persuasive speech topics for kindergarten

100 Persuasive Speech Topics for Kids

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Kids' persuasive speech topics cover everything from current events to age old childhood milestones. If you've been assigned a persuasive writing speech, look for a topic you know a lot about and really stand behind.

Easy Persuasive Speech Topics for Beginners

Students in grades two and up who are just starting to learn about the different types of essays and writing can select easy topics about things they are very familiar with. These persuasive writing prompts work great for short speeches.

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Fun and Interesting Topics

• Kids should start every morning with yoga.
• Cereal is not a healthy breakfast.
• Showering every day isn't important.
• Kids' clothing should always be designed by kids.
• Being a YouTube star is a real job.
• Boredom is good for kids.
• Borrowing books from the library is better than buying them from a store.
• Hamsters are the best first pet for kids.
• Every person is completely unique.
• My town is the best place for families with young children to live.
• Being an only child is better than having siblings.
• Kids should have TVs in their bedrooms.
• Jeans are the most uncomfortable article of clothing.

Educational Topics

• Cursive writing shouldn't be taught in schools.
• Lunch periods should be longer for younger kids and shorter for older kids.
• Kids shouldn't be allowed to bring homemade treats to share at school.
• Homework should be optional for kids.
• Schools should mandate that all kids learn about all holidays celebrated around the world.
• All schools should have outdoor classrooms available.
• All foods should be grown or raised by small farmers.
• Playing video games is a good hobby for kids.
• Gardening is an easy way to eat healthier.
• Reading is more important than math.
• Kids should get to choose what classes they take in elementary school.

Global Topics

• People's differences make the world a more interesting place.
• Kids under age 13 shouldn't be allowed to have jobs anywhere in the world.
• The world is round.
• Dinosaurs really did exist and go extinct.
• People should only be allowed to eat food that grows or lives in their country.
• International pen pals are good for kids.
• Learning a second language is helpful for everyone.
• There should be one form of money that every country uses.
• Every country should have its own kind of schools.
• Governments should offer free travel to other countries for educational purposes.

Intermediate Persuasive Speech Topics for Children

Kids in upper elementary grades who have some practice in writing persuasive speeches can choose topics that might be a little more controversial. These unique speech topics leave room for longer arguments and feature more interesting subjects.

• Kids should have cell phones.
• Kids, not adults, should decide how much screen time to have each day.
• Every town should be required to have a playground.
• Waffle cones are better than regular ice cream cones.
• Dogs are better companions than cats.
• Wearing pajamas in public is inappropriate.
• Short hair is for boys and long hair is for girls.
• Kids should have fewer toys and more cardboard boxes to play with.
• Girls like to play with action figures.
• Pokemon are cooler than Yo Kai.
• Mosquitos are the most annoying of all bugs.
• Zoos are unsafe for young children.
• Kids under age 13 should be banned from having social media accounts.
• Classrooms shouldn't have traditional desks.
• School lunches should include some junk food options.
• Every school should have child representatives on their hiring committee.
• Naps are important for kids of all ages, not just babies and toddlers.
• The government should stop making paper money and only use coins.
• Robots make life easier for humans.
• Children's books should be written by children.
• Field trips and real-world experiences are more useful than classroom lectures.
• Columbus discovered America.
• Kids should be allowed to skip high school and go to college early if they want.
• Dancing in public should be outlawed.
• Voice recognition locks are safer than fingerprint recognition locks.
• People should only eat foods they grow or catch.
• All people in the world should speak English.
• All countries should have the same rules about weapons.
• Every child should spend a year living in another country with their family.
• Men and women should have the same rights no matter what country they live in.
• Adults should encourage child participation in strikes and marches for important causes.
• The current U.S. President represents the country well.
• Global competition is good for everyone.

Advanced Persuasive Speech Topics for Kids

Upper elementary and lower middle grade students with lots of speech writing experience can pick more complex topics that elicit bigger emotional reactions.

• TV shows and movies for kids should have stronger content guidelines.
• Real life heroes like police officers and firefighters would be more approachable if they dressed like Power Rangers and other super heroes.
• Virtual reality games are better than 3D games.
• Parents of bullies should be punished for their child's actions.
• "Crap" and "Heck" are bad words.
• Riding a bike is not that easy.
• Funny cat videos are funnier than funny baby videos.
• There's no such thing as too many stuffed animals.
• Goats say "maa," not "baa."
• Kids sports are safe.
• Holidays shouldn't be celebrated in schools.
• Kids should rate their teachers at the start and end of every school year.
• Recess and classroom physical activity breaks help kids focus in school.
• School buses should have a driver and at least two aides.
• Classes should be grouped by ability levels rather than ages.
• Technology makes people's lives better.
• Middle school is still elementary school.
• Schools should mandate classes where kids teach each other.
• No one, teachers or students, should be allowed to bring cell phones into the school.
• Kids should be allowed to take off their shoes in their classroom.
• Students should not have to ask permission to take drinks and bathroom breaks.
• Global warming isn't real.
• Every country can have its own guidelines for who is allowed to leave or enter.
• Kids can help combat climate change.
• Astronauts will find life on other planets.
• Daylight Savings Time should be eliminated.
• Aquariums and zoos help with wildlife conservation.
• People should be allowed to clone animals.
• Sugar should be outlawed.
• McDonald's is better than Burger King.
• Tribal cultures should be preserved.
• Companies should not be allowed to build their products in other countries.
• People should call countries by their native name, not a translated name.

More Speech Topics for Kids

Speech topic examples and ideas from other types of speeches can be adapted to persuasive writing with a few minor wording changes.

• Get students started with motivational speech topics for kids that are uplifting and less controversial.
• Beginning writers can select simple kids speech topics for their first persuasive essays.
• Some of the most interesting speech topics for kids include subjects they haven't encountered in real life.
• Use examples of funny speeches for kids to show how students can inject humor into any kind of speech.

State Your Case

Most people agree that writing in elementary school is important because it gives kids a way to express their thoughts and feelings in a way others can understand. Persuasive writing is all about stating your case, or point, and all the facts that support this opinion. Choose a topic you believe in or are passionate about to create the best persuasive speech.

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112 Persuasive Speech Topics That Are Actually Engaging

What’s covered:, how to pick an awesome persuasive speech topic, 112 engaging persuasive speech topics, tips for preparing your persuasive speech.

Writing a stellar persuasive speech requires a carefully crafted argument that will resonate with your audience to sway them to your side. This feat can be challenging to accomplish, but an engaging, thought-provoking speech topic is an excellent place to start.

When it comes time to select a topic for your persuasive speech, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options to choose from—or your brain may be drawing a completely blank slate. If you’re having trouble thinking of the perfect topic, don’t worry. We’re here to help!

In this post, we’re sharing how to choose the perfect persuasive speech topic and tips to prepare for your speech. Plus, you’ll find 112 persuasive speech topics that you can take directly from us or use as creative inspiration for your own ideas!

Choose Something You’re Passionate About

It’s much easier to write, research, and deliver a speech about a cause you care about. Even if it’s challenging to find a topic that completely sparks your interest, try to choose a topic that aligns with your passions.

However, keep in mind that not everyone has the same interests as you. Try to choose a general topic to grab the attention of the majority of your audience, but one that’s specific enough to keep them engaged.

For example, suppose you’re giving a persuasive speech about book censorship. In that case, it’s probably too niche to talk about why “To Kill a Mockingbird” shouldn’t be censored (even if it’s your favorite book), and it’s too broad to talk about media censorship in general.

Steer Clear of Cliches

Have you already heard a persuasive speech topic presented dozens of times? If so, it’s probably not an excellent choice for your speech—even if it’s an issue you’re incredibly passionate about.

Although polarizing topics like abortion and climate control are important to discuss, they aren’t great persuasive speech topics. Most people have already formed an opinion on these topics, which will either cause them to tune out or have a negative impression of your speech.

Instead, choose topics that are fresh, unique, and new. If your audience has never heard your idea presented before, they will be more open to your argument and engaged in your speech.

Have a Clear Side of Opposition

For a persuasive speech to be engaging, there must be a clear side of opposition. To help determine the arguability of your topic, ask yourself: “If I presented my viewpoint on this topic to a group of peers, would someone disagree with me?” If the answer is yes, then you’ve chosen a great topic!

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for what it takes to choose a great persuasive speech topic, here are over one hundred options for you to choose from.

• Should high school athletes get tested for steroids?
• Should schools be required to have physical education courses?
• Should sports grades in school depend on things like athletic ability?
• What sport should be added to or removed from the Olympics?
• Should college athletes be able to make money off of their merchandise?
• Should sports teams be able to recruit young athletes without a college degree?
• Should we consider video gamers as professional athletes?
• Is cheerleading considered a sport?
• Should parents allow their kids to play contact sports?
• Should professional female athletes be paid the same as professional male athletes?
• Should college be free at the undergraduate level?
• Is the traditional college experience obsolete?
• Should you choose a major based on your interests or your potential salary?
• Should high school students have to meet a required number of service hours before graduating?
• Should teachers earn more or less based on how their students perform on standardized tests?
• Are private high schools more effective than public high schools?
• Should there be a minimum number of attendance days required to graduate?
• Are GPAs harmful or helpful?
• Should schools be required to teach about standardized testing?
• Should Greek Life be banned in the United States?
• Should schools offer science classes explicitly about mental health?
• Should students be able to bring their cell phones to school?
• Should all public restrooms be all-gender?
• Should undocumented immigrants have the same employment and education opportunities as citizens?
• Should everyone be paid a living wage regardless of their employment status?
• Should supremacist groups be able to hold public events?
• Should guns be allowed in public places?
• Should the national drinking age be lowered?
• Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
• Should the government raise or lower the retirement age?
• Should the government be able to control the population?
• Is the death penalty ethical?

