5 Tips for Meeting with Parents About Behavior

A big part of our job as teachers is communicating with families consistently throughout the school year. The more practice you get with it, the easier it becomes! However, there’s one aspect of communicating with parents that can always feel a little bit uncomfortable: Meeting with parents about behavior. Addressing behavior concerns can sometimes feel daunting because you never know how parents will react to the news that their child isn’t behaving appropriately in the classroom.

5 Tips for Meeting with Parents About Behavior

As you prepare to meet with parents to discuss behavior concerns, here are a handful of tips to make it feel a little less awkward and overwhelming. 

1. Take a Deep Breath

The first tip is to take a deep breath before you meet with parents about behavior. Remember that the parents are likely as uncomfortable going into this meeting as you are! Keep in the forefront of your mind that the goal of this discussion is to find ways to support the student.

It is very easy for parents to be on the defensive in situations where they feel like their child is being put under a microscope. That’s why it’s important to approach this conversation from the perspective that you want to help their child to be successful. You’re not picking on their child or taking this opportunity to report on all of their missteps in the classroom.

2. Frame Challenges as Opportunities for Growth

When it’s time to start discussing the behavior challenges that you’re seeing in the classroom, frame them as opportunities for growth rather than a list of things the student is doing wrong.

Kindergarten students are young! They are still learning how to act appropriately in a classroom surrounded by peers as they learn a LOT of new information. Misbehavior is often a clue that the student needs additional support, instruction, or experience in a certain area. 

For example, a student who repeatedly calls out could need more instruction on the appropriate times to ask questions during whole-group activities. A student who has explosive reactions to disappointment might need to be taught self-regulation strategies to help them deal with their emotions more effectively.

Framing misbehavior as an opportunity for learning and growth will help your conversation with parents go much more smoothly. 

3. Use Concrete Data

One challenge that can make parent meetings more awkward is using subjective information when describing student behavior. This can make parents feel like you’re judging their child, which leaves room for argument and disagreement.

It is a much better idea to use concrete data about behavior. This makes the process much more objective and less personal. You can describe the student’s behavior in specific ways instead of general statements like “Johnny is being disruptive during circle time.” Instead, you can say “Johnny called out five times during the 10-minute circle time lesson.” 

The concrete data makes it more difficult for parents to argue or explain away the behavior. Plus, it gives a clear picture of what you’re seeing in the classroom and how the student’s behavior is impacting their learning. 

4. Invite Parents to Be Part of the Solution

Once you’ve had a chance to discuss what you’re seeing in the classroom, it’s time to chat about potential solutions! Ask parents for feedback and suggestions that could be helpful in supporting their child in the classroom. It could be something as simple as the student’s favorite cartoon character that you could include in a token board for positive reinforcement. 

Often, parents have had similar experiences with their child’s behavior and might have a list of things that have (and haven’t) worked. This part of the conversation will go a long way in helping parents feel like they’re working in a partnership with you to support their child’s behavior at school. This can lead to more support and follow-through from the family in dealing with future behavior concerns.

5. Maintain Ongoing Communication

My final tip for meeting with parents about misbehavior is actually something you do after the meeting is over. It’s important to maintain ongoing communication with parents about behavior. You don’t want parents to sit at home, hoping that you’re seeing positive improvements. Let them know how things are going!

One of my favorite tools for ongoing communication is a simple note. In fact, this tool uses two different notes to give both positive and constructive feedback about student behavior. Glow and grow notes are an easy way to keep parents in the loop about their child’s progress toward their behavior goals. Just be sure that you’re sending more glow notes than grow notes! It’s important to find ways to celebrate the small improvements. This will mean a lot to the parents! 

Plus, if you need to have another meeting down the road, parents won’t feel blindsided. They will have a good idea of how things have been going in the classroom due to your ongoing communication.

Printable Behavior Data Forms

Collecting data about student behavior doesn’t need to be complicated! In fact, I have created a set of tracking forms that will help you gather the information you need about student behavior. These forms are editable, so you can customize them for the specific behavior you want to track.

If you’d like to take a closer look at the different types of behavior documentation forms included in this resource, you can find it in the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop or in my TPT store.

More Tips for Addressing Behavior with Parents

Check out this video for even more tips for discussing student behavior with parents. Be sure to follow my YouTube channel if you like these videos with quick tips for kindergarten teachers.

Save These Tips for Meeting with Parents About Misbehavior

Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite kindergarten board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these tips and resources when you’re getting ready to meet with parents about misbehavior.