Does your school host College Week? If not, stick around to learn all about it. I am kicking off College Week this month and have tons of college week activities for elementary students to share with you!
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What is College Week?
College Week encourages students to pursue higher education after high school. In essence, it raises college awareness and promotes the benefits of receiving a college degree. The goal is to create a college-going culture.
You can read this article to learn more about college-going culture.
Why Do Activities for College Week?
Early college awareness is a crucial step in helping our kids see the possibilities in their future and, most importantly, understand how to access those opportunities.
I grew up thinking that getting to college would be as simple as the fairy godmother waving her wand to transform Cinderella. Boy, was I wrong! I didn't magically get accepted to a school. I had to do many things behind the scenes!
Hosting College Week at my school allows me to talk about the process of getting in and what to expect in college.
If you are ready to host College Week at your school, keep reading below for a list of ideas to get you started!
College Week Activities for Elementary
These college week activities list are events I have participated in or have hosted in my school.
1.Invite college students to speak about the college process
Reach out to parents and ask for family members to participate. It's cost-effective and builds family and community relationships.
2. Have the kids research about different colleges in your area
Can your kids name another university besides Harvard? Harvard is good, don't get me wrong! But there are many other alternatives to higher education than just Harvard.
3. Take a tour of a college campus
For classrooms that are remote, no worries! Many schools now offer a virtual tour on their website. Make this your next virtual field trip.
Play a college scavenger hunt using a college website.
Kids love games, and a scavenger hunt is a fun activity to play while they learn. You can ask questions that the kids would need to navigate the school website to answer the question.
4. Play college trivia
Prepare one question for the whole week and have the school participate. You can make a contest out of it.
5. Represent your college by wearing your alma mater shirt
Flaunt your school pride by wearing a shirt from your college!
6. Let students host a college fair
Hosting a college fair is my favorite activity to do. I divide my class into groups and give them a college to research. They complete their research using my Future Grad! research packet. Next, the kids get assigned a station and print out pictures of their college for their table. Finally, I invite other classes to come and check out our College Fair.
Are you interested in the packet? You can now find it in my TPT store.
7. Invite people to speak about their career and occupation
Career Day is a popular program in many schools. You can let the speakers talk about their process of acquiring higher education.
8. Talk about your college experience with pictures
Kids love to see pictures of you in your younger days. Sharing your experience is a great way to build a classroom community.
9. Complete interest career inventories
The CollegeforTN.org has career inventories to identify and explore potential career interests.
10. Complete college mock applications
You can have students complete mock college applications and entrance essays, just like what they would do if they were applying for college today. There's no better time to practice than now.
11. Have a college-themed dress-up day throughout the week.
I love this idea from this school and the catchy puns they included for their dress-up days.
12. Host a panel discussion with college students
Invite alumn of your elementary school to share what they are doing to get ready for college.
Wrapping It Up
There's no need to spend a fortune raising college awareness in your classroom or school. Any of these college week activities is a great start to get kids thinking about their future. Have any more ideas? Let's keep adding to the list. Let's hear it below.