Environment

• Should stores charge customers for plastic bags?
• Should breeding animals (dogs, cats, etc.) be illegal?
• Is it okay to have exotic animals as pets?
• Should people be fined for not recycling?
• Should compost bins become mandatory for restaurants?
• Should electric vehicles have their own transportation infrastructure?
• Would heavier fining policies reduce corporations’ emissions?
• Should hunting be encouraged or illegal?
• Should reusable diapers replace disposable diapers?

Science & Technology

• Is paper media more reliable than digital news sources?
• Should automated/self-driving cars be legalized?
• Should schools be required to provide laptops to all students?
• Should software companies be able to have pre-downloaded programs and applications on devices?
• Should drones be allowed in military warfare?
• Should scientists invest more or less money into cancer research?
• Should cloning be illegal?
• Should societies colonize other planets?
• Should there be legal oversight over the development of technology?

Social Media

• Should there be an age limit on social media?
• Should cyberbullying have the same repercussions as in-person bullying?
• Are online relationships as valuable as in-person relationships?
• Does “cancel culture” have a positive or negative impact on societies?
• Are social media platforms reliable information or news sources?
• Should social media be censored?
• Does social media create an unrealistic standard of beauty?
• Is regular social media usage damaging to real-life interactions?
• Is social media distorting democracy?
• How many branches of government should there be?
• Who is the best/worst president of all time?
• How long should judges serve in the U.S. Supreme Court?
• Should a more significant portion of the U.S. budget be contributed towards education?
• Should the government invest in rapid transcontinental transportation infrastructure?
• Should airport screening be more or less stringent?
• Should the electoral college be dismantled?
• Should the U.S. have open borders?
• Should the government spend more or less money on space exploration?
• Should students sing Christmas carols, say the pledge of allegiance, or perform other tangentially religious activities?
• Should nuns and priests become genderless roles?
• Should schools and other public buildings have prayer rooms?
• Should animal sacrifice be legal if it occurs in a religious context?
• Should countries be allowed to impose a national religion on their citizens?
• Should the church be separated from the state?
• Does freedom of religion positively or negatively affect societies?

Parenting & Family

• Is it better to have children at a younger or older age?
• Is it better for children to go to daycare or stay home with their parents?
• Does birth order affect personality?
• Should parents or the school system teach their kids about sex?
• Are family traditions important?
• Should parents smoke or drink around young children?
• Should “spanking” children be illegal?
• Should parents use swear words in front of their children?
• Should parents allow their children to play violent video games?

Entertainment

• Should all actors be paid the same regardless of gender or ethnicity?
• Should all award shows be based on popular vote?
• Who should be responsible for paying taxes on prize money, the game show staff or the contestants?
• Should movies and television shows have ethnicity and gender quotas?
• Should newspapers and magazines move to a completely online format?
• Should streaming services like Netflix and Hulu be free for students?
• Is the movie rating system still effective?
• Should celebrities have more privacy rights?

Arts & Humanities

• Are libraries becoming obsolete?
• Should all schools have mandatory art or music courses in their curriculum?
• Should offensive language be censored from classic literary works?
• Is it ethical for museums to keep indigenous artifacts?
• Should digital designs be considered an art form? 
• Should abstract art be considered an art form?
• Is music therapy effective?
• Should tattoos be regarded as “professional dress” for work?
• Should schools place greater emphasis on the arts programs?
• Should euthanasia be allowed in hospitals and other clinical settings?
• Should the government support and implement universal healthcare?
• Would obesity rates lower if the government intervened to make healthy foods more affordable?
• Should teenagers be given access to birth control pills without parental consent?
• Should food allergies be considered a disease?
• Should health insurance cover homeopathic medicine?
• Is using painkillers healthy?
• Should genetically modified foods be banned?
• Should there be a tax on unhealthy foods?
• Should tobacco products be banned from the country?
• Should the birth control pill be free for everyone?

If you need more help brainstorming topics, especially those that are personalized to your interests, you can  use CollegeVine’s free AI tutor, Ivy . Ivy can help you come up with original persuasive speech ideas, and she can also help with the rest of your homework, from math to languages.

Do Your Research

A great persuasive speech is supported with plenty of well-researched facts and evidence. So before you begin the writing process, research both sides of the topic you’re presenting in-depth to gain a well-rounded perspective of the topic.

Understand Your Audience

It’s critical to understand your audience to deliver a great persuasive speech. After all, you are trying to convince them that your viewpoint is correct. Before writing your speech, consider the facts and information that your audience may already know, and think about the beliefs and concerns they may have about your topic. Then, address these concerns in your speech, and be mindful to include fresh, new information.

Have Someone Read Your Speech

Once you have finished writing your speech, have someone read it to check for areas of strength and improvement. You can use CollegeVine’s free essay review tool to get feedback on your speech from a peer!

Practice Makes Perfect

After completing your final draft, the key to success is to practice. Present your speech out loud in front of a mirror, your family, friends, and basically, anyone who will listen. Not only will the feedback of others help you to make your speech better, but you’ll become more confident in your presentation skills and may even be able to commit your speech to memory.

Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to write a powerful, unique persuasive speech. With the perfect topic, plenty of practice, and a boost of self-confidence, we know you’ll impress your audience with a remarkable speech!

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Persuasive Speech Topic Examples & Worksheets

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Table of Contents

Persuasive speech is used to argue ‘for’ or ‘against’ a specific point. The aim is to start with a statement (which you either do or don’t agree with) and then use persuasive language to get other people to agree with your point of view. Persuasive speech could be used for a speech read by one person to a crowd, or for a group of people in a debate about a topic.

Of course it’s much easier to use persuasive speech if you pick a statement that you strongly agree or disagree with, but if you’re struggling for ideas then take a look at the following ideas.

100 Examples of Persuasive Speech Topics

1: The death penalty should be removed in all states. 2. The modern world is causing global warming to speed up. 3. The fast food industry is responsible for obesity. 4. People consume too much meat. 5. Violence in video games turns children into violent adults. 6. Plastic surgery should be free for everyone. 7. It should be mandatory for students to walk to school. 8. The legal drinking age needs to be raised. 9. Schools should teach children about body image. 10. Women are better leaders than men. 11. Our grandparents had a healthier diet than we do. 12. The President should step down. 13. All sports stars should be drug tested before every game. 14. University should be mandatory. 15. All children should be given vitamin supplements. 16. The voting age needs to be lowered. 17. Cars should carry a higher tax. 18. Not wearing a seat-belt needs to be made illegal. 19. Marijuana should be legalized in all states. 20. Children should be allowed to move out whenever they want. 21. Male and female players should be allowed on the same sports teams. 22. The world would be better without cars. 23. The USA could solve world hunger. 24. School should start later and finish earlier. 25. Abortion should be considered illegal. 26. It’s OK to use curse words on TV. 27. Suicide needs stricter legislation. 28. Fast food should be taxed. 29. Vitamins added to foods are essential for the future. 30. R-Rated films should be made available for younger viewers. 31. The UK is a better place to live than the US. 32. People in the USA are the happiest in the world. 33. Humans are responsible for the melting ice caps. 34. It should be illegal to leave school before 18. 35. The internet needs to be censored. 36. Speed limits need to be lowered in all towns. 37. Immigration should be limited. 38. Supermarkets should only sell organic fruit and vegetables. 39. People need to drink more water. 40. Women are equal to men in the workplace. 41. Homosexual men should not join the military. 42. We should all get at least 9 hours’ sleep each night. 43. There are aliens outside of our solar system. 44. We should take responsibility for homeless people. 45. Hallowe’en should be a national holiday. 46. Pets help to lower stress levels. 47. Everyone should get the day off on his or her birthday. 48. The world would be better if war was illegal. 49. Condoms should be given out for free in schools. 50. The US should become a dictatorship. 51. Teachers should wear uniforms. 52. Fast food should be banned in schools. 53. Health care should be free for everyone. 54. School holidays need to be twice as long. 55. Wi-fi should be available everywhere. 56. We all have the right to free speech. 57. Cycling is healthier than walking. 58. Sex education should be taught at a lower age. 59. The cost of alcohol needs to be reduced. 60. Gambling should be illegal. 61. Children should be required to read 100 books before leaving school. 62. The government should subsidize healthy restaurants. 63. All criminals should be sentenced to death. 64. Miracles are real. 65. Adoption should be encouraged. 66. Language should never be allowed to change. 67. Everyone in the world needs to speak English. 68. Religion has no place in schools. 69. Unmarried women should not have children. 70. Positive thinking can cure illness. 71. High heel shoes should carry an age rating. 72. The retirement age should be increased. 73. There is life after death. 74. Cats speak in different languages. 75. Going on a diet has no health benefits. 76. Donating blood should be mandatory. 77. All credit card debt should be written off. 78. The moon landing was faked. 79. Animals should be equal to humans. 80. Prostitution should be legalized. 81. Obama is the greatest President of all time. 82. A 3-day weekend should be introduced. 83. Guns should be made illegal. 84. Magazines should ban size zero models. 85. All teenagers should carry out community service. 86. All religion can be disproved by science. 87. The money spent on space exploration is a waste. 88. Private colleges are better than state colleges. 89. Social media will soon go out of fashion. 90. Silent letters in words should be removed. 91. Anyone can become a millionaire. 92. Dangerous animals should be killed. 93. Famous people set a bad example for children. 94. Athletes should never be allowed to move teams. 95. Teenagers should take parenting classes in school. 96. All students should have a year studying abroad. 97. Families don’t spend enough time together. 98. Internet access should be free. 99. Cigarettes should be more expensive. 100. Music videos promote an unhealthy lifestyle.

Persuasive Speech Worksheets

This bundle contains 5 ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect to test student knowledge and understanding of Persuasive speech which is used to argue ‘for’ or ‘against’ a specific point. The aim is to start with a statement (which you either do or don’t agree with) and then use persuasive language to get other people to agree with your point of view.

