Teachers want to know what’s going on in their classrooms, and you don’t want to upset her by putting together a party without letting her know your plans. You may find that she just wants a heads-up. Or you may find you are dealing with a hands-on teacher who wants to approve your ideas. Don’t be discouraged by this; it’s actually good to hear from the teacher about what types of activities will and won’t work. She knows the class best. Bottom line—communicating with the teacher is always smart.
Don’t believe that there is such a thing as “too many parents.’’
As a general rule, don’t turn down parents who offer to volunteer. You may think you need one or two parents to help at a classroom party, but that number only works if everything goes according to plan, which is rare. Younger children in particular need support with crafts. Once the party is under way, there are bound to be spilled drinks, dropped snacks, and a few overwhelmed children. Extra adults can clean up the messes and dole out comfort. Bottom line—whatever number of helpers you think you need, double it.
Don’t do a party without a detailed schedule.
What you absolutely don’t want at a class party is too much idle time. That’s when children, usually amped up because of the holiday, can get into mischief. So, if possible, have every minute covered. Often, we room parents will practice putting together a craft and think the children will spend 10 minutes on it just like we did. Then, in class, the children will finish it in two minutes and we find ourselves looking at a slowly ticking clock. So consider these ideas: Have popular holiday song lyrics at the ready and be prepared to lead a sing-along. Tuck a few holiday books into your bag to read to the children. And, if you still end up with extra time at the end of the party, play familiar games like Simon Says or I Spy. Bottom line—everyone will be happier if you end a party with more ideas than you had time to use versus idle time that led to chaos.
