachers.
- Support Homework and Learning at Home: Reinforce learning by helping with homework and providing educational resources at home.
- Join the PTA/PTO: Become active members of the Parent Teacher Association or Organization, contributing to school events and fundraising.
- Lead Extracurricular Activities: Organize or support after-school programs such as clubs, sports, or arts.
- Engage in Workshops and Trainings: Participate in educational workshops that enhance parenting skills and understanding of academic content.
- Advocate for the School: Represent the school in the larger community and advocate for resources or policies that support education.
Located in a rural area? Parent engagement might look a little different than it could in more urban areas. Read more here!
Family Activities to Build Relationships
To help increase turnout, survey parents in advance to know what interests them and what times work best for them. Read more here!
- Family Fun Nights: Organize themed evenings like game night or movie night at school.
- Cultural Festivals: Celebrate diverse cultures with food, music, and crafts.
- Reading Workshops: Host sessions where families can enjoy stories and learn about supporting literacy at home.
- Sports Events: Arrange family sports days with activities suitable for all ages.
- Art Showcases: Display student artwork, with families invited to view and participate in creative workshops.
- Community Service Projects: Organize group activities like park cleanups or charity drives.
- Workshops for Parents: Offer sessions on topics such as internet safety, health and wellness, or financial planning.
- Science Fairs: Have families work together on simple science projects and present them.
- Breakfast or Lunch with the Principal: Schedule informal gatherings to discuss the school’s direction and achievements.
- Back-to-School Picnics: Kick off the new school year with a social gathering that allows families to mingle.
- Career Day: Invite parents to present their careers, providing students with insights into various professions.
- Music and Dance Nights: Host an evening where students and families can perform or enjoy live performances.
Parent Engagement Ideas for Parents With Multiple Barriers
Some families have multiple kids in different schools. Many parents work full-time jobs with little wiggle room for daytime activities. Families might not have reliable transportation. All of these barriers should be considered so everyone feels welcome and included. Here are some ideas to engage families with multiple barriers:
- Virtual Meetings and Events: Participate in school board meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and workshops via video calls.
- Online Surveys and Feedback Forms: Provide input on school policies and activities through online surveys, which can be completed at their convenience.
- Remote Volunteer Opportunities: Help with tasks that can be done from home, like updating the school website, managing social media pages, or organizing virtual fundraisers.
- Email Communication: Stay in touch with teachers and staff through email to keep up with their child’s progress and school events.
- Flexible Scheduling: Engage in school activities that occur at various times, such as evening events or weekend projects, to accommodate different schedules.
For additional alternatives to in-person events, check out these ideas!
Elementary School Parent Engagement Ideas
- Classroom Helper Days: Parents can volunteer in the classroom, assisting with activities or special projects.
- School Beautification Projects: Organize days where parents and students can come together to improve school grounds, such as planting gardens or painting murals.
- Parent Workshops: Host educational workshops on topics relevant to child development or learning strategies.
- Parent and Child Cook-Off: Hold a fun cooking event where parents and children team up to prepare dishes.
- Family Field Trips: Organize educational outings that families can attend together, such as visits to a local museum or historical site.
- Online Book Club: Start a book club where parents and students can read and discuss books via a virtual platform.
- Virtual Parent Cafés: Hold regular online meetings where parents can discuss school-related topics and share experiences.
- Webinars for Parents: Provide online seminars on various parenting topics, such as digital literacy or supporting homework routines.
- Online Art Exhibition: Students create artwork at home with their parents, which is then showcased in a virtual gallery.
- Interactive Virtual Science Fair: Allow students to present science projects online with their parents as assistants, using video presentations and live Q&A sessions.
Parent Engagement Ideas for Middle School
- STEM Workshops: Invite parents to participate in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workshops with their children, fostering both educational bonding and practical learning.
- Cultural Heritage Day: Organize a day where families can share and celebrate their diverse backgrounds through food, stories, and performances.
- Sports and Wellness Day: Host a day dedicated to physical activities and wellness where parents and students can participate in sports clinics, yoga sessions, and health awareness workshops.
- Parent-Teacher Strategy Sessions: Set up regular meetings where parents and teachers can strategize together on improving academic performance and student well-being.
- Arts Night: Host an evening where students can perform plays, display artwork, or conduct musical performances with their parents as the audience.
- Virtual Career Day: Allow parents to share their career experiences and advice through a virtual platform, giving students insights into various professions.
- Online Safety Webinar: Conduct webinars on online safety and digital citizenship to educate both parents and students on navigating the digital world responsibly.
- Virtual Science Fair: Organize a virtual science fair where students can present their projects online, with parents and community members participating as judges or audience members.
- Homework Help Sessions: Set up virtual rooms where parents can learn strategies to assist their children with homework effectively.
- Online Book Club: Start a book club that meets virtually, discussing books read by both parents and students to foster a love of reading and critical thinking skills.
High School Parent Engagement Ideas
- College Preparation Workshops: Host workshops where parents and students can learn about college applications, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities together.
- Annual Science and Engineering Fair: Encourage parents to mentor and assist students in preparing projects for a science and engineering fair, fostering a deeper understanding of STEM fields.
- Parent-Student Debate Nights: Organize debate nights where parents and students can form teams and engage in friendly competitions on current events or historical topics.
- Sports Tournaments: Plan parent-student sports tournaments, such as basketball or soccer, to promote physical fitness and teamwork.
- Arts and Performance Evenings: Invite parents to attend or help organize evenings where students showcase their talents in drama, music, or dance.
- Virtual Internship and Career Panels: Arrange for parents and other community professionals to participate in virtual panels about different careers, providing students with real-world insights.
- Online Parent Advisory Councils: Set up virtual councils where parents can provide feedback on school policies and discuss improvements in an online forum.
- Virtual Financial Literacy Courses: Offer courses that parents and students can attend together to learn about managing finances, budgeting, and planning for the future.
- Remote Cultural Exchange Programs: Facilitate virtual cultural exchanges with schools in different countries, allowing parents and students to learn about and interact with diverse cultures.
- Parent-Led Virtual Workshops: Allow parents to lead virtual workshops in their areas of expertise, sharing knowledge and skills with the student community.
Parent Engagement Ideas Hosted At Local Places
- Library Workshops: Collaborate with local libraries to host educational workshops or book clubs for parents.
- Community Center Classes: Offer classes or talks on topics of interest at community centers, like parenting skills or financial literacy.
- Local Park Clean-Ups: Organize family-friendly environmental clean-ups or green initiatives at nearby parks.
- Coffee Shop Meetups: Arrange informal gatherings at local coffee shops for parents to discuss educational topics or receive school updates.
- Local Business Partnerships: Partner with businesses to host parent engagement events, which can also support local enterprises.
Coordinating and facilitating parent engagement can be one of the best things you do to strengthen your school community. Read reflections from Possip’s CEO, Shani Dowell, on what she’s learned as a parent since teaching earlier in her career.
