Learning About Occupations for Kids
Learning about different occupations is an important part of every student's academic career. Understanding career options can help and inspire children to succeed and possibly even create a sense of interest in a new academic subject. Educators and parents can encourage kids to learn about a variety of career choices through parent job-share days, employment-focused interactive activity websites and other related occupational projects.
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Job Presentations
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Classroom parents compose a section of the employment sector and may have a variety of different, and interesting, jobs. Teachers can stage a parent job-share presentation in class to help students learn about what different people do for a living. Send home a letter about this special presentation, inviting parents to come in and give a brief talk about their jobs. Schedule at least 10 to 15 minutes per parents or more if you have a small number sharing. Encourage a discussion between the parents and the students, and make sure that there is plenty of time for questions from students.
Government Websites
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The Official Kids Portal of the U.S. Government provides children with a list of links to career-oriented websites for children. Different federal agencies, administrations and organizations provide insightful information in a child-friendly manner introducing occupations that students may have an interest in. These include the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, National Park Service, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, National Institute of Environmental Health Services, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. For example, the USDA Forest Service maintains a fact sheet for kids about working as an archaeologist with a natural-resource agency, and NASA's site provides information about careers in the space field.
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Career Play
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Younger children, preschool- and kindergarten-aged students can learn about occupations through career pretend-play activities. Provide the students with different occupation-themed costumes to choose from, such as community helpers, medical professionals, and construction/skilled trade workers. Use age-appropriate play props, such as a kids' medical set or plastic children's tools, to add to the experience. Encourage the kids to act out scenes that involve what the occupation entails. This may include interacting with other people or using specialized instruments. Observe what the children are doing and ask open-ended questions that may help to initiate a deeper level of thinking. Provide the kids with facts and information that they may not know about the professions.
Field Trips
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Kids may think that they know everything about what some professionals do, but there are often gaps in their knowledge. For example, a young child may not know what a firefighter does other than riding on big red trucks or putting out fires. A field trip to a local safety center, medical facility, performing-arts organization or even the office of a parent can help kids to better understand the facts of specific occupations. Check with family, friends or local community organizations to schedule a field trip or design a school-sponsored take-your-child-to-work day.
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