My Favorite Ways to Teach Primary Students About Careers

Teaching our youngest students about careers is important! "College and Career Ready" begins as early as Kindergarten. It's part of our job to expose students to the wide variety of paths their future might take so that they may have the chance to explore and begin to recognize their own preferences and aspirations. Most importantly, we need to instill in students that they can be ANYTHING they want to be when they grow up!

SO, I've rounded 7 up my favorite ways to incorporate the theme of careers and community helpers into the Kindergarten curriculum.

#1 Read, Read, Read! "The Measured Mom" has compiled a comprehensive list of over 100 read alouds and picture books all about community helpers. Be sure to check it out!

#2 Make Memorable Moments! Take photos of your students dressed up as their favorite career and/or holding signs and compile to make a class photo collage!

#3 Play and Explore! Provide lots of time to play and explore various careers with hands-on activities including dress up, toys, games, and roll-playing. I LOVE this idea from Meri Cherry for creating a community model with students out of recycled materials... would make a great on-going project for any career or community helper unit!

#4 College Roll-Call! Everyone wears a t-shirt from their Alma Mater. Students can join in the fun wearing t-shirts from their favorite university. Create a graph of staff members showing who attended where.

#5 Senior Portraits! Display pictures of teachers and staff in their caps and gowns... students love to look through the photos and guess who they are.  Everyone also gets a kick out of checking out old hair styles and fashion. LOL!

#6 Senior Walk! Each year the high school seniors walk the halls of our elementary (and middle) school in their caps and gowns. The young students cheer and high five the seniors as they line the halls. The seniors bring their K-12 journey full circle as they revisited their first school and hand out honorary diplomas to teachers and staff members who influenced them along the way. Every year it leaves me misty-eyed and proud of my once-babies who are all grown up.

#7 Turn to Technology! Bring the wide world of careers alive for your students by turning to the Internet! Search for virtual field trips, send emails to professionals around the world, watch videos about various careers, FaceTime workers for real-time contact. Better yet, create your own digital content with student-made presentations, photos, and videos! Check out this playlist of fun animated songs about professions from Storybots on YouTube!

LOOKING FOR EVEN MORE IDEAS?!?

Then head over to my Pinterest board dedicated to Career and Community Helper teaching ideas!

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The HUGE List of Careers for Primary Students

College and Career Readiness is a buzz phrase in education today. As teachers, our ultimate goal is to help our students become successful, productive members of society. This means we help them to know their strengths and preferences, seeking knowledge, set goals, and achieve their dreams. This tall task doesn't just fall to high school teachers... as primary teachers it's our job to begin exposing students the myriad of paths they can take in life and instill in them the notion that they can be... ANYTHING!

This list is a great place to start your study of careers!

• Community Helpers: crossing guard, dentist, dental hygienist, doctor, firefighter, housekeeper, nurse, park ranger, police officer,  postal worker, social worker, street cleaner, surgeon, trash collector, veterinarian  
• Education: bus driver, cafeteria worker, coach, counselor, custodian, paraprofessional, principal, professor, nurse, secretary, teacher
• Entertainment: actor, artist, author, coach, dancer, director, film producer, museum curator, musician, singer, sports player, photographer, videographer, writer, YouTuber    
• Government: congress representative, FBI agent, governor, judge, mayor, military, president
• Innovation: app designer, astronaut, coder, computer specialist, engineer, scientist, video game designer, web developer
• Service Providers: advertiser, banker, hair stylist, electrician, plumber, mechanic, zoo keeper, architect, pet groomer, fashion designer, shop owner, chef, florist, interior designer, farmer, lawyer, minister, personal trainer, accountant, childcare provider, psychologist, realtor, restaurant worker, surveyor, construction worker
• Transportation: bus driver, cab driver, pilot, ship captain, train engineer, uber driver

Let's keep this list growing!!

Comment below with your own career ideas!!

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Looking for the perfect printable (and online) leveled Kindergarten books to connect your guided reading lessons to your content? 

Then look NO further.

Head over to my TpT store for my growing library of printable leveled books for Kindergarten Guided Reading!

Planning for Play: March - April - May

Making time for play in Kindergarten is important... even in the 21st Century! 

Sign up for newsletters and gain access to my exclusive and FREE Yearlong Plan for Structured Play and follow along as we discuss themes for March, April, and May. 

Overview:

March is all about the Arts at my school. All students in the school are encouraged to create something involving one area of art (music, visual arts, drama, dance, and media art) to share with their class. Then, each class chooses a performance for a special school showcase assembly. This is a wonderful time for students to expressive themselves creatively and share their special talents.
My favorite TpT resource for March:

April is at the height of spring time and new beginnings. We often study animals during literacy and science time which makes it the perfect month for a Vet's Office! Students are able to develop and solve problems, show care for animals, and role play.
My favorite TpT resource for April:

May is my favorite month for play because it's the culmination of my yearlong plan! Through opening their own Pizza Parlor, students are invited to plan their play, collaborate, create, and execute their plan with organization, communication, and imaginative interaction.
My favorite TpT resource for May:

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PLANS FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR!

August - Learning How to Play

September - Community Helpers: Restaurant

October - 21st Century Learners: The News 1, The News 2

November - Thanksgiving: Travel Agency

December - Engineering: Gingerbread Houses

January - Engineering: Force and Motion

February - Writing: Post Office

March - The Arts: My Talents

April - Animals: Vet's Office

May - Culminating Event: Pizza Parlor

Planning for Play: September - October - November

Making time for play in Kindergarten is important... even in the 21st Century! 

Sign up for newsletters and gain access to my exclusive and FREE Yearlong Plan for Structured Play and follow along as we discuss themes for September, October, and November. 

Overview:

September is all about providing opportunities for role playing and collaborative play. Using a restaurant theme students are able to plan for play, work together and take on familiar roles.
My favorite TpT resource for September:

October is a time to begin to incorporate important 21st Century skills and appeal to students' need for an audience. Students today watch YouTube, make their own videos, and live their lives providing a step-be-step commentary. Using a news theme gives students the chance to learn about the ins and outs of media and communication and establish what it means to interact with an audience.
My favorite resources for October:

November's travel theme helps students understand the bigger picture and realize there is a big world around them just waiting to be discovered just like the pilgrims and explored just like the Native Americans!
My favorite TpT resources for November:

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PLANS FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR!

August - Learning How to Play

September - Community Helpers: Restaurant

October - 21st Century Learners: The News 1, The News 2

November - Thanksgiving: Travel Agency

December - Engineering: Gingerbread Houses

January - Engineering: Force and Motion

February - Writing: Post Office

March - The Arts: My Talents

April - Animals: Vet's Office

May - Culminating Event: Pizza Parlor