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101 Incredible Speech Topics for Kids

16 February 2023

Are you looking for some incredible speech topics for kids?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In this blog post, we’ll give you 101 amazing ideas for speech topics that will have your young public speaker feeling confident and excited to take the stage for their next presentation. From discussing their favourite sports team to sharing a personal story, there will surely be a topic on this list that resonates with every child.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Looking for some fun debating topics? Check out our blog on debate topics here !

What makes a good public speaking topic?

Finding good speech topics, especially as a kid, can be an intimidating task.

As children, our interests tend to change, and it may be difficult to find speech topics that we can expand upon and still engage the audience.

It is important to remember that kids should aim to give presentations on any topic they are passionate about. Ideally, when looking for successful kids’ speech topics, school students should pick a particular topic:

• they know well, as this will help them give a good speech without too much extra research;
• that has enough content, which will help with speech length; and
• is interesting and relevant to the audience they’ll be presenting to.

Taking some time to consider all of these factors will go far in making sure kids create informative, valuable presentations that make their parents proud!

The three different kinds of speeches

Whether your child is a budding public speaker or simply looking to bolster their confidence in front of an audience, it’s important to be aware of the three main types of speeches they can give: Informative, Entertaining, and Persuasive speeches.

• An informative speech teaches people something as they explain a process, inform about a topic, or share information with an audience.
• An entertaining speech is more light-hearted and focuses on entertaining an audience with a story, joke, or anecdote.
• A persuasive speech aims to convince an audience of a particular viewpoint. In these types of speeches, it’s important for the speaker to have strong topic knowledge as well as supporting evidence to back up their argument.

By understanding these three speech styles, young public speakers can choose the speaking style that makes them feel the most comfortable and excited about the task of public speaking.

We have provided a range of topics that fit into each of these three speech types and therefore will be perfect for any young public speaker, regardless of their personal preference!

Remember: you can always put a spin on any speech topic to make it more informative, persuasive, or entertaining. Feel free to challenge yourself by turning one of our persuasive speech topics into a comedic presentation or taking an entertaining topic and using it to build a persuasive speech – there is usually no need to restrict yourself to one particular style of expression!

Informative Speech Topics

At our public speaking courses for kids, we know how important it is to find the perfect informative speech topic. We want your young public speakers to explore ideas and topics that resonate with their interests and spark their passion for presenting!

From urban bees to sports nutrition, science experiments to art history, the possibilities are endless!

Our list of kid-friendly speech topics provides a great starting point for creating an informative, engaging presentation. Whether they choose a familiar subject or something new and exciting, our goal is to support student excellence in every way possible.

Check out these informative speech ideas:

• Exploring the Benefits of Outdoor Play
• The History of Video Games
• How to Become an Eco-Friendly Consumer
• The Positive Impact of Music Education
• What Makes a Great Leader?
• The Science Behind Climate Change
• Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
• Understanding the International Space Station
• Discovering Ancient Civilizations
• Exploring Different Cultures Through Dance and Music
• Effects of Social Media on Mental Health
• The Art and Science of Computer Programming
• Every Day Victories
• The Harms of Violent Video Games
• Types of Alternative Energy Sources
• Exploring Different Types of Art
• The Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep
• Ancient Mythology and Folklore
• The Science Behind the Human Brain
• Famous Scientists in History
• The Most Delicious Meal of All Time
• Recycling and Waste Management Solutions
• Global Warming vs Climate Change
• Robotics: Past, Present, and Future
• Understanding the Solar System
• The Biggest Social Issues of our Times
• The Secret Life of…
• Investigating Animal Habitats in Nature
• Why E-Books are the Future
• Exploring the Wonders of Chemistry

Entertaining Speech Topics

Figuring out entertaining topics for public speaking can be a challenge, especially when the speaker is young.

However, the right topic can be the key to making a great impression on your audience.

Whether you are interested in discussing robotics or telling stories of your own life experiences, there is bound to be an entertaining speech topic suitable for everyone!

Our rich variety of topics ensures that young public speakers have plenty of choices when it comes to finding what will make for a captivating performance.

Check out these 30 fun topic ideas that can humour, shock, or entertain the audience:

• Proof that We Live in a Computer Game
• The Best Jokes for Kids
• My Imaginary Friend
• My Crazy Summer Vacation
• How I Got In Trouble With My Parents
• Weird Foods Around the World
• Fun Facts About Dinosaurs
• Frighteningly Funny Ghost Stories
• If I Were a Cartoon Character…
• Embarrassing Moments We’d Rather Forget!
• Epic Pranks I’ve Pulled off So Far
• Interesting Reasons Why We Laugh
• Life Through a Dog’s Eyes
• My Favourite Outdoor Activity
• If I had One Superpower…
• Superheroes and Their Amazing Powers
• The Best Thing About Dragons
• Why Too Much TV is a Good Thing
• Funny Things I’ve Heard on the Bus
• Unusual Hobbies Around the World
• Weird Etiquette Rules That Don’t Make Any Sense
• How to Make Your Own Board Game
• Mysteries of the Deep Sea
• Exploring Outer Space: Astronomy for Kids
• Fantastic Fables from Other Countries
• Bizarre Traditions From Around the World
• The Art of Storytelling: Creative Writing Ideas
• Fun Facts About Animals
• Learning with Lego: Building a Better Future
• The Power of Imagination: Mindful Meditation Techniques

Persuasive Speech Topics

Writing a persuasive speech can be intimidating for kids, but it doesn’t have to be.

Not sure where to start? No problem! We have plenty of kid-friendly persuasive speech topics to get students’ creative juices flowing.

From discussing the importance of friendship and relationship building to spurring environmental awareness, we have the perfect persuasive speech topics for any young public speaker.

Become confident and display your power of persuasion with our helpful advice and engaging list of topics.

Have a look at these 30 persuasive speech topics that can help kids call others to action:

• The Benefits of Social Media
• How to Become a Responsible Citizen
• The Value of Having Good Manners
• Taking Care of the Environment: Reducing Pollution and Waste
• The One Thing I Know About Eating Healthy Foods
• Exercise for Kids: Why It Is Important
• The Impact of Technology on Education
• Building Better Communities Through Community Service
• Developing Self-Discipline for Success in Life
• Argumentative Strategies That Can Be Used In Everyday Life
• The Power of Positive Thinking
• Creating Lasting Memories with Family Time
• Exploring Different Cultures with Travel and Adventure
• The Importance of Teamwork and Collaboration
• My Favourite Restaurant
• Why I Learned a Second Language (and You Should Too)
• Exploring Causes for Climate Change and Possible Solutions
• Learning the Benefits of Reading for Pleasure
• Making Wise Choices When Shopping Responsibly
• Understanding Cyberbullying and Taking Action Against It
• Finding Success in Failure: Reframing the Mindset
• Learning About Money Management through Financial Literacy Programs
• Practising Compassion, Kindness, and Respect For Others
• Building Self-Confidence Through Leadership Activities
• Using Creativity to Solve Everyday Problems
• Exploring Ways to Balance School and Extracurricular Activities
• Making Healthy Choices Through Positive Leadership
• The Wisdom of Being a Young Person
• Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Schools
• Learning How To Analyze Fake News with Critical Thinking Skills

Classic Speech Topics for Kids

Not sure if you want to do an informative, persuasive, or entertaining speech?

Are you looking for classic topics that have been done time and time again but are popular topics for a reason?

Look no further than these classic speech topics:

• My Favorite Book
• What I Learned From My Pet
• How to Have Fun Without Technology
• The Place That Inspires Me the Most
• The Power of Music
• What It Means To Be A Good Friend
• My Best Day Ever
• If I had Three Wishes…
• Living a Simple But Fulfilling Life
• Celebrating Diversity in Our Community
• My Hero: The Person Who Inspires Me the Most

Impromptu and Abstract Speaking Topics

Whilst approaching impromptu and abstract speech topics can be daunting, there actually isn’t much difference between them and normal speech topics.

Impromptu speech topics are usually more generic, providing students with the opportunity to reflect on their own lived experiences and share that with their audience. Rather than spending time finding the perfect content to fit impromptu speech topics, the better approach is generally to bend the topic to something that you’re familiar with and comfortable speaking about, whether it be knitting being the best part of your day or a conversation you had with a friend about time travel.

Being prepared will give your child the confidence necessary to make their presentation successful – so if you’re not sure what speech topic you’re likely to get, make sure to think up plenty of anecdotes before the presentation!

Picking the perfect speech topics for kids

Now that you have a fantastic speech idea, it’s time to get writing!

Let our resources help guide you through the speech crafting process (we’ve got plenty of blogs and videos to help) and give your child the opportunity to shine on the stage. Don’t forget to practice your speaking manner either, including your tone of voice and body language!

Moreover, our in-person and online courses provide step-by-step instruction and guidance throughout each program so kids learn exactly how real-world speaking works – all tailored specifically for your own future speaker.

You can also visit our YouTube Channel for advice to guide you through the entire speech writing process, as well as expert tips for practising your performance!

So don’t wait – take advantage today and get ready to stand out from the crowd with an amazing speech!

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101 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

Use your words to sway the reader.

Persuasive writing is one of those skills that can help students succeed in real life.  Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative , but they rely less on facts and more on emotion to sway the reader. It’s important to know your audience so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them. Try reading some mentor texts to show kids great examples of opinion writing. Then use these persuasive essay topics for practice.

School and Education Persuasive Essay Topics

Life and ethics persuasive essay topics, science and technology persuasive essay topics, sports and entertainment persuasive essay topics, just for fun persuasive essay topics.

• Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?

• Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
• Should schools have dress codes?
• If I could change one school rule, it would be …
• Is year-round school a good idea?
• Should we stop giving final exams?
• Is it better to be good at academics or good at sports?

• Which is better, private schools or public schools?
• Should every student have to participate in athletics?
• Do you think schools should ban junk food from their cafeterias?
• Should students be required to volunteer in their communities?
• What is the most important school subject?
• Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?

