Create a weekly parent newsletter. Include the important learning activities that will be taking place that week. Use the newsletter as a communication tool between school and home.
Ask for anonymous feedback. Place a nicely decorated but empty shoebox outside of your classroom door. Provide paper and pens for parents to leave suggestions for what they would like to see happening in your classroom. Provide feedback in the newsletter for any changes you implement in your classroom that came from the anonymous parent suggestion box.
Host a parent learning lunch. Choose a topic such as discipline and guidance and offer a parent round-table discussion in your classroom. Provide pamphlets or other visual aids. Act as a moderator to keep the discussion focused on your topic of choice. Invite all parents using the classroom newsletter, and also be sure to invite each parent verbally.
Plan parent-child activities monthly. Use holidays as a framework for planning classroom events. Have the children create invitations and decorations for the celebration. Include the dates of the activities in your weekly newsletter and be sure to also invite each parent verbally.
Conduct twice yearly parent conferences. Let parents choose a time that is convenient for them. Provide each parent with ample opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions for teaching their child. Show parents artwork or classroom projects that their child created. Have photographs ready to show parents what daily routines look like in your classroom.
Ask for volunteers. If parents are available during classroom hours, ask if they would be interested in helping. Let them help prepare a special snack, read aloud, or be an extra set of hands and eyes for a special project.