The best way to start a discussion with preschoolers on what they'd like to be when they grow up is to discuss a wide variety of professions. This way you are letting the children know all the opportunities that are out there.

Jobingo "When I Grow Up Preschool Activity"

This activity is very similar to bingo; however, instead of numbers the children will be looking for pictures of professions.

You will need:

• A different Jobingo card for every student
• Some kind of marker (candy pieces, quarters, paper pieces) to cover the spots
• Construction paper
• Pictures of the professions used
• Some kind of prize (usually a piece of candy or dollar store prize)
• Glue

The first thing you'll need to do is make the Jobingo cards and the master deck. You'll first need to find at least 15 different pictures of professions; I would suggest finding between 20 and 30 pictures of different professions because it will provide a wider variety for the children.

After you find the pictures print out each picture so that it is about a page in size and paste it to a piece of construction paper. This way when you call out the profession you can show the children the card and it will be big enough for them to see around the room.

Now, you will need to create the Jobingo cards. Each card needs to be different. Each card should have nine squares with each square being a different profession. The more profession pictures you have the easier it will be to do this step.

After you have the Jobingo cards and the master deck made you are ready to play the game. You will have to explain the rules of bingo to the children so that they understand how to play. The children will need some kind of marker to cover up the squares that you have called. You will at random choose a card to read aloud.

The children will often enjoy a little prize whether it is candy or a dollar store treasure. If you don't feel that one child should win over the others, you can either choose not to do a prize or continue calling until all children win and give them all the prize of your choice.

This activity should take anywhere from 10-20 minutes as it depends on the game.

When We Grow Up, We Dream of Being...

In this activity, the children will be able to get up and move around. This activity is similar to Musical Chairs.

You will need:

1) Enough chairs for all the children

You will be playing the game with the children so that will account for the chair that is missing. You'll need to set the chairs up in a circle, so you might need to make space for it if you don't have enough room in your classroom.

Each child will begin in a chair and you'll start in the middle of the circle. Explain the game to the children:

"The person in the middle is 'it'. I will start in the middle. When you are in the middle you say "When we grow up, we dream of being...some kind of job" If you like what the middle person says you get up and switch seats. If you don't get a seat you are 'it'. You are not allowed to get up and sit back down in your seat. If nobody moves, the middle person goes again."

I would suggest doing a practice round to make sure that the children understand this preschool activity. I would also suggest having pictures of different jobs around the room so that the children don't get stuck when they are in the middle with nothing to say. If you played Jobingo, you can use the master deck you created to hang around the room.

You can play this game for however long you feel like, but it would be a good time to stop when the jobs start repeating.

Mary Robinson has been teaching preschool for well over a decade. You can get instant access to her preschool activities, crafts, and lesson plans by visiting her website:

Preschool Lesson Plans and Ideas http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/

For a limited time, all visitors to Mary's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Preschool Teachers and Parents Make". Go get your free copy today!