Speech Topics for Sixth Graders

Have sixth graders bring in props for thier speeches.

Making a speech helps sixth graders find their voice and builds their confidence. It also gives them an important life skill important. When deciding on speech topics for sixth graders, choose subject in which they are interested.

Favorites

Speech giving can be nerve-wracking for anyone, especially pre-teens; select a topic that excites them. Let the kids talk about their favorite place --- their bedroom, a vacation cabin or grandmother's house --- and what makes it so special. Students can also give speeches on their favorite sport including the history and defining moments of the sport, their favorite memory, favorite movie, actor, music and so forth. A familiar favorite topic lets kids be confident and enthusiastic about sharing their interest with their classmates.

What-Ifs

Posing what-if questions forces kids to think and use their imagination as they prepare their speech. Plus, fantasizing about other realities can be fun for the speech giver and his audience. During a "What If I Won $1 Million Speech?" a sixth grader could talk about where they would live, all the places they would travel and how they would use the money to help others. Other what-if speech topics include: What if I was born 100 years ago?; What if I could fly?; What if I was in a movie?; and What if I were President?

Life Experiences

Give students a chance to reflect on their young lives and share those experiences with their classmates. Students can talk about a family vacation they took to another state or a foreign country, a camping trip, concert or meeting a famous person. In their speeches, require the students to give some background information on the state, location of the camping trip, musicians or famous person. Then, they can talk about the event and how that event affected them.

Educational

Educational speeches let sixth graders become experts on something. They can give informational speeches about a subject they're studying such as the Ice Age, Egyptians, Aztecs or a book they're reading. Or, have them research and talk about current events such as pollution, global warming or war. How-to speeches also fall into the educational speech category. Kids can share their special talent by teaching their classmates how to say the alphabet in sign language, make a layup in basketball or play chess.

References

• California State University, Fresno: Demonstration Speech Ideas
• Speech Topics, Help, Advice and Ideas: 30 Grade 6 Speech Topics

Resources

• Speechmastery: The Persuasive Speech Topics List