When I grow up…. A national campaign to celebrate and showcase what primary school children aspire to
We know that many primary schools ask children about their hopes and aspirations for the future. This year, to coincides with the 10th anniversary of Primary Futures, we want to celebrate and showcase what children aspire to and capture their creativity and imagination. In partnership with the NAHT, we are inviting primary schools across the country to get involved, asking their children to draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up – it is as simple as that!
The aim of this campaign is to kickstart conversations with children and help them explore what is possible. It takes just a few minutes and feedback from teachers has shown that it really helped facilitate conversations with children about the importance of the subjects they are studying and their attitude to learning and school. Many use the drawings to make eye catching, colourful displays in school and sometimes share with parents and in newsletters.
To make it really quick and easy for you we have made a simple resource pack, which contains everything you need. Some of you may recall our ‘Drawing the Future’ research survey in 2017, when over 20,000 children drew pictures of what they wanted to be and answered a series of questions around attitude to learning and who inspired them. Done in partnership with the NAHT, OECD Education and Skills, TES and UCL Institute of Education children from over 20 countries have now taken part. Here is a video of some of their wonderful drawings:
Join the campaign
Join us in celebrating your children’s hopes and aspirations for the future – simply print out the drawing template included in the pack. If you want to incorporate drawings into a lesson or involve parents, there is a lesson plan and draft letter for you in the resource pack.
We will be featuring drawings from schools across the country in our online gallery and all teachers who share drawings with us by the end of October 2024 by emailing enquiries@inspiringthefuture.org will be entered into our prize draw with the chance of winning one of the following prizes:
- a bespoke Primary Futures event for your school on a topic of your choosing
- two £250 Amazon vouchers for school supplies
- a selection of fun and inspiring children’s books about jobs and careers for your school
- a visit to an exciting workplace to bring the world of work to life
- a special international Primary Future event for your school with volunteers joining from different countries
When I Grow Up gallery
