Take Kids to Work Day Activities

Quick Name

• To break the ice among all the children attendees, use this activity. Gather all of the participants in a sitting circle. Hand a random player a soft, small ball. The player comes up with a word related to a specific career and then says his name. Words like "work," "office" and "computer" work well for office jobs. After he says these two things, he quickly passes the ball to another player in the circle. The player has to say both the player's name that came before her, as well as the previous player's word. She then states another word related to the category and says her name. This pattern continues until all of the participants have shared their names. For competition's sake, disqualify players who can't remember or can't think of the appropriate words. The last player remaining in the circle wins the game.

Tools of the Trade

• When the kids are in the mood to move around, play this work-related scavenger hunt game. Before the game, come up with as many unique careers as you have players. Then, gather three tools that represent each job. For example, if you have decided on "football player," bring a football, sneakers and a football helmet. If you chose "janitor," bring a mop, a set of keys and a bucket of cleaning supplies. Hide all of the job-related items around the room or office. Hand each of the children a card telling him which job he has. The children then search for items related to that job. Keep playing until all of the children have found the correct three items.

Acing the Interview

• Engage the children by having them come prepared for a mock interview. Before they arrive at the workspace, have them dress in their nicest clothes, perfect for a job interview. Give adult volunteers at work a list of questions to ask the kids. Good examples include "What is your favorite color?" and "What do you like about school?" Then, pair up the children with the volunteers. The volunteers simply ask the kids' questions and try to make the kids laugh a little. The kids have the chance to talk about themselves and learn firsthand the feel of a job interview. Once the interviews have finished, the kids can do some small activities related to the job, such as stapling papers or sweeping floors, whatever activities that come with your job.