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Elocution topics for kids

50+ ideas for children's speeches

By: Susan Dugdale | Last modified: 04-27-2021

The 50 elocution topics for kids on this page are a starting point to help you, help a child, choose a suitable speech topic.

Rather than make a final decision by yourself please do involve the person who is actually going to do the speaking - the child!

The best results come when the topic chosen is closely aligned with personal interests, passions and is "age-appropriate".

It's hard to be genuinely enthusiastic about, or sometimes understand, a topic that's been chosen for you - even if it's done for the best of reasons.

Graphic in a colorful whimsical font saying 50 speech topics for kids.

Resist the temptation to write the speech too

A note for parents

As a teacher I've seen too many children being used as mouthpieces by well-meaning adults. 

I always wanted to hear what the child had to say, what words they chose, and how they structured their ideas - not what adults thought it would be advantageous for them to say. The result of that inevitably rang false. I could tell instantly I wasn't listening to something the child had put together.

I understand the desire to help. And I applaud that. I think it's great. However, please don't take over entirely by handing a child a script and then rehearsing their every gesture or nuance of delivery.

Talk the topics through. Show them how to brainstorm. Encourage them to use their imaginations by asking open-ended questions.

Assist with structure - finding a good opening, deciding what the main points should be and what examples should support them, as well as how to end the speech well.

Just don't do it all for them, not matter how tempting that might be. 

It's important for a child to develop confidence in their own skills and abilities. Helping and supporting them to become the best of themselves is the greatest service you can give them. 


Elocution topics for kids

Why I am glad not to be ...

Use the sentence starter "Why I am glad not to be ..."  to complete the sentence with the phrases below to create a speech topic. (Adapt the phrases to fit.) 

For example:

  1. Why I am glad not to be living in the 19th century. I am glad not to be living in the 19th century for three main reasons. The first is that girls, unless they came from wealthy families, didn't have the same opportunity to go to school.  I talked about this with my Grandmother and she said very few girls from her village would have had any education at all in the 19th century. Most families were not that well off. Etc., etc., 
  2. Why I am glad not to be an only child.
  3. Why I am glad not to be rich.

(Treat the rest of the sentence starters on the page in exactly the same way.)

Image: Victorian Arthur Rackham's illustration of a mother and her children in a well to-do nursery. Text: Why I am glad not to be living in the 19th century.
  • living in another era like the 19th century,  the middle ages ...
  • either a girl or a boy, depending on which gender the child is
  • an only child
  • a famous person
  • either blind, deaf or disabled in some way
  • either an insect, an animal, a fish or a plant
  • on another planet
  • singing this speech instead of speaking it
  • in XXX {insert the name of a city, town, area or country eg. London, Trinidad ...}
  • either rich or poor

I wish grownups would ...

  • remember what it was like when they were young
  • properly explain the reasons behind telling me to do what they want
  • tell me more stories about themselves when they were children
  • stop being so serious
Image: cartoon drawing of a family happily playing together. Text: I wish grownups would find more time to relax and play with me.
  • find more time to relax and play with me
  • help me understand why some things are the way they are
  • stop worrying about whether my face is clean and my shirt is tucked in
  • teach me the stuff I really want to know
  • invent a way to go back and forward in time
  • stop asking me what I want to do when I grow up

What I would change if I could and why ...

Image: cartoon drawings of children of mixed races playing together. Text: I would change racial disharmony if I could.
  • racial disharmony
  • poverty
  • illness
  • discrimination against girls, caste or class differences
  • unequal educational opportunities
  • cultural misunderstanding
  • child labor
  • a historical event
  • the flow of time
  • my bed time
  • the law of gravity

I'm inspired by ... because ...

Image: young male doctor in scrubs with angel wings.Text: I am inspired by doctors and the work they do.
  • my mother/father or any other family member
  • a present day hero from any area: sports, culture, philosophy, arts (film, dance, theater, music, painter, etc), medicine or any other branch of science, law, government, local ...
  • a historical hero from any area (as above)
  • a fictional or mythic hero from literature, film, TV or cultural tradition
  • nature - the seasons, mountains, deserts,rocks, caves, stars, solar system, rainbows, rivers, animals, birds, plants, flowers ...
  • art, film, TV, social media, the computer, music, sports of any sort, my hobby, my pet ...
  • humor - cartoons, clowns, jokes, pranks, a funny TV show or film, a comedian
  • an inventor or invention - the car, airplane, internet, electricity, telephone, a vaccine ...
  • movement of the wind, dancers, gymnastics, sea, rivers, cars, birds, runners ...
  • color - red, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple, white, black ...

What does it mean to be ...?

  • a friend
  • proud
  • kind
  • courageous
  • me
Image: 4 Hindu elephant sculptures in a line. Text: What does it mean to be Hindu?
  • Indian, Hindu, Maori, English, American ...
  • loyal
  • a good student
  • a daughter/son
  • happy

In my family ...

Image:line drawings of family members, plus birthday bunting. Text:In my family birthdays are celebrated with a special family dinner.
  • birthdays are celebrated by ...
  • the biggest celebration of the year is ...
  • my father is king
  • the festival of XXX {insert the name of the festival} is important because ...
  • breakfast is a rush because ...
  • we spend holidays doing ...
  • we are encouraged to ...
  • we never argue (much). If we do it is about ...
  • we play XXX {insert the name of the game} together
  • we frequently/always go to XXX {insert the name of the place}
  • my mother/grandmother/older sister/aunt always says ...

I'm fascinated by ...

  • extra-sensory perception
  • the way wedding traditions are different all over the world
  • the speed a fast bowler can achieve
  • the way some animals change their color to blend with their surroundings
  • thunderstorms and lightning
Image: a bowl of molten chocolate and stirrer.Text: I am fascinated by how chocolate is made.
  • how chocolate is made
  • how weather is predicted
  • the skills of master craftsmen
  • language and why it's different depending on where you come from
  • how things are designed and made like cars, bicycles, mobile phones ...

What these sayings tell us about life is ...

Image: golden haired dog barking. Text: Barking dogs seldom bite.
  • A one eyed man is king among blind men
  • A cat in a cage becomes a lion
  • Empty vessels make the most noise
  • An idle brain is the devil's workshop
  • Barking dogs seldom bite
  • Fall down seven times, stand up eight
  • Once bitten, twice shy
  • Out of acorns grow mighty oaks
  • A rising tide lifts all boats
  • A book is a like a garden carried in a pocket

More resources for speeches

Click for help with: how to write a speech

You'll find ongoing links to pages covering 'how to write a speech outline', 'how to rehearse', 'how a speech is evaluated' and more.

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