Create a career fair for kindergarten students. Divide students into teams of two and assign each team with a different career. Include careers such as police officer, teacher, nurse and mail man. Ask the children to research the career that they have been assigned and ask them to create a poster to use as a display for the career fair. Ask for parent volunteers to help on the day of the fair. Set up tables in a gymnasium and have each student tape their poster to a table to create their "booth." Teachers and parents can help find accessories for the individual booths. For instance, a teacher may have a book about dentists that she can loan to the "dentist" booth students. Invite parents and other classes to visit the fair. Have the children prepared to answer questions about the particular career they have been assigned as visitors may have questions.
Invite members of the community to visit a kindergarten class to discuss career choices. Be sure to include a variety of career options when planning the schedule of speakers. Designate at least a half an hour for the guest speakers to discuss their career and allow time for a question and answer period. Possible speakers include a doctor, lawyer, delivery person and a food server. Invite the student's parents to discuss their occupations first, before seeking other members of the community.
Use crafts to introduce kindergarten students to new careers. Begin a unit on fire fighters by creating a fire truck out of a large cardboard box, red paint and other craft materials. For a unit on mail carriers, help students create their own version of a mail box. Cut a slit in the lid of a shoebox and decorate it with paint, glitter and other embellishments. Have students write notes to each other and deliver them to the "mailboxes."
Take kindergarten students on field trips to help them learn more about various careers. Plan a trip to a museum to learn about a museum director's job or visit a television station to learn more about the many jobs that go into producing a television broadcast. Other ways you can teach children about careers is through books, videos and games on the topic.