• Is it ever OK to cheat on homework or a test?
• Should students get to grade their teachers?
• Do you think college should be free for anyone who wants to attend?
• Should schools be allowed to ban some books from their libraries?
• Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?

• Should all students have to learn a foreign language?
• Are single-gender schools better or worse for students?
• Is it OK to eat animals?
• What animal makes the best pet?
• Visit an animal shelter, choose an animal that needs a home, and write an essay persuading someone to adopt that animal.
• If you find money on the ground, should you try to find the person who lost it, or is it yours to keep?

• Who faces more peer pressure, girls or boys?
• Should all Americans be required to vote?
• Is it better to be kind or truthful?
• Which is better, giving or receiving?
• Is it OK to keep animals in zoos?
• Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?

• Which is more important, happiness or success?
• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Is social media helpful or harmful?
• Should parents be punished for their children’s mistakes or crimes?
• Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed when they’re sleepy?
• Do you think the government should find a way to provide free health care for everyone?

• Is it better to save your allowance or spend it?
• Should we ban plastic bags and bottles?
• Which is better, living in the city or in the country?
• If I could make a new law, it would be …
• Is Pluto a planet?
• Should human cloning be legal?
• Should vaccines be mandatory?
• Is it right for countries to still maintain nuclear weapon arsenals?

• Should testing on animals be made illegal?
• Will expanded use of artificial intelligence be good for humanity?
• Should all people have free Internet access in their homes?
• Is there intelligent life on other planets?
• Does technology create more jobs than it eliminates?
• Should parents use their children’s cell phones to track where they are?
• Should scientists try to develop a way for people to live forever?

• What’s the best type of smartphone: Android or iPhone?
• Which is better, Macs or PCs?
• Do people rely too much on technology in the modern world?
• Should cryptocurrencies replace cash?
• Should there be a minimum age requirement to own a smartphone?
• Is it important to keep spending money on space exploration, or should we use the money for other things?

• Should kids under 13 be allowed to use social media sites?
• Should we ban cigarette smoking and vaping entirely?
• Is it better to be an animal that lives in the water or on land?
• Should kids be allowed to watch TV on school nights?
• Which is better, paper books or e-books?
• Is the current movie rating system (G, PG, PG-13, etc.) effective?
• Are video games better than board games?
• Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?

• Which is better, reading books or watching TV?
• Does playing violent video games make people more violent in real life?
• Are graphic novels just as valuable as traditional fictional books?
• Should everyone play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender?
• Choose a book that’s been made into a movie. Which was better, the movie or the book?

• Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
• Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
• Which is better, fiction or nonfiction?
• The best music genre is …
• What is one book that everyone should read?
• What new sport should be added to the Olympics?

• What’s the best video game system?
• Does playing video games make you smarter?
• Does reality TV actually depict real life?
• Should all neighborhoods have free parks and playgrounds?
• What’s the best holiday?
• The very best food of all time is …
• Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?

• What’s the best season of the year?
• Should you put ketchup on a hot dog?
• Is a taco a sandwich?
• Does fruit count as dessert?
• Should people have to go to school or work on their birthday?
• Are clowns scary or funny?
• Which is more dangerous, werewolves or vampires?

• The best pizza topping is …
• What would be the best superpower to have?
• Should everyone make their bed every day?
• Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
• Should you put pineapple on a pizza?
• Should you eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon or a fork?

• Describe the world’s best ice cream sundae.
• Is Monday the worst day of the week?
• Would you rather travel back in time or forward in time?
• Is it better to be too hot or too cold?
• Are there aliens living among us here on Earth?

What are your favorite persuasive essay topics for students? Come exchange ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school (120+ ideas) ..

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The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (120+ Ideas!)

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100 Persuasive Speech Topics for Students

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There is a small but important difference between planning a persuasive speech and writing a persuasive essay. First, if you are planning a persuasive speech, you should think about a topic that can engage your audience. For this reason, you may want to consider a few topics before settling on the one that allows you to be more descriptive and entertaining.

Another important factor when picking a persuasive speech topic is to choose one that can provoke your audience. If you stir up a little emotion in your audience members, you'll keep their attention. The list below is provided to help you brainstorm. Choose a topic from this list or use the list to generate an idea of your own.

• Studying martial arts is good for mind and health.
• Competitive sports can teach us about life.
• Reality shows are exploiting people.
• Community service should be a graduation requirement for all high school students.
• The characteristics that make a person a hero.
• It's important to grow things in a garden.
• Violent video games are dangerous.
• Lyrics in a song can impact our lives.
• Traveling and studying abroad are positive experiences.
• Journal writing is therapeutic.
• You should spend time with your grandparents.
• A laptop is better than a tablet.
• Religion and science can go hand in hand.
• School uniforms are good.
• All-female colleges and all-male colleges are bad.
• Multiple choice tests are better than essay tests .
• We should not spend money on space exploration.
• Open-book tests are as effective as closed-book tests.
• Security cameras keep us safer.
• Parents should have access to students' grades.
• Small classes are better than big classes.
• You need to start saving for retirement now.
• Credit cards are harmful to college students.
• We should have a royal family.
• We should protect endangered animals.
• Texting while driving is dangerous.
• You can write a novel.
• Recycling should be required in the U.S.
• State colleges are better than private colleges.
• Private colleges are better than state colleges.
• We should do away with penny coins.
• Fast food containers hurt the environment.
• Plastic straws are harmful to the environment.
• You can eat and enjoy healthy snacks.
• You can become a millionaire.
• Dogs are better pets than cats.
• You should own a bird.
• It's unethical to keep birds in cages.
• Liberal arts degrees prepare graduates to be better workers than other degrees.
• Hunting animals should be banned.
• Football is a dangerous sport.
• School days should start later.
• Night school is better than day school.
• Technical training is better than a college degree.
• Immigration laws should be more lenient.
• Students should be able to choose their schools.
• Everyone should learn to play a musical instrument.
• Grass lawns should be prohibited.
• Sharks should be protected.
• We should do away with cars and go back to horse and carriage for transportation.
• We should use more wind power.
• We should pay more taxes.
• We should do away with taxes.
• Teachers should be tested like students.
• We should not interfere in the affairs of other countries.
• Every student should join a club.
• Homeschooling is better than traditional schooling.
• People should stay married for life.
• Smoking in public should be illegal.
• College students should live on campus .
• Parents should let students fail.
• Giving to charity is good.
• Education makes us happier people.
• T​he ​ death penalty should be outlawed.
• Bigfoot is real.
• We should increase train travel to save the environment.
• We should read more classic books.
• Fame is bad for young children.
• Athletes should stay loyal to teams.
• We should reform our prisons.
• Juvenile offenders should not go to boot camps.
• Abraham Lincoln was the best president.
• Abraham Lincoln gets too much credit.
• Students should be allowed to have cell phones in elementary, middle, and high school.
• College student-athletes should be paid for playing.
• Elderly citizens on fixed income should receive free public transportation.
• Colleges and universities should be free to attend.
• All American citizens should complete one year of community service.
• Students should be required to take Spanish classes.
• Every student should be required to learn at least one foreign language .
• Marijuana should be legal for recreational use nationwide.
• Commercial testing of products on animals should no longer be allowed.
• High school students should be required to participate in at least one team sport.
• The drinking age in the U.S. should be 25.
• Replacing fossil fuels with cheaper alternative energy options should be mandated.
• Churches need to contribute their share of taxes.
• The Cuba embargo should be maintained by the U.S.
• America should replace income taxes with a nationwide flat tax.
• Once they reach the age of 18, all U.S. citizens should be automatically registered to vote .
• Doctor-assisted suicide should be legal.
• Spammers—people who bombard the internet with unsolicited email—should be banned from sending junk mail.
• Every automobile driver should be required to take a new driver's test every three years.
• Electroshock treatment is not a humane form of therapy.
• Global warming is not real.
• Single-parent adoption should be encouraged and promoted.
• Gun companies should be held accountable for gun crimes.
• Human cloning is not moral.
• Religion does not belong in public education.
• Juveniles should not be tried as adults.
• American workers should be guaranteed a three-day weekend by law.
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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 105 interesting persuasive speech topics for any project.

General Education

Are you struggling to find good persuasive speech topics? It can be hard to find a topic that interests both you and your audience, but in this guide we've done the hard work and created a list of 105 great persuasive speech ideas. They're organized into ten categories and cover a variety of topics, so you're sure to find one that interests you.

In addition to our list, we also go over which factors make good persuasive speech topics and three tips you should follow when researching and writing your persuasive speech.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Speech Topic?

What makes certain persuasive speech topics better than others? There are numerous reasons, but in this section we discuss three of the most important factors of great topics for a persuasive speech.

It's Something You Know About or Are Interested in Learning About

The most important factor in choosing and creating a great persuasive speech is picking a topic you care about and are interested in. You'll need to do a lot of research on this topic, and if it's something you like learning about, that'll make the process much easier and more enjoyable. It'll also help you sound passionate and informed when you talk, both important factors in giving an excellent persuasive speech.

It's a Topic People Care About

In fourth grade, after being told I could give a persuasive speech on any topic I wanted to , I chose to discuss why the Saguaro cactus should be the United State's national plant. Even though I gave an impassioned talk and drew a life-size Saguaro cactus on butcher paper to hang behind me, I doubt anyone enjoyed the speech much.

I'd recently returned from a family vacation to Arizona where I'd seen Saguaro cacti for the first time and decided they were the coolest thing ever. However, most people don't care that much about Saguaro cacti, and most people don't care what our national plant is or if we even have one (for the record, the US has a national flower, and it's the rose).

Spare yourself the smattering of bored applause my nine-old self got at the end of my speech and choose something you think people will be interested in hearing about. This also ties into knowing your audience, which we discuss more in the final section.

