Career Day! Two words that can strike fear into a mother’s heart! Especially at 8:30 pm the night before! So what can you do to hurdle this Mom-sized challenge?
Situation: Child ‘remembers’ that tomorrow morning they’re supposed to dress for their future career for school tomorrow.
Solution:
Choice #1 – Mom panics and bursts into tears.
Choice #2 – Mom sends her child to school dressed as a pirate, superhero or princess. The child cries all day while explaining his future career choice.
Choice #3 – Mom gets creative and finds a miracle costume
Hopefully, with a little help, you can choose the 3rd option and save the day!
Scientist:
Grab a white short sleeve adult size shirt out of the closet – instant lab coat! Stick a pair of safety goggles, ink pen and magnifying glass in the front pocket. Print (or draw) a name tag that says “professor ‘insert name here'” Include a clip art of scientific beakers to make sure people know this is a scientist! Slide the paper name tag into an over the neck tag holder from your last conference. (I always save these just for this kind of emergency!) Of course, you can just cover it with saran wrap to make it shiny and pin it carefully on the pocket if you need to. (optional: spike the child’s hair to give the mad scientist look)
Doctor/Nurse
Use the white ‘lab coat’ you created with the white short sleeve shirt. Add a plastic stethoscope and adapt the name tag to say Doctor! Got a little bit more time? Stop in at your local thrift store and pick up a cheap scrub shirt! Look around in the toy box for any other medical supplies to drop in the front pockets.
Judge
Not to be confused with the role of a lawyer (which would just be a suit or dress clothes). A supreme court justice would wear a black robe. So just grab a black graduation robe out of the attic and there you go. The next Justice of the Supreme Court!
Singer/Musician/Rock Star
Kind of tricky here…… Grab a shirt with some ‘bling’. Add a vest/scarf/sparkly necklace/belt. Boots? Clunky shoes to add style? A sparkly feather or hairpiece! A Microphone and a toy guitar out of the closet. Bingo! American Idol, here we come!
Cowgirl/Cowboy/Farmer
Wear a cowboy hat dangling around your neck. Attach a bandana. Braids. Boots. Jeans. One year I grabbed a piece of black cloth and made a really simple vest and frayed the edges. I didn’t hem it. (I really didn’t have time, but I convinced my kindergarten son that real cowboys would want fringes instead of neat hems.)
Explorer
Brown or tan long sleeve t-shirt or long john shirt. Brown pants. Boots if possible. Safari hat or Indiana Jones hat from another year’s costume. Have them wear binoculars or a camera around their neck. Or carry a butterfly net?
Artist
White art smock (that same short-sleeved white shirt) splattered with paint or colorful marker spots. Stick a paintbrush or two in the pocket. Carry a sketch pad?
True, you could spend money and buy a special costume. Or you could just get creative. What Career Day costumes have you created without spending much money? I’d love to see them!
Sue Garcia says
I need ideas for career day for a kindergarten student (boy) — he wants to be an ice cream man — thank you
Natalie says
Thanks you just saved my day. It is literally the night before and my two boys have career day tomorrow and I was at a loss as to what to do with money being so tight. You are a life saver!
Stacey Werner says
So glad this helped! You’ll have to let us know how it goes, Natalie!
Ashley S says
Great ideas! I’ll have to remember this post come Halloween 🙂
carol @ retail therapy says
That is great! My kids will be doing that soon so I will keep this in mind!
Tina says
Great ideas! For Halloween too! Thanks