It is an essential and crucial job of the school to keep parents updated on their kid’s activities throughout the day. The better parents are abreast with what their kid is up to at their school, the stronger your relationship with them gets.
The Activities module helps your center share real-time updates with parents about a child’s day — from photos and meals to learning moments and announcements. This keeps families informed, engaged, and connected to classroom experiences.
Before you start posting activities, you can also control which activity types appear in your portal and customize them based on your center’s needs. Let’s walk through everything step by step.
Manage Activity Types (Enable/Disable or Create New)
Every center operates differently, so Illumine allows you to decide which activity types should be visible and used by your staff.
You can:
Enable or disable activity types
Customize activity settings
Create new activity types
Where to manage this
Go to:Settings → Activity Posts
Enable or disable activity types
Navigate to Settings → Activity Posts.
You’ll see a list of activity types (Photo, Video, Announcement, Diary, etc.).
Click on the activity you want to manage.
Toggle the Activity Status to:
Active → visible to staff
Inactive → hidden from activity posting
Click Save.
This helps you show only the activities relevant to your center.
Customize activity behavior
Inside each activity type, you can control options like:
Allow file upload
Allow photo/video upload
Enable draft mode
Enable comments
Require approval before posting
Mark activity as staff-only
You can turn these on/off depending on your workflow.
Create a new activity type
If you need a custom activity:
Go to Settings → Activity Posts
Click Create New Activity
Add the activity name and settings
Click Save
The new activity will now appear in the Activities posting section.
Where to post activities
Go to: Parent Communication → Activities
This is your main dashboard for posting and managing updates.
What you can do in Activities
From this page, you can:
Post daily updates
Share photos and videos
Send announcements
Record meals, naps, mood, etc.
Schedule posts
Filter and manage posts
On the right side, you’ll see Post Summary, which shows:
In progress
Upload failed
Under feedback
Draft posts
How to post an activity
Step 1: Click “Post Activity”
Click Post Activity at the top right.
A popup will appear with all available activity types.
Step 2: Select activity type
Choose the type of update you want to share, such as:
Announcement
Photo
Video
Diary
Food
Nap
Mood
Reminder
Incident
Learning activities (Art, STEM, Language, etc.)
Only activities enabled in Settings → Activity Posts will appear here.
Step 3: Add activity details
Fill in the required fields: Date & Time, Select when the activity occurred.
You can also click Schedule for later to post later.
Mode: Choose how you want to send the update:
Student
Room
Group
Select Students
Choose students using filters like classroom, group, or program.
Step 4: Add description and media
Enter details about the activity.
You can:
Write a description
Add photos/videos
Upload files
Add a YouTube link
Notify staff
Example:
Today the children explored finger painting and created colorful artwork. They were excited to mix colors and express creativity.
Step 5: Post or schedule
Click:
Post → share immediately
Schedule for later → post at a specific time
Parents will receive the update in their app.
Filter and manage activities
Use filters on the Activities page to:
Search posts
Filter by date
Filter by student, room, or label
View unapproved posts
View posts with attachments
View staff-only posts
This helps you track and manage communication easily.
Why this module matters
The Activities module helps your center:
Keep parents updated daily
Share learning milestones
Build trust with families
Maintain communication records
Highlight classroom moments
Best practices
Enable only relevant activity types
Keep descriptions clear and friendly
Add photos when possible
Double-check selected students
Schedule posts if needed