It Isn't Overdone

When I was in high school, nearly every persuasive speech my classmates and I were assigned was the exact same topic: should the drinking age be lowered to 18? I got this prompt in English class, on standardized tests, in speech and debate class, etc. I've written and presented about it so often I could probably still rattle off all the main points of my old speeches word-for-word.

You can imagine that everyone's eyes glazed over whenever classmates gave their speeches on this topic. We'd heard about it so many times that, even if it was a topic we cared about, speeches on it just didn't interest us anymore.

The are many potential topics for a persuasive speech. Be wary of choosing one that's cliche or overdone. Even if you give a great speech, it'll be harder to keep your audience interested if they feel like they already know what you're going to say.

An exception to this rule is that if you feel you have a new viewpoint or facts about the topic that currently aren't common knowledge. Including them can make an overdone topic interesting. If you do this, be sure to make it clear early on in your speech that you have unique info or opinions on the topic so your audience knows to expect something new.

105 Topics for a Persuasive Speech

Here's our list of 105 great persuasive speech ideas. We made sure to choose topics that aren't overdone, yet that many people will have an interest in, and we also made a point of choosing topics with multiple viewpoints rather than simplistic topics that have a more obvious right answer (i.e. Is bullying bad?). The topics are organized into ten categories.

Arts/Culture

• Should art and music therapy be covered by health insurance?
• Should all students be required to learn an instrument in school?
• Should all national museums be free to citizens?
• Should graffiti be considered art?
• Should offensive language be removed from works of classic literature?
• Are paper books better than e-books?
• Should all interns be paid for their work?
• Should employees receive bonuses for walking or biking to work?
• Will Brexit hurt or help the UK's economy?
• Should all people over the age of 65 be able to ride the bus for free?
• Should the federal minimum wage be increased?
• Should tipping in restaurants be mandatory?
• Should Black Friday sales be allowed to start on Thanksgiving?
• Should students who bully others be expelled?
• Should all schools require students wear uniforms?
• Should boys and girls be taught in separate classrooms?
• Should students be allowed to listen to music during study hall?
• Should all elementary schools be required to teach a foreign language?
• Should schools include meditation or relaxation breaks during the day?
• Should grades in gym class affect students' GPAs?
• Should teachers get a bonus when their students score well on standardized tests?
• Should children of undocumented immigrants be allowed to attend public schools?
• Should students get paid for getting a certain GPA?
• Should students be allowed to have their cell phones with them during school?
• Should high school students be allowed to leave school during lunch breaks?
• Should Greek life at colleges be abolished?
• Should high school students be required to volunteer a certain number of hours before they can graduate?
• Should schools still teach cursive handwriting?
• What are the best ways for schools to stop bullying?
• Should prostitution be legalized?
• Should people with more than one DUI lose their driver's license?
• Should people be required to shovel snow from the sidewalks in front of their house?
• Should minors be able to drink alcohol in their home if they have their parent's consent?
• Should guns be allowed on college campuses?
• Should flag burning as a form of protest be illegal?
• Should welfare recipients be required to pass a drug test?
• Should white supremacist groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
• Should assault weapons be illegal?
• Should the death penalty be abolished?
• Should beauty pageants for children be banned?
• Is it OK to refuse to serve same-sex couples based on religious beliefs?
• Should transgender people be allowed to serve in the military?
• Is it better to live together before marriage or to wait?
• Should affirmative action be allowed?
• Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
• Should Columbus Day be replaced with Indigenous Peoples' Day?

Government/Politics

• Should the government spend more money on developing high-speed rail lines and less on building new roads?
• Should the government be allowed to censor internet content deemed inappropriate?
• Should Puerto Rico become the 51st state?
• Should Scotland declare independence from the United Kingdom?
• Whose face should be on the next new currency printed by the US?
• Should people convicted of drug possession be sent to recovery programs instead of jail?
• Should voting be made compulsory?
• Who was the best American president?
• Should the military budget be reduced?
• Should the President be allowed to serve more than two terms?
• Should a border fence be built between the United States and Mexico?
• Should countries pay ransom to terrorist groups in order to free hostages?
• Should minors be able to purchase birth control without their parent's consent?
• Should hiding or lying about your HIV status with someone you're sleeping with be illegal?
• Should governments tax soda and other sugary drinks and use the revenue for public health?
• Should high schools provide free condoms to students?
• Should the US switch to single-payer health care?
• Should healthy people be required to regularly donate blood?
• Should assisted suicide be legal?
• Should religious organizations be required to pay taxes?
• Should priests be allowed to get married?
• Should the religious slaughter of animals be banned?
• Should the Church of Scientology be exempt from paying taxes?
• Should women be allowed to be priests?
• Should countries be allowed to only accept refugees with certain religious beliefs?
• Should public prayer be allowed in schools?

Science/Environment

• Should human cloning be allowed?
• Should people be allowed to own exotic animals like tigers and monkeys?
• Should "animal selfies" in tourist locations with well-known animal species (like koalas and tigers) be allowed?
• Should genetically modified foods be sold in grocery stores?
• Should people be allowed to own pit bulls?
• Should parents be allowed to choose the sex of their unborn children?
• Should vaccinations be required for students to attend public school?
• What is the best type of renewable energy?
• Should plastic bags be banned in grocery stores?
• Should the United States rejoin the Paris Agreement?
• Should puppy mills be banned?
• Should fracking be legal?
• Should animal testing be illegal?
• Should offshore drilling be allowed in protected marine areas?
• Should the US government increase NASA's budget?
• Should Pluto still be considered a planet?
• Should college athletes be paid for being on a sports team?
• Should all athletes be required to pass regular drug tests?
• Should professional female athletes be paid the same as male athletes in the same sport?
• Are there any cases when athletes should be allowed to use steroids?
• Should college sports teams receive less funding?
• Should boxing be illegal?
• Should schools be required to teach all students how to swim?
• Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
• Should parents let their children play tackle football?
• Will robots reduce or increase human employment opportunities?
• What age should children be allowed to have a cell phone?
• Should libraries be replaced with unlimited access to e-books?
• Overall, has technology helped connect people or isolate them?
• Should self-driving cars be legal?
• Should all new buildings be energy efficient?
• Is Net Neutrality a good thing or a bad thing?
• Do violent video games encourage players to become violent in real life?

3 Bonus Tips for Crafting Your Persuasive Speech

Of course, giving a great persuasive speech requires more than just choosing a good topic. Follow the three tips below to create an outstanding speech that'll interest and impress your audience.

Do Your Research

For a persuasive speech, there's nothing worse than getting an audience question that shows you misunderstood the issue or left an important piece out. It makes your entire speech look weak and unconvincing.

Before you start writing a single word of your speech, be sure to do lots of research on all sides of the topic. Look at different sources and points of view to be sure you're getting the full picture, and if you know any experts on the topic, be sure to ask their opinion too.

Consider All the Angles

Persuasive speech topics are rarely black and white, which means there will be multiple sides and viewpoints on the topic. For example, for the topic "Should people be allowed to own pit bulls?" there are two obvious viewpoints: everyone should be allowed to own a pit bull if they want to, and no one should be allowed to own a pit bull. But there are other options you should also consider: people should only own a pit bull if they pass a dog training class, people should be able to own pit bulls, but only if it's the only dog they own, people should be able to own pi tbulls but only if they live a certain distance from schools, people should be able to own pit bulls only if the dog passes an obedience class, etc.

Thinking about all these angles and including them in your speech will make you seem well-informed on the topic, and it'll increase the quality of your speech by looking at difference nuances of the issue.

Know Your Audience

Whenever you give a speech, it's important to consider your audience, and this is especially true for persuasive speeches when you're trying to convince people to believe a certain viewpoint. When writing your speech, think about what your audience likely already knows about the topic, what they probably need explained, and what aspects of the topic they care about most. Also consider what the audience will be most concerned about for a certain topic, and be sure to address those concerns.

For example, if you're giving a speech to a Catholic organization on why you think priests should be allowed to marry, you don't need to go over the history of Catholicism or its core beliefs (which they probably already know), but you should mention any research or prominent opinions that support your view (which they likely don't know about). They may be concerned that priests who marry won't be as committed to God or their congregations, so be sure to address those concerns and why they shouldn't worry about them as much as they may think. Discussing your topic with people (ideally those with viewpoints similar to those of your future audience) before you give your speech is a good way to get a better understanding of how your audience thinks.

More Resources for Writing Persuasive Speeches

If you need more guidance or just want to check out some examples of great persuasive writing, consider checking out the following books:

• Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History by William Safire—This collection of great speeches throughout history will help you decide how to style your own argument.
• The Essentials of Persuasive Public Speaking by Sims Wyeth—For quick direct tips on public speaking, try this all-purpose guide.
• Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo—This popular book breaks down what makes TED talks work and how you can employ those skills in your own presentations.
• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman—These two recent speeches by contemporary writers offer stellar examples of how to craft a compelling (and engaging) argument.

Conclusion: Persuasive Speech Ideas

Good persuasive speech topics can be difficult to think of, but in this guide we've compiled a list of 105 interesting persuasive speech topics for you to look through.

The best persuasive speech ideas will be on a topic you're interested in, aren't overdone, and will be about something your audience cares about.

After you've chosen your topic, keep these three tips in mind when writing your persuasive speech:

• Do your research
• Consider all the angles
• Know your audience

What's Next?

Now that you have persuasive speech topics, it's time to hone your persuasive speech techniques. Find out what ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos are and how to use them here .

Looking to take your persuasive technique from speech to sheets (of paper)? Get our three key tips on how to write an argumentative essay , or learn by reading through our thorough breakdown of how to build an essay, step by step .

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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75 Persuasive Speech Topics and Ideas

October 4, 2018 - Gini Beqiri

To write a captivating and persuasive speech you must first decide on a topic that will engage, inform and also persuade the audience. We have discussed how to choose a topic and we have provided a list of speech ideas covering a wide range of categories.

