Childrens want to be famous

 But pre-schoolers are moving away from dreams of gender-based careers, with a growing attention in fame and celebrity changing the way youngsters consider their futures.

Hit TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars and MasterChef have invaded pre-schools, with chefs currently being regularly added to the job wish list of both sexes.

The upcoming London Olympics are expected to drive athletic achievements on to the toddler radar.

Early education expert Maria Cozis said the major modification for modern toddlers was a subtle move away from definite gender-based jobs.

She said “Now the girls don't always say they want to be a princess,".

"I have had boys who want to be dancers.

"And we have seen a change with MasterChef that has finished chefs and cooking very popular."

A global survey of 4600 children by developmental charity ChildFund found many kids in developed countries long to be famous, dreaming of being singers or actors or professional athletes.

Only 9 percent of kids want to be teachers and 8 percent doctors. It is the reverse in developing countries where 22 per cent want to be teachers and 20 percent trust to become doctors.

Child psychologist Kimberley O'Brien said present interests guided pre-schoolers.

She said they were interested in outfits and accessories, such as firemen's helmets and tiaras, and had no genuine idea of what a job actually involved.

She said "Up until four is the age of imaginary play and so you see lots of princesses and superheroes,”

"But once kids start big school, from the age of five onwards, they begin to drop that interest and are more influenced by older kids than they are by imaginary figures out of story books."

Many kids were often interested in numerous careers at an early age, Ms O'Brien said.

"They might want to be a dancer, a hairdresser and save animals," she said.

"They are not really sure about the idea of having one job the whole time."

Ms Cozis said television, touchable jobs such as chefs and firefighters and exciting situations encountered during daily life had a big shock on children.

"It is what they notice around them," she said.

"In Surry Hills a group of kids go to cafes and they role play that. One of the little girls wanted a florist shop because that is what she sees."

"Fairies, mermaids, princesses or just being a mum or dad are well-liked.

"If they show an interest (in a career) we try to expand that. We have parents who are dentists, photographers and builders and some of those occupations are simple. But careers like lawyers and accountants are hard to explain.

"We covered space previous year so we had a lot of astronauts and scientists. We had one father who was a cartoonist and subsequent to he visited the kids were busy doing cartoons."

A survey of children at the centre last year revealed occupation aspirations included paleontologist, mountain climber, spy, tennis player, builders, and Hollywood actor.

Other children hoped to grow up to be dancers, super heroes, a "normal girl", a model, a t-rex, a tiger, an All Blacks player, helicopter pilo.