To think there must be a way to make my job sound exciting to preschoolers?

[LegalAlienWooHoo]

My kid's preschool are asking for parents to come in and talk about their jobs.

My son is really keen for me to do this, but I have no idea how to make it seem interesting to preschoolers.

I am a university lecturer, and my subject is Higher Education.

Other parents have been police officers (son loved trying on bits of the uniform) and a paramedic (did a really amazing talk on germs where they put glitter on one child's hands and showed how it would spread to the rest).

I don't even have a cap and gown for them to try on (and none at work as we just use a company to hire them at graduation).

Anyone got any suggestions please? Or should I just tell my son my job is too boring to talk about?

Use words like 'supersonic expertise'.

It's an extra school if people want to achieve supersonic skills.

I don't even have a cap and gown for them to try on

Get a cheap one off Amazon. There’s some for under a tenner. Then could you donate it to the school assuming they have a dress up box?

You could compare it to the red tractor sticker on food helping people know the produce has been achieved to a certain standard. Maybe?

You could involve them in thinking about what supersonic skills they have a give them a certificate at the end. Or, just give them the certificate once they've told you.

It’s a difficult one!
how do you make it sound interesting to adults?

Could you talk about what you do with your students that is the same as/different to what their teacher does with them? Try and make it relatable and also inspirational to make them all keen to study further?

University is like a huge school for grownups and you get to study whatever you're most interested in, so there are no boring bits and all the students are happy to be there. That's the way I always describe it to my grandchildren; maybe something along those lines with touchyfeely bits like the mortar board.

Get them to talk about their favourite things to do (paint, ride a bike, learn about space ..) and explain that universities are like a big school where you can chose your favourite things to learn about

is there a short virtual tour or drone video of the uni you can show them? Kids like scale- explain that their preschool would fit inside the building you work in 200 times etc

when you finish university, you get to wear a special gown and have your picture taken - if you have a prop here, pre school staff could take some pictures

can you ask the marketing dept at work if they have anything you could give away? A branded pencil each or something

"I'm a teacher in grown up school". Photos of grown ups sitting at desks just like children at school

Don't focus on what you teach in particular. Talk about what university is and examples of careers you would need to study at university for. Show pictures of famous universities, show them photos of the university where you work.

Buy a cheap kiddies cap, gown and scroll (so many nurseries use these now for little graduation ceremonies, it will be easy to find) and the teacher can take photos of them all in it and caption the photos with what they'd like to be when they grow up.

You could make an example one with your son to print out and take and leave it as a little follow up activity they can do.

Lol yeah I work in insurance

No child is interested whatsoever (understandably!)

You’re an extreme teacher. So teachy that you teach all the teachers!
Get them to make caps out of cardboard- they can take them home- my son’s nursery did this and the kids loved it.