What is persuasive speech?

The aim of a persuasive speech is to inform, educate and convince or motivate an audience to do something. You are essentially trying to sway the audience to adopt your own viewpoint.

The best persuasive speech topics are thought-provoking, daring and have a clear opinion. You should speak about something you are knowledgeable about and can argue your opinion for, as well as objectively discuss counter-arguments.

How to choose a topic for your speech

It’s not easy picking a topic for your speech as there are many options so consider the following factors when deciding.

Familiarity

Topics that you’re familiar with will make it easier to prepare for the speech.

It’s best if you decide on a topic in which you have a genuine interest in because you’ll be doing lots of research on it and if it’s something you enjoy the process will be significantly easier and more enjoyable. The audience will also see this enthusiasm when you’re presenting which will make the speech more persuasive.

The audience’s interest

The audience must care about the topic. You don’t want to lose their attention so choose something you think they’ll be interested in hearing about.

Consider choosing a topic that allows you to be more descriptive because this allows the audience to visualize which consequently helps persuade them.

Not overdone

When people have heard about a topic repeatedly they’re less likely to listen to you as it doesn’t interest them anymore. Avoid cliché or overdone topics as it’s difficult to maintain your audience’s attention because they feel like they’ve heard it all before.

An exception to this would be if you had new viewpoints or new facts to share. If this is the case then ensure you clarify early in your speech that you have unique views or information on the topic.

Emotional topics

Emotions are motivators so the audience is more likely to be persuaded and act on your requests if you present an emotional topic.

People like hearing about issues that affect them or their community, country etc. They find these topics more relatable which means they find them more interesting. Look at local issues and news to discover these topics.

Desired outcome

What do you want your audience to do as a result of your speech? Use this as a guide to choosing your topic, for example, maybe you want people to recycle more so you present a speech on the effect of microplastics in the ocean.

Persuasive speech topics

Lots of timely persuasive topics can be found using social media, the radio, TV and newspapers. We have compiled a list of 75 persuasive speech topic ideas covering a wide range of categories.

Some of the topics also fall into other categories and we have posed the topics as questions so they can be easily adapted into statements to suit your own viewpoint.

• Should pets be adopted rather than bought from a breeder?
• Should wild animals be tamed?
• Should people be allowed to own exotic animals like monkeys?
• Should all zoos and aquariums be closed?

Arts/Culture

• Should art and music therapy be covered by health insurance?
• Should graffiti be considered art?
• Should all students be required to learn an instrument in school?
• Should automobile drivers be required to take a test every three years?
• Are sports cars dangerous?
• Should bicycles share the roads with cars?
• Should bicycle riders be required by law to always wear helmets?

Business and economy

• Do introverts make great leaders?
• Does owning a business leave you feeling isolated?
• What is to blame for the rise in energy prices?
• Does hiring cheaper foreign employees hurt the economy?
• Should interns be paid for their work?
• Should employees receive bonuses for walking or biking to work?
• Should tipping in restaurants be mandatory?
• Should boys and girls should be taught in separate classrooms?
• Should schools include meditation breaks during the day?
• Should students be allowed to have their mobile phones with them during school?
• Should teachers have to pass a test every decade to renew their certifications?
• Should online teaching be given equal importance as the regular form of teaching?
• Is higher education over-rated?
• What are the best ways to stop bullying?
• Should people with more than one DUI lose their drivers’ licenses?
• Should prostitution be legalised?
• Should guns be illegal in the US?
• Should cannabis be legalised for medical reasons?
• Is equality a myth?
• Does what is “right” and “wrong” change from generation to generation?
• Is there never a good enough reason to declare war?
• Should governments tax sugary drinks and use the revenue for public health?
• Has cosmetic surgery risen to a level that exceeds good sense?
• Is the fast-food industry legally accountable for obesity?
• Should school cafeterias only offer healthy food options?
• Is acupuncture a valid medical technique?
• Should assisted suicide be legal?
• Does consuming meat affect health?
• Is dieting a good way to lose weight?

Law and politics

• Should voting be made compulsory?
• Should the President (or similar position) be allowed to serve more than two terms?
• Would poverty reduce by fixing housing?
• Should drug addicts be sent for treatment in hospitals instead of prisons?
• Would it be fair for the government to detain suspected terrorists without proper trial?
• Is torture acceptable when used for national security?
• Should celebrities who break the law receive stiffer penalties?
• Should the government completely ban all cigarettes and tobacco products
• Is it wrong for the media to promote a certain beauty standard?
• Is the media responsible for the moral degradation of teenagers?
• Should advertising be aimed at children?
• Has freedom of press gone too far?
• Should prayer be allowed in public schools?
• Does religion have a place in government?
• How do cults differ from religion?

Science and the environment

• Should recycling be mandatory?
• Should genetically modified foods be sold in supermarkets?
• Should parents be allowed to choose the sex of their unborn children?
• Should selling plastic bags be completely banned in shops?
• Should smoking in public places be banned?
• Should professional female athletes be paid the same as male athletes in the same sport?
• Should doping be allowed in professional sports?
• Should schools be required to teach all students how to swim?
• How does parental pressure affect young athletes?
• Will technology reduce or increase human employment opportunities?
• What age should children be allowed to have mobile phones?
• Should libraries be replaced with unlimited access to e-books?
• Should we recognize Bitcoin as a legal currency?
• Should bloggers and vloggers be treated as journalists and punished for indiscretions?
• Has technology helped connect people or isolate them?
• Should mobile phone use in public places be regulated?
• Do violent video games make people more violent?

World peace

• What is the safest country in the world?
• Is planetary nuclear disarmament possible?
• Is the idea of peace on earth naive?

These topics are just suggestions so you need to assess whether they would be suitable for your particular audience. You can easily adapt the topics to suit your interests and audience, for example, you could substitute “meat” in the topic “Does consuming meat affect health?” for many possibilities, such as “processed foods”, “mainly vegan food”, “dairy” and so on.

After choosing your topic

After you’ve chosen your topic it’s important to do the following:

• Research thoroughly
• Think about all of the different viewpoints
• Tailor to your audience – discussing your topic with others is a helpful way to gain an understanding of your audience.
• How involved are you with this topic – are you a key character?
• Have you contributed to this area, perhaps through blogs, books, papers and products.
• How qualified are you to speak on this topic?
• Do you have personal experience in it? How many years?
• How long have you been interested in the area?

While it may be difficult to choose from such a variety of persuasive speech topics, think about which of the above you have the most knowledge of and can argue your opinion on.

For advice about how to deliver your persuasive speech, check out our blog  Persuasive Speech Outline and Ideas .

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Speech topics for children

141 best speech topics for kids: middle school and up

By:  Susan Dugdale  

Providing suitable school speech topics for children is often a real challenge.

(And, yes, I know that's an understatement! I've been there as the parent AND as the teacher. Finding that gem of an idea to light up a child's imagination can be a mutually exhausting exercise. Hopefully this page will provide the speech topic you need very quickly. ☺)

What's on this page

• 8 themed lists of speech topic suggestions
•  Community and social issues
• Arts and culture
• Fun and whimsy
• Sports and games
• Seasons and nature
• Animals, birds, fish
• Hobbies and interests

Finding suitable speech topics for children

As their teachers or parents, we want stimulating, interesting subjects for them to work with. However we also need them to be aligned with their age group.

If we make the topics too adult, we risk pushing them into areas they're too young to cope with. If we make them too simplistic, we run the risk of minimizing or patronizing their growing sense of awareness.

As in everything, we need to find the balance.

These speech ideas have worked well for me with middle-school children, aged between 11 years to approximately 14 years.

You'll find some are more suitable for an imaginative child and others for a practical, factual child. Of course, the topic you select will also depend on the objective or goal for the speech.

And if by small chance you reach the end of the page and no speech idea has leaped out to grab you, there's another 50+ elocution topics for kids waiting here.

School Speech Topics for Children - Community, School & Social Issues

• That more 'green' space (parks) should be set aside for community use
• That recycling should be compulsory
• Everyone should do some sort of regular community service.
• That large non-electric cars should be banned
• What rights should a child have and why?
• Smacking a child should be illegal
• Does watching violent TV programs make a child think violence is acceptable?
• Everybody should have access to healthy affordable housing.
• Does advertising influence our food choices?
• Do certain types of pop music teach the wrong values?
• Should students have the right to choose what school they go to?
• Class sizes should be limited to 20
• What do you like most about your school?
• The school leaving age should be abolished.
• Parents should not pay (bribe) their children to get good grades.
• Standardized tests are not a reliable a measure of a person's intelligence.
• The words we use and how we say them influences how people behave toward us
• Failing a class can be a positive thing.
• Clothes and being fashionable are way too important.
• Wearing a school uniform lessens the distinctions between those who come from more affluent homes and those who don't.
• Coed schools are better.
• Extra tuition for those who want or need it should be available free of charge.
• Bullying behavior needs to be dealt with promptly and firmly.
• Parents should monitor how we use the internet.
• Chat rooms can be dangerous
• Earbuds are anti-social
• Good manners are important

Speech Topics for Children - Arts & Culture

• Graffiti is art.
• Explain a cultural festival or practice of significance to you that others may not know about or appreciate.
• Why are film stars so popular?
• Who is your favorite screen hero and why?
• What is pop art?
• Who is your favorite book/cartoon character and why?
• What inspires you about dance/art/drama/music or film?
• If you were to write a book for your age group to read what would it be about?
• My favorite festival is...
• I learn the piano, violin, trumpet, drums (insert whatever instrument)...because...
• The type of art I like to look at is...
• Strange facts about artists, dancers, musicians etc.
• If I was a famous screen star I would...
• My favorite story/poem/song as a little child was...

