When I Grow Up I Want To Be...

What You Need:

• Poster board
• Markers
• Paper

What You Do:

1. Sit with your child and have her brainstorm about what she wants to be when she grows up.
2. If she has trouble coming up with anything, ask her to list off her favorite hobbies. Does she like to draw? Perform science experiments? Write? Do math? Then suggest a career associated with each of those hobbies.
3. Have her make a list of all the careers she mentions.
4. Then, go through the list and have her pick one of the careers she wants to learn more about.
5. Go to the library or use the Internet to help her research about the job. Encourage her to find out the training required for the job and how a person in that field spends their day at work.
6. If it's possible, find a person for her to meet who does the job she's interested in and help her come up with questions to ask them.
7. After she has a pretty good understanding of the job, have her make a poster.
8. First, have your child write a title such as, "When I Grow Up, I Want To Be..." followed by the career of her choosing.
9. Then, invite your child to draw a picture of herself "on the job." For example, if she wants to be a business executive, have her draw a picture of herself sitting at a desk in an office.
10. Underneath the picture, have her write how she would spend her day if she had that job. Encourage her to include details about where the job is, what types of tasks she would be performing, and how it would benefit other people.
11. Hang the poster up in the house where everyone can see it, and be sure to save the poster so your child can see it when she's older!