Looking for a fresh way to incorporate learning into your yearbook spread? A career day can be the perfect way to do just that. It’s appropriate for any grade level and can help students discover all of the unique career opportunities that await them in the future. Check out these fun ideas to create an awesome career day feature for your elementary school yearbook.
Go Beyond the Average Career Day
At most schools, career day consists of asking a few parents to come in and talk about what they do for a living. Students may get to participate by asking questions about jobs, but that’s about the extent of the fun. That can be a great start, but it’s not going to create a lot of photo opportunities or give students a ton of food for thought in terms of what they want to do when they grow up. Instead of the average career day Q&A with parents, try a more interactive experience to encourage your students to consider more seriously what future career they might want.
Choose a Career for a Day
Encourage students to research career opportunities then ask them to decide what job they would want as a grown up, if they had to choose right now. Then plan a special day for students to come dressed up in the work uniform or clothing style of that profession. Encourage them to get creative and put some thought into what they wear. For scientists, nurses and doctors, lab coats can be great. Badges are perfect for future law enforcement officers. You get the idea!
The research will give them a better understanding of what someone in that line of work does from day to day and what would be considered appropriate dress for the job site. You can even have them show off a little by making a short presentation about what someone in that job does and the tools of that trade. Not only will you give them a chance to dig deeper into their future aspirations, but you’ll also create some super memories for your students – and for your school yearbook!
An Elementary School Yearbook That Shines
When I look back on the pages of my elementary school yearbooks, there are a lot of awesome memories that span those years, but there are also a ton of things that I don’t remember much about – because they weren’t that special. By making a big deal of career day and shaking up how your students delve into planning for their future, you can create personal and yearbook memories that stick around. When your students look back on the elementary school yearbook from this year, they’ll remember not just the day they got to dress up as their future self, but how much that year helped to shape their future as an individual. And that is something meaningful to strive for with your book.