Speech Topics for Children - Fun & Whimsy

• A day in my life as a... table, pencil, car, potato, bicycle, blackboard, window, ball, or anything else!
• If I ruled the world...
• Why I am on the top of Santa's nice/naughty list this year
• If I was a parent, the ground rules I would make are...
• When I'm famous it will be for...
• The silliest practical joke I ever played
• If I had three wishes they would be...
• If I re-wrote the story of 'The Three Little Pigs', 'Cinderella' etc. it would go like this...
• I am a fashion guru and I have decided the new trend will be...
• What I think of people from the viewpoint of a tree in the school grounds.
• My secret life as a hero.
• My greatest and best invention.
• Weird and wonderful words - what do they mean?
• How to write using invisible ink.
• My secret code...How to invent and use a coded language.

School Speech Topics for Children - Sports & Games

• Explain the game of checkers/drafts/chess.
• My favorite sporting hero is...
• The best summer sport is...
• I enjoy learning gymnastics, martial arts...because...
• Extreme sports are dangerously exciting.
• In winter I love to ski, ice skate...
• Everybody should learn to play a team sport.
• Sport should not be compulsory.
• The best indoor games are...
• The best on-line games are...
• In sport, the rules are there to protect the players.
• What I learnt through learning to play...
• Winning is not so important as participating.
• Strange sports or games.

Speech Topics for Children - Food

• The best meal in the world is...
• The foods I do not like are...
• My favorite food to make is...
• What's in my lunch box compared to what's in my friend's. 
• How I learnt to cook.
• Healthy food I really like
• The best sandwich fillings in the world
• The best birthday party food
• My favorite Christmas (celebration) food.
• Mealtimes in our house - a description
• Table manners...Are they important?
• When we eat out, my favorite thing to order is...
• Fashions in food. What foods used to be eaten regularly that has now gone out of fashion?
• What food do you eat most of? Potatoes? Bread? Pasta? How many different ways is it served?

Speech Topics for Children - Seasons & Nature

• Why do we have seasons?
• How and why does a tree change the color of its leaves in the fall?
• How does a tree grow?
• What type of wind has the greatest impact where you live? Monsoon? Mistral? The Cape Doctor?
• Why does the sky appear blue?
• Why do we have day and night time?
• How come the earth goes round and round?
• What are stars?
• How does gravity work?
• Why are there tides?
• Explain how snow is formed.
• How is a diamond made?
• What is global warming?
• Show the patterns formed in frost.
• How does a rainbow work?
• Research strange plants - carnivorous etc.
• What and where are the biggest trees in the world?
• How and why should we conserve nature?

Speech Topics for Children - Animals/Birds/Fish

• Why is a dog often called a "man's best friend"?
• Are there bad dogs or bad dog owners?
• What is horse sense?
• Do animals communicate with each other? If so, how?
• What birds or wild animals do you see regularly in your home area?
• How has the horse been used by man throughout history?
• What animal makes a great pet and why?
• How to look after a pet properly
• Do animals really think or do we only think they do?
• Is hunting animals fair?
• Is eating meat fair?
• What rights should animals have?
• Tell an inspiring true story about an animal.
• Are zoos good places and why?
• Find out about conserving animals/birds/fish in your local area.
• Retell a myth or legend about an animal/fish/bird.
• Research strange or rare animals/birds or fish.
• Interview a pet shop owner to find out what are the most popular pets.
• What do you think about restrictions around fishing?
• Should having a pet cat be banned because they catch birds?
• What is the symbolism associated with some animals/birds or fish? For example, a lion stands for courage or strength.

Speech Topics for Children - Hobbies/Interests

• My doll/car/card etc collection
• How to make a model car, truck, plane ...
• How to sew your own clothes
• How to knit
• How to take a good photograph
• The best board games to play with friends
• The best online games for kids
• How to play an instrument - a flute, a violin, guitar, piano...
• How to make a garden
• How to do a magic trick, or two
• How to fold paper (origami)
• How to put on a play or a concert for friends and family
• How to make finger puppets
• How to scrapbook
• How to learn another language
• How to ride a horse, skateboard, etc
• The best rainy-day activities are...
• How to tell a joke
• The best thing I've ever learnt...

Other resources for children's speech topics and speeches

If you've found nothing here to ignite your imagination do try this page of 50+ elocution topics for kids.

If you're here looking for a topic for your own child, go through both pages with them: this one and the other. Suggest other possibilities and adaptions of the topics as you go. You'll need to find a subject they genuinely care about and it's best if the final decision is made by them!

Writing a speech for children

Were you looking for information to help you write a speech for children rather than speech topics for them to use? If so, you'll find this page How to write a speech for kids useful.

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How to Teach Persuasive Writing in K-2

Susan Jones January 10, 2021 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate ads at no cost to you. See my disclosures for more information.

If you are wondering how to teach persuasive writing in kindergarten, first grade, or second grade, then this blog post is for you! I have three easy tips I am going to share with you that will help you and your students.

Before I dive in, I want to clarify two little things. First, when I teach students how to write persuasive pieces, I have already taught them how to write an opinion and provide some reasons. I like to teach students what an opinion is, how to share it, and provide reasons for it using a unit like this one: opinion writing unit , before asking them to persuade someone! Second, when teaching persuasive writing to my youngest students, I like to do this through letters. I find that when we can identify a real audience and write them a letter, students can think of better ways to persuade them. Okay, let’s dive into the three tips.

If you want to watch/listen to this content, feel free to press play on my YouTube video below where I share all the same information! While you are there, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see all my teaching videos:

To read the three tips, just keep scrolling!

Tip 1: Use Mentor Texts

These books are specifically for persuasive writing and one of my absolute favorites is Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings. In this book, a little dog named Arfy writes letters to different people to try and get them to adopt him. I particularly like this book because based on his audience, he uses different reasons to persuade. This is something we talk about in one of the later tips as well!

Another text I love to use to showcase persuasive letters is I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. This is a popular one! In this book, a little boy named Alex writes letters to his mom trying to persuade her to let him have a pet iguana. The entire book is written back and forth with letters between Alex and his mother and each letter provides reasons why he should or shouldn’t be allowed to own a pet iguana. This one is also fun because in the end, (spoiler alert) Alex ends up getting the iguana he wanted! This shows students the power of persuasion and lets the dream of something they really want and come up with ways to get it.

The last mentor text I want to share is a different one. This is one I use at the end of our unit. It is called, Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf and it is written by an 11-year old girl named Oliva Bouler. When I teach persuasive writing in a K-2 classroom, our letters tend to be pretty self-serving. This isn’t a bad thing at all! In fact, that’s why writing the letters can be so much fun – to try and get what we want. This text, however, lets students see how powerful our words can be and how we can try to persuade people to make the world a better place.

In  Olivia’s Birds , the author shares all sorts of interesting facts about different birds with her illustrations and how some human acts are destroying the birds’ habitats. In the end, she writes a persuasive letter to the Audubon Society and ends up single-handedly raising over $150,000 to help her cause! I love this book because it is inspiring and gets students thinking of ways they can change the world with their voices!

Please note: all books shown above are Amazon affiliate links

After we read Olivia’s Birds, we can use her ideas as an extension to write our own class book. Here are some of the ideas we use to brainstorm our own class persuasive letter:

Tip 2: Have your students Identify Persuasion in a Mentor Text

When using mentor texts, not only do I like to have students see persuasive writing in action, but I like to have them identify the persuasion in the texts. We do this using a think-aloud sheet like shown below.

As we read one of the mentor texts, we identify what the character wants, who the audience is, and then some of the reasons the character uses to persuade their audience. When doing this, I model this think-aloud with the class first and I use some student input as we gather reasons to persuade. I like having students walk through this process before we actually write our letters because it gets them used to brainstorming what they want, their audience, and some reasons to persuade. I also like this sheet because we can use it over and over again with different mentor texts!

You can grab this think-aloud sheet FREE here >> Persuasive Writing Activity and try it out in your own classroom!

Tip 3: Connect Reasons to their Audience

Unlike when we write opinions and share our reasons for them, persuasive writing has us making our reasons more personal. If we are trying to persuade someone, we need to think more in-depth about our audience! When doing this, I love to use a think-aloud and the mentor text, Can I Be Your Dog? which was shown above. Using a chart like shown below, we think about the different reasons Arfy uses to persuade his different audiences.

As we re-read the mentor text, we talk about how Arfy uses different reasons to persuade the people in the yellow house than the reasons he uses to persuade the fire station. This gets students not just thinking about what THEY want, but also how THEIR AUDIENCE could be persuaded!

I re-emphasize this as I model planning out my own persuasive letter to my principal! I like to use a fun example. I explain that when I speak to my son, I might use “baby voice” but I wouldn’t use that same baby voice with my boss! We need to speak differently and think of reasons that connect with each of our own audiences in order to effectively persuade them.

Those are the 3 tips I have to help you teach your students write persuasive letters! If you have other mentor texts or ideas that you love using with your kindergarten, first grade, or second-grade students, please drop them in the comments!

If you want to see more videos with ideas for teaching writing in a K-2 classroom, just click my writing workshop playlist below:

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Reader Interactions

July 18, 2021 at 2:54 pm

Very useful lessons of writing Thank you

October 1, 2021 at 9:06 pm

I just finished watching your first writing video and found it very educational. I have recently started to homeschool my fourth-grade son. I am noticing he finds it very difficult to think of information to write when he is writing from a prompt or a book. I am thinking about starting at a lower level of writing perhaps maybe first grade or kindergarten in order to build his writing confidence. I am open to any suggestions, please.

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Opinion Writing Unit

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Persuasive Writing Examples and Prompts for Kids

Is your student stepping into the world of persuasive writing? 

As a parent, it’s fun to watch your child learn the art of forming and supporting an argument. 

(Plus, it’s a significant step toward critical thinking.)

If they need extra help, here are a few persuasive writing examples for kids along with 20 writing prompts to make it fun!

