Job charades: a kindergarten lesson on how people earn money
What it is: a kindergarten social studies game where students act out a job without words, the class guesses it, and everyone answers one question: "What does this worker do to earn money?" It connects work, earning and helping others in a way students can see and move through.
Time: about 20 minutes. Grade: kindergarten.
Materials: picture cards of 10 jobs students know (bus driver, nurse, baker, farmer, librarian, mail carrier, cook, firefighter, teacher, mechanic) and a bag to draw them from.
- Act out one job yourself, like stirring a pot and tasting from a spoon. Let the class guess: a cook.
- Ask: "Does a cook work for free?" Explain that people work at jobs to earn money, and they use that money to buy things their families need.
- A student draws a card, looks at it secretly and acts it out for about 20 seconds.
- The class guesses. The actor shows the card to check.
- Everyone finishes the sentence together: "A ___ earns money by ___."
- After 6 or 7 rounds, ask: "Which job would you like to try? What would you do all day?"
Safety: clear a space for acting and remind students to keep their feet on the floor (no climbing for the firefighter).
Differentiation: whisper an idea to students who freeze when it is their turn. Students who are ready name one tool the worker uses. English learners can point to the card and say the job name.
Quick check: ask a student to name one job and tell how that worker earns money.
Save this activity to your library so it is ready when you need it.
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About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 31, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades K–2
- Subject
- Social studies, Life skills & money
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.