Career Day Ideas for Kids

Career day can help prepare students for the future.today image by alwayspp from Fotolia.com

Kids will benefit from having the opportunity to learn about different career fields on career day. Career day gives kids a chance to understand what types of careers are available after school, and helps them build goals for themselves. They can also learn more about the job application process, résumé writing, interview etiquette and job searching.

Profession Presentation

If students are hosting a career day at their school, each student can choose a profession to research and present on. For example, a student presenting about art careers can talk about careers in teaching, interior design and graphic design. Professionals from each field can come and visit on career day and provide kids with information on what their jobs are like. Ask parents to volunteer their time, or contact local business in the area to try and line up some guest speakers.

On career day, students can create a mock career fair within their classroom or auditorium. Half of the class can pretend to represent organizations or professions while the other half pretends to be job seekers. This gives students a chance to practice what it would be like in an actual career fair environment.

The students who are representing a profession or organization can prepare displays with information on various jobs and opportunities available. For example, if a student was running an engineering booth, the booth could have information about engineering jobs within the community, education requirements for specific engineering jobs and what to expect from an engineering career.

Students who are pretending to be job seekers can prepare a mock cover letter and résumé to submit to the representatives of the organizations they are interested in. They can also practice their communication skills during mock interviews. When the fair is over, each student can write a report about their career fair experience.

Teacher's can create a mock work day for students to participate in. A mock work day will allow students to pretend to apply for jobs and interact with their classmates in a professional manner.

For example, a teacher can create an organization called "ABC Restaurant," with open job positions for students to apply to. The teacher can conduct interviews for various positions, and then let students know which positions they've been hired for. The teacher can also hand out professional work procedures and help guide students through the ins and outs of the profession.