Bring out the sense of adventure in parents and children alike by hosting a nursery rhyme costume party. Invite students, teachers and parents to dress up as their favorite characters from nursery rhymes and hold a simple social event for fundraising or getting to know one another. This is an excellent time for teachers to interact with parents without the stress of a formal conference. At the end of the party, allow attendees to vote on the best costume and hand out a small prize to the winners.
If your nursery rhyme night revolves around a small group of students, try staging a play for parent attendees. Set aside time each week for students to work on a short play based on popular nursery rhymes. Once they are ready to perform, they can present the play to parents on a parent-teacher night before the actual conferences begin. Focus the play more on humor and fun than on accuracy and quality – parents will have a better time laughing along with the play than worrying about their child’s lines.
Nursery rhymes are an integral part of childhood for many people, and plenty of adults still enjoy these stories. Invite parents to participate in a volunteer reading program where students can gather one night per month to listen to nursery rhymes. Parent participants can simple read their favorite stories to the group, or can come in full costume to make the experience one of a kind. Parents and teachers should work together to ensure no stories are repeated.
With more time and a larger budget, you can turn an entire wing of your school into the land of imagination. Have students in each classroom decorate their class based on a specific nursery rhyme. Students can play the part of important nursery rhyme characters and the teacher can help narrate the activity. When parents come, they can explore each of the rooms to see real-life interpretations of famous nursery rhyme stories. This exercise works best when the chosen rhymes have lots of parts to play and interesting environments.