Career Day Activity: “Dress for Success”
Career Day Activity: “Dress for Success”
Envision strives to provide educators with resources that enable students to make confident career choices and impact a changing world. But why wait until high school to engage students in career discussions? This article provides a fun and very simple career-oriented activity for elementary school students, culminating in a “Parade of Careers.”
Career Discussions
Every child thinks about what they will be when they grow up, yet their exposure to career options may be limited. This exercise begins by expanding your young students’ understanding of the wide variety of career choices available. If possible, host a Career Day at your school, with presenters, as detailed in our October 13 post. If an event of that magnitude is infeasible, you can easily conduct a series of short career presentations in your own classroom, using our free downloadable materials.
Day 1
Start this activity with an assessment of your students’ current career goals. You can conduct a survey, or simply initiate a conversation, by asking the class, “What is your dream job?” followed by, “Why?” The discussion will spark a level of personal investment in your students, which you will build on as you progress with the career presentations, incorporating the students’ expressed interests.
Career Presentations (+/- 10 days)
Schedule daily 15-minute career presentations, over the course of two weeks (or longer, if you wish).
To assist you, our free download includes a list of career fields, with links to pertinent YouTube videos, which will make engaging teaching resources during your presentations. Please customize your presentations to any extent you wish, based on your students’ interests, age levels, etc.
These presentations will help the students envision themselves in a variety of jobs, increasing their curiosity and motivation.
Parade of Careers
Once you’ve introduced your students to the wealth of opportunity available to them, it’s time for the “Dress for Success Parade of Careers.” Schedule a day in which the students will come to school dressed in appropriate attire for their favorite job. Remind them that they are not limited to the careers featured in your presentations – they are free to pursue their own interests. If their chosen career has no specific uniform, urge them to find a prop or tool that might be used on the job – or to create a drawing of themselves in the job.
Make your “Career Parade” as fun and engaging as possible. As each student comes forward, the rest of their classmates will guess which career they’ve selected, either by their attire, or by a pantomime they conduct with their props. You may also solicit volunteers to speak in front of the class about their career aspirations. Share the excitement by taking your “parade” and presentations into other classes, as well.
Ready to Get Started?
Download and print our convenient supporting materials and let the fun – and inspiration – begin.