No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
Got any plans for August? If you’re a parent of a school-age child, you know there’s a VERY big day to plan for—the first day of school! But how can you help your child prepare for going back to school? Here are our top back-to-school tips for acing the start of the new school year. Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz afterward!
Prep for success
Necessary or “but I reallllllly NEED this”, these items should be on your back-to-school checklist when it comes to shopping:
- Stationery and art supplies: pencils, crayons, markers, ruler, highlighters, tape, pencil sharpener, erasers, glue sticks, scissors and notebooks.
- Tech and gadgets: laptop and/or tablet, headphones, mouse and calculator.
- Organization essentials: calendar and/or planner, whiteboard, index cards, sticky notes, desktop organizers and folders.
- Clothing and accessories: comfortable clothing, fall outerwear, warm accessories, socks and undergarments, backpack, sneakers and gym gear.
- Lunch and personal care must-haves: lunch bags/lunch boxes, ice packs, reusable food storage containers, water bottles, hand sanitizer and facial tissue.
- Extras for bonus points: stickers, desk decor, new sports equipment and electronic device covers.
Your child’s school will likely provide a list of recommended or required items as well (and you probably have many of these items already). When you do go shopping, include your child and let them pick out their school supplies and school outfits. It’ll help them feel even more prepared and excited for school.
Other to-dos to add to your back-to-school checklist:
- Establish a new bedtime routine. Start acclimating them to their new schedule about a week before school starts so they (and you) will be used to their new routine ahead of time.
- Set up doctor appointments (especially if they need a physical or any new vaccinations).
- Book a haircut.
- Coordinate carpools if needed.
- Start meal prepping for their lunches and clean out your cabinets/fridge/freezer.
- Sign up for extracurricular activities, like sports or dance.
- Create and organize their study space.
- Contact the school with any questions you have.
Expect questions (including yours)
“Will they like their teacher? Will they make friends? Will they return home with grape juice on their new tee?” are all possible questions you’ll ask. The first day of school is always a little scary—for you and your little ones. Your kids will be looking to you for guidance, so let them know what to expect! Tell them what the rhythm of the day will be and what interesting things they can take part in. Ask them questions about what they’re looking forward to and how they’re feeling. If you can, attend an orientation and meet the teachers so you can answer any questions your kids may have ahead of time. After all, knowing where the bathrooms are is reassuring at any age!
Aside from their birthday, this is possibly the most exciting day of the year for them. Playtime with friends and fun classroom activities are encouraging things to highlight if they’re apprehensive about going back.
Send them off in style
We don’t mean in their homemade tie-dye haute couture (though we fully support this too), but with some special activities to get them psyched for the big day.
- Plan a family activity before their first day back. Picnics, movie nights or a backyard camping adventure are all easy to plan and are great ways to spend quality time together before getting back into the school routine. Our back-to-school party ideas blog is filled with tons of ideas to inspire you.
- Host a small back-to-school party and let your little scholar help plan it! Give them some responsibilities—like helping to choose the decorations and treats—to encourage them to think independently. Another thing they can help with? Choosing the back-to-school party invitations!
- Set up a “first day of school” photo op. You can keep it simple with a whimsical handheld sign (we love classic chalkboard ones!) with the date, your child’s name, grade, age, favorite things, future aspirations and their teacher’s name. You can also opt for a large frame, small handheld props or even a full backdrop. No matter what you decide upon, you’re sure to capture a memory you’ll cherish forever.
- Surprise them with a cute "good luck" card. On their first day back, let them know how proud you are of them and that they'll have a great time making new friends and learning new things. Giving them something they can look at as many times as they need for encouragement is a wonderful way to keep their spirits high!
Keep the fun going all school-year long
Once your family has settled into the new school-year routine, there will doubtless be plenty of opportunities to take part in school events. Make planning for them even more enjoyable by sending school event invites to keep everyone on-track. And of course, your kids will be looking forward to hanging out with their pals outside of school. Our kids' activities invitations and party invitations can bring everyone together for everything from sleepovers to sports events.
And don't forget about one key player during the school year: your child's teacher! National Teacher Appreciation Day takes place on the first Tuesday in May, but you can send a heartfelt teacher appreciation card whenever you want.
We want to wish all returning students, teachers and proud parents a happy first day back! Enjoy making new friends, gaining new knowledge and creating precious memories.
No items found.
No items found.
What makes Evite SignUp Sheets different from SignUpGenius?
Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than SignUpGenius:
- 100% free: SignUp Sheets are free to use.
- Ad-free: No popup ads ever! Our signup sheets remain clutter-free, keeping your volunteers focused on signing up.
- No extra login required: Seamlessly use your Evite account to create and manage your signup sheets, keeping all your events in one convenient location.
- Automatic reminders and notifications: Stay on top of your event with automated reminders and notifications for you and your participants. Perfect for busy parents, teachers and anyone juggling multiple commitments.
- Customization options: Tailor your signup sheets to your specific event, whether it's a school fundraiser, potluck, volunteer opportunity or team activity. Add custom tasks, time slots and requirements for smooth coordination.
- User-friendly experience: Our intuitive interface makes creating and sharing signup sheets simple for everyone, regardless of tech experience.
- Real-time updates: Get instant notifications whenever someone signs up or makes a change, so you always know where things stand.
Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!
What is a signup sheet?
Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.
Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer!
Long story short, signup sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.
How do I create a signup sheet?
Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:
- Go to Evite SignUp Sheets and choose the template that best fits your needs. Evite offers multiple signup sheet templates perfect for every occasion, including:
- Signup sheets for one day events (without different time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing a class party, potluck or end-of-season party.
- Signup sheets for single or multiple day events (with time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing concession stand volunteers, fundraisers, parent-teacher conferences, meal train, post-game snack duty or during appreciation week.
- After selecting your sheet template, create a title for your signup sheet and add the date, the location, the time (if applicable), who the organizer is, the organizer’s phone number or email and an optional note describing the event to your volunteers. You can also change your signup sheet background and title image if you wish!
- Next, create slots for your signup sheet. If you aren’t logged into your account, you will need to do so at this point, but luckily, you can use your existing Evite account (no need to create yet another login!). What you’ll include here will depend on what your event needs, but you can include a list of what’s needed (along with optional descriptions), how many volunteers are needed, and dates and times.
- After creating your slots, you can then add a wish list from any retailer or include supply suggestions from Evite’s retailer partners. These are to help your volunteers find and purchase supplies quickly and easily.
- Finally, review your sheet, copy your shareable link and send it out to everyone on your list! Every time a volunteer signs up for a slot on your signup sheet, Evite will email you. We will also send reminders to you and your volunteers before your event so no one will forget about it, and we’ll even let volunteers know if you remove their slot or cancel your event sheet so you don’t have to!
What information should be included on a signup sheet?
When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:
- A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
- When and where the event is taking place.
- The organizer’s name and phone number.
- Slots for volunteers to choose from. Once you choose the SignUp Sheets template that fits the occasion, the slots you’ll need for your sheet will be right there and ready for you to add the relevant info, such as dates, times, items to bring and tasks to complete.
When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!
Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!
What are the benefits of using a signup sheet template?
Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:
- A 100% free experience (no subscriptions required!).
- Shareable links for quick and easy sharing.
- No need to create another login—you can use your existing Evite account.
- The option to add a wish list to help your volunteers out.
- Automatic reminders—we’ll remind everyone on your behalf.
- An easy-to-use experience with eye-catching guided templates.
- Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.
With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.
