Reimagining Open House: Connecting Families, Inspiring Learning, Building Community

April 24, 2025

By Maria Paredes

Think about a school Open House you attended as a student, family member, or educator. What was its purpose, and what did you gain from the experience? From elementary to high school, a school Open House is more than just an annual event; it is an opportunity to build strong connections between families, students, educators, and community partners.

When schools shift the focus beyond logistics to interactive learning experiences and community-building opportunities, Open House becomes a more meaningful event that supports student success through collaboration with families.

Engaging families to take an active role and sometimes even a leading role in the planning and design of a school Open House or similar event is essential for making the event impactful. A collaborative approach between educators and families increases trust and transparency.

Below, we share practices and strategies to help school leaders optimize their Open Houses and leverage them as essential family engagement opportunities.

Shift the Focus to Family and Student Engagement

Open House is the first step in a dynamic family engagement journey. When the focus is shifted from school policies and procedures to the inclusion of the family and their role in their child’s success, families feel valued and seen from the start. As a result, they become more invested. This intentional approach transforms Open House into a catalyst that sparks lasting commitment.

• Personalized Welcomes: Have student ambassadors or staff personally greet families, help them navigate the campus, and lead school tours for new families. Make individual name tags so first names are used when interactions occur among families and with teachers. Have the students create signs and posters welcoming families.
• Interactive Classrooms: Instead of teacher presentations, showcase student work and let students explain their learning. Students and their families can create a visual representation of their goals, dreams, and aspirations for the future and share with other families and the teachers.
• Academic Roadmap: Provide families with a clear overview of key grade-level skills, Capstone Projects, STEM projects, learning expectations, testing schedules, and specific ways families can support learning.

Strengthen the Academic Connection

Creating academic connections—relationships between teachers and families—to support learning inside and outside the school is why we engage families in the first place. These connections are built with open communication, personalized engagement, and shared goals. Open House is the perfect opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the school year and beyond.

• Parent–Teacher Learning Partnerships: Offer short, interactive lessons or model sample activities so families can see how key skills are taught in the classroom. Share practical tips for supporting learning at home.
• Progress and Growth Conversations: Help families understand how the school measures and supports student academic growth and what activities they can do to help their students practice and feel confident.
• Family Time Prompts: Provide families examples of conversation starters to promote critical thinking while families are spending time together. Model an enriching conversation with a group of students and parents. Here are some examples:
  • If you were an inventor, what product would you create? What problem would it solve?
  • If you could travel back in time to witness any event, what would it be?
  • If you could design your own class, what would it be about?
• Everyday Family Math: Provide families something fun and challenging to talk about and solve together. For example, teachers can introduce a new word problem family routine; this activity can take the place of homework a couple of times per week. The teacher can provide a few examples to get started and model the way families can incorporate this fun family activity as a way to interact and solve challenges as a family.
  Good story problems should be engaging and relatable and should progressively challenge students’ math and reading skills, incorporating concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and basic geometry depending on the grade level.
• Everyday Family Literacy: Who doesn’t enjoy a good poem or story? Teachers can introduce families to an activity called “Poetry in a Jar.” To model the activity, teachers write different words and phrases on slips of paper and place them in a jar. Each person draws five or six slips and creates a short poem or story using those words and phrases. This game introduces word play, expression, writing skills, and creativity. Each time they play, families can gradually add more complex words and interesting phrases. Grade levels can adapt this and other literacy activities to emphasize grade-level expectations.

Build a Sense of Community

A successful Open House creates a warm, welcoming environment in which families feel a true sense of belonging. When families feel included and connected from the start, they are more likely to stay engaged, support their child’s learning, and contribute to the school’s vibrant culture.

• Parent Connection Station: Set up areas where families can meet each other and sign up to join school groups like the family engagement team or participate in future workshops, coffee chats, and advisory meetings.
• Community Resource Fair: Invite local organizations with themed booths and stations to share resources on tutoring, enrichment programs, and family support services. Invite local businesses, libraries, and colleges and universities and have prizes and giveaways such as books, mini whiteboards and dry-erase markers, bookmarks, board games, coupons to local businesses, and more. Invite food trucks and snack stands.
• Meet and Greet the School Leaders: Provide a comfortable space for families to connect with school leaders, family-facing professionals, coaches, special area teachers, counselors, and teachers when available. Families can ask questions and offer feedback. Encourage ongoing dialogue.

Make an Emphatic Call to Action for Continued Engagement

Close the event with a spirited call to action, such as the following:

“Thank you for joining us today! Open House is just the beginning of our partnership in your child’s education. Your support and involvement make a huge difference in student success, and we’re here to walk this journey with you. Stay connected, communicate and collaborate with teachers, and join us for future family learning events. We’re grateful to have you as part of our school family and look forward to seeing you again soon!”

Follow up with a post–Open House message thanking families for attending and reinforcing next steps.

Open House as the First Step in an Ongoing Family Engagement Plan

By strategically and collaboratively designing Open House as the first step in an ongoing family engagement plan, schools can foster stronger relationships, greater trust, and more active collaboration between home and school, ultimately leading to improved academic success, higher attendance, and higher graduation rates. A well-structured Open House sets the tone for ongoing teacher– family collaboration, ensuring that parents and caregivers feel welcomed, informed, valued, and equipped to engage with their child’s academic journey throughout the year.

After experiencing an Open House geared toward family engagement and community building, one parent in Wisconsin commented,

“I used to feel a little lost after open houses—like I had the big picture, but no tools. This time, I left with a clear plan and simple ways I could support my child’s progress at home. It made all the difference.”

WestEd’s Family Engagement Services

With a focus on sustainability and evidence, WestEd provides professional development to help schools and districts build effective, data-driven family engagement practices.

Partner with us to transform relationships and collaboration between families and teachers, ensuring academic success for every student.

Learn more.

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Maria Paredes is a national expert in family and community engagement with a focus on advancing the quality and impact of partnerships among families, educators, and the community to support student achievement and school improvement.