Must-Have Parent Teacher Conference Forms

When conference time rolls around, there are many things that can make it a stressful time!  Having everything prepared and organized for your conferences can help you feel more confident about all the important conversations you’re about to have. A simple but effective way to stay organized is to use the right combination of parent teacher conference forms. In this post, I’m going to share the forms that I think every kindergarten teacher should have on hand for smooth conferences!

Parent Teacher Conference Tips

I have written a few posts with tips for preparing for parent teacher conferences. Some of these tips include:

1. Ask questions before the conference
2. Allow the parents to lead the conversation
3. Color code everything
4. Use forms and folders to stay organized

While it might seem like one extra step, using conference forms will help you with all of the tips above and more!

The Best Parent Teacher Conference Forms

Whether you’re preparing for conferences, keeping yourself organized during conferences, or sending home information afterward, the right forms can make this a smooth process from beginning to end!

Before Conferences

Getting parents scheduled for conferences can be one of the more time-consuming parts of your preparation.  Use conference sign-up sheets and then follow up with reminders to make sure parents can be there for conferences!

Another helpful form to send home is a pre-conference questionnaire. Rather than wait to be blindsided by tricky parent questions at the time of conferences, consider sending home a form for parents to fill out and return ahead of time. It gives you time to think about your responses to the questions and you can even prepare relevant materials.  For example, if a parent said that they would like some additional activities for practicing letters at home, you could prepare those ahead of time instead of adding that task to a long list of things needing your attention after conferences. 

Student self-evaluations are also a must-have for parent teacher conferences! I have written an entire blog post with tips for using self-evaluations in kindergarten. These forms can serve as a helpful way to break the ice with parents at conference time!

During Conferences

As your conference times are confirmed by parents, be sure to create a master schedule of conference times.  My school always asked us to provide a copy for the office because parents would often call or drop in to double-check their conference times.  I also liked to keep a copy of this schedule for myself, with notes of things I wanted to remember.

Another very simple printable that will save you from MANY interruptions during your conferences is a door sign.  It’s a reminder to parents that, if the door is closed, you’re with other parents and that you’ll be with them shortly. When the door is closed without a sign, parents will often poke their heads into the classroom just to be sure that you aren’t ready for them yet.

While a conference report is actually prepared ahead of time, I’m listing it as a “during conference” form because it is such a helpful tool to keep your parent meetings on track. A conference report can come in many different formats, but I always suggest including a minimum of these three things:

• Glows: Things that the student is doing well at school.  Be sure to touch on both academic and social/behavioral strengths because they are both very important at this age.
• Grows: Things that the student could improve. Make sure to phrase these as positive statements so that this doesn’t feel like an accusatory list of negative behaviors.
• Things to Work on at Home: You probably communicate with parents all year with general reminders of things to work on. However, conferences are a chance for you to give specific and individualized feedback for things parents can work on with their child at home.

A completed conference report with these three things can really help you stay on track during your conversations with parents.  You’ll be able to ensure that you have touched on everything you needed to discuss.  Plus, if you use glows and grows, you can be confident that parents have received a good balance of positive and constructive feedback for their child.

After Conferences

Finally, when conferences are over you could have a small note of thanks for each parent.  This is a small thing but in kindergarten, it really sets the tone for years of parent involvement.  By showing parents that coming to conferences is necessary and appreciated, they’re more likely to come back again.

Preparing all of these forms in advance can also help you stay organized after conferences.  I suggest putting all of the conference forms in an individual folder for each student.  This makes it easier for the parents to take the information home.  It’s also very handy for sending home these important documents to the families that weren’t able to make it to conferences.

Editable Forms for Conferences

One of the most important parts of any form that you use for conferences is that it is editable.  You want your conference forms to meet your needs as well as the needs of your students.  That is why I have created a set of forms that are almost entirely editable!  You can adjust all labels and wording to best help you prepare for conferences.

Are you curious about how to navigate this editable resource? Check out this video!  I walk you through the customizable elements on each form and show you how to change them.

Printable Forms for Parent Teacher Conferences

All of the forms mentioned above and in the video can be found in one easy-to-download resource.  It has everything you need to streamline your conference preparation and keep your conversations student-focused.  If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, you can find it in the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Save These Parent Teacher Conference Forms

I hope that you find these printable conference forms helpful!  Be sure to add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest.  You’ll be able to quickly find this resource whenever you need it.  Plus, you’ll also be helping other teachers find these helpful forms!