How to Give a Speech to Children

Your audience may be a very specific group of children, such as summer campers.

Writing a speech for children is not much different than writing a speech for adults. One of the most important aspects to consider when writing a speech is the audience. So if you know and understand your audience, you should be able to develop an effective speech. Understanding your topic is also important. Just as with speeches for adults, children will expect you to be familiar with your topic. You should also try to keep the speech fun, but do not overdue it. No one likes a boring speech, but just because a speech is for children does not mean it should be silly.

Instructions

1. Learn who your audience is. Find out if children in the audience will be the same age and if they share any things in common, such as attending the same school or camp. Knowing more about your audience will allow you to create a more targeted and effective speech.

2. Outline the structure of your speech. Have a clear introduction, body and conclusion to the speech, and keep the focus to one or two main points. Relate back to the main topic often to emphasize the purpose of the speech.

3. Incorporate appropriate humor into the speech. Don't try to use jokes that the children may not get or understand.

4. Add specific examples and stories to the speech. Children will be more interested in the speech if they can relate personally to the stories.

5. Write and rewrite the speech. Make sure the vocabulary is appropriate and the sentences are interesting and flow naturally.

6. Add visuals. Children can understand concepts better with tangible examples; you might even try to incorporate relevant objects that the children can touch or handle.

7. Practice your speech. If possible, rehearse the speech for a small number of children in the location you will give the speech. You can observe and ask for their reactions and get an idea of what kinds of questions children might ask after the speech.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use props, especially ones that students can handle, make sure they add to the speech instead of distract from it.

References

• Iowa Sate Univesity:College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Giving an Effective Speech
• write-out-loud.com: How to Write a Speech for Kids