Why Persuasive Writing Is Important for Elementary Writers

Teaching persuasive writing is important because it’s a fundamental step in helping your child think critically. 

By arguing a topic, your student will need to examine both sides, which is an essential component of critical thinking. Persuasive writing also inspires formation of opinion and sharing that opinion effectively.

Students as young as elementary-school age can learn to write persuasively. In fact, we’ll share some quick examples of persuasive essays for kids below. 

First, let’s discuss the structure of a “mini” persuasive essay. 

(If you have an older student, read our step-by-step guide to writing a persuasive essay .)

A Simplified Structure for Persuasive Writing 

Of course, expectations and writing guidelines become more involved for older students, but elementary-aged students should keep it simple. 

The basic features of persuasive writing can be broken down into 5 steps:

• Topic sentence
• Opening argument 1
• Concluding statement

A topic sentence introduces the argument and clearly expresses the writer’s viewpoint. For a younger child, this is simply a straightforward statement that clearly expresses “this is my opinion.”

The next three steps list “pros” that support their topic statement. Each argument should be distinctly stated. 

Again, for an elementary-aged student, arguments can be brief and can simply be a list of reasons. 

The concluding statement wraps up by summarizing the arguments and restating the opinion. 

If this method of persuasive writing sounds complicated at first, rest assured, it’s not. 

Let’s look at how you can easily reinforce this structure for your students, along with some examples.

Homeschool Mom Tip: Use a “Persuasive Text Structure” Poster

One effective method of teaching and reinforcing the persuasive writing model is by using a “persuasive structure” chart or poster. 

A visual representation of the steps involved in persuasive writing is important for a few reasons:

• Some students learn best visually. It helps them understand and remember the method when they see it laid out in front of them.
• Graphic illustrations of the different components allow students to take in one piece at a time and avoid overwhelm. 
• Hanging the poster where your children do their schoolwork makes it easy for them to reference the structure while they’re writing. 
• Knowing the poster is nearby in case they get stuck helps make writing a calmer process.

One other tip I recommend is breaking up essay-style writing with creative writing assignments. ( Try these one-sentence writing prompts! ).

Kid-Friendly Persuasive Writing Examples

Along with tools like a poster, providing simple examples of persuasive writing is another helpful way to teach this new concept. 

Here are a few examples of elementary-level persuasive paragraph examples that will give both you and your student an idea of what to expect. 

Example 1: A Persuasive Argument About Cats

Cats are the best pets. They can be left alone all day without getting mad. Cats don’t bark, so they are not noisy like dogs. You don’t have to let cats go outside to use the bathroom. As you can see, cats are less work and easier to take care of than dogs.

Example 2: A Persuasive Argument About Meal Choices

French fries should be served with every meal. First, French fries are delicious. Second, French fries are made of potatoes, which are vegetables, and they can air-fried without oil. Also, French fries don’t cost a lot of money. Because they are tasty, cheap, and can be cooked in a healthy way, French fries a perfect side dish to every meal.

Example 3: A Persuasive Argument Against Littering

You should never litter because it is wrong. Littering pollutes the Earth. Littering is throwing trash around outside, which looks ugly. Littering can also make you sick if it has germs on it. Littering is wrong because it makes the world a dirty, unsanitary place to live.

20 Persuasive Writing Prompts for Kids 

When you provide a step-by-step structure and supply examples of what is expected, you set your student up for writing success.

The final step in teaching persuasive writing to kids effectively is to present them with an antidote to the dreaded blank page. 

To assist you with that, we’ve come up with 20 persuasive writing topics for your students to make it easier for them to get them started on their persuasive essays. 

If they can’t come up with their own topics, one of these prompts should spark their interest. 

These ideas for persuasive essays cover a wide variety of topics, so there should be something for everyone. 

Plus, since persuasive writing is closely related to debate, you can also use these prompts as persuasive debate topics for kids :

• I deserve to be paid for my chores.
• Hamsters are the best type of pet. 
• Everyone should eat a salad daily. 
• Board games help you learn.
• Kids need free time to relax and play.
• You should always obey speed limits.
• Every family should have a dog.
• Dinner should always end with dessert.
• Homeschool students should get “snow days” as well. 
• Kids should choose where the family spends summer vacation.
• I am old enough for a later bedtime.
• All students should learn a second language.
• School should only be 4 days per week.
• Soda is bad for you.
• I am responsible enough to learn how to cook.
• My cat should be allowed to sleep on my bed.
• Kids should be allowed to vote in their local elections at age 16.
• I am old enough to babysit and be paid.
• You should always wear a seatbelt in the car.
• Pizza is a healthy food.

I hope these persuasive texts and prompts for kids are helpful to you! 

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to provide a few persuasive paragraph examples for your students to gain inspiration (and eliminate overwhelm).

If your student is entering 6th grade or above , we have a complete course that teaches students to write skillfully, think critically, and speak clearly as they explore the history of ideas! As a bonus in these dark days, Philosophy Adventure also teaches students to discern truth from error:

will your children recognize truth?

About the author.

Jordan Mitchell

150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics for Students in 2024

April 1, 2024

Do you know that moment in your favorite film, when the soundtrack begins to swell and the main character stands up and delivers a speech so rousing, so impassioned, it has the entire room either weeping or cheering by the time it concludes? What distinguishes the effectiveness of such a speech is not only the protagonist’s stellar delivery but also the compelling nature of the subject matter at hand. Choosing an effective persuasive speech topic is essential for guaranteeing that your future speech or essay is as moving as these . If this sounds like a tall order, have no fear. Below you’ll find a list of some of the best and most interesting persuasive speech topics for high school students to tackle, from the playful (“Pets for President”) to the serious (“Should We Stop AI from Replacing Human Workers?”).

And if you’re craving more inspiration, feel free to check out this list of Great Debate Topics , which can be used to generate further ideas.

What is a Good Persuasive Speech?

Before we get to the list, we must address the question on everyone’s minds: what is a persuasive speech, and what the heck makes for a good persuasive speech topic? A persuasive speech is a speech that aims to convince its listeners of a particular point of view . At the heart of each persuasive speech is a central conflict . Note: The persuasive speech stands in contrast to a simple informative speech, which is intended purely to convey information. (I.e., an informative speech topic might read: “The History of Making One’s Bed,” while a persuasive speech topic would be: “Why Making One’s Bed is a Waste of Time”—understand?)

And lest you think that persuasive speeches are simply assigned by your teachers as a particularly cruel form of torture, remember that practicing your oratory skills will benefit you in all areas of life—from job interviews, to business negotiations, to your future college career in public policy or international relations . Knowing how to use your voice to enact meaningful change is a valuable skill that can empower you to make a difference in the world.

Components of a Great Persuasive Speech Topic

The ideal persuasive speech topic will inspire the audience to action via both logical arguments and emotional appeals. As such, we can summarize the question “what makes a good persuasive speech topic?” by saying that the topic must possess the following qualities:

• Timeliness and Relevance . Great persuasive speech topics grapple with a contemporary issue that is meaningful to the listener at hand. The topic might be a current news item, or it might be a long-standing social issue. In either case, the topic should be one with real-world implications.
• Complexity . A fruitful persuasive speech topic will have many facets. Topics that are controversial, with some gray area, lend themselves to a high degree of critical thinking. They also offer the speaker an opportunity to consider and refute all counterarguments before making a compelling case for his or her own position.
• Evidence . You want to be able to back up your argument with clear evidence from reputable sources (i.e., not your best friend or dog). The more evidence and data you can gather, the more sound your position will be. In addition, your audience will be more inclined to trust you.
• Personal Connection. Do you feel passionately about the topic you’ve chosen? If not, it may be time to go back to the drawing board. This does not mean you have to support the side you choose; sometimes, arguing for the opposing side of what you personally believe can be an effective exercise in building empathy and perspective. Either way, though, the key is to select a topic that you care deeply about. Your passion will be infectious to the audience.

150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should tech companies regulate the development of AI systems and automation to protect humans’ jobs?
• Should we limit screen time for children?
• Is it ethical for AI models like Dall-E to train themselves on artists’ work without the artists’ permission?
• Should the government regulate the use of personal drones?
• Is mass surveillance ethical? Does its threat to civil liberties outweigh its benefits?
• Are virtual reality experiences a valuable educational tool?
• Do the positive effects of powerful AI systems outweigh the risks?
• Do voice assistants like Siri and Alexa invade individuals’ privacy?
• Are cell phone bans in the classroom effective for improving student learning?
• Does the use of facial recognition technology in public violate individuals’ privacy?
• Should students be allowed to use ChatGPT and other AI tools for writing assignments?
• Should AI-generated art be allowed in art shows or contests?
• Who holds responsibility for accidents caused by self-driving cars: the driver or the car company?

Business and Economy

• Should we do away with the minimum wage? Why or why not?
• Is it ethical for companies to use unpaid internships as a source of labor?
• Does the gig economy benefit or harm workers?
• Is capitalism the best economic system?
• Is it ethical for companies to use sweatshops in developing countries?
• Should the government provide free healthcare for all citizens?
• Should the government regulate prices on pharmaceutical drugs?
• Should the government enact a universal base income?
• Should customers be required to tip a minimum amount in order to ensure food service workers make a living wage?
• Should someone’s tattoos or personal appearance factor into the hiring process?
• Should US workers have more vacation time?
• Is big game hunting beneficial for local communities?
• Should we legalize euthanasia?
• Is it ethical to use animals for medical research?
• Is it ethical to allow access to experimental treatments for terminally ill patients?
• Should we allow genetic engineering in humans?
• Is the death penalty obsolete?
• Should we allow the cloning of humans?
• Is it ethical to allow performance-enhancing drugs in sports?
• Should embryonic stem cell collection be allowed?
• Do frozen IVF embryos have rights?
• Should state and federal investigators be allowed to use DNA from genealogy databases?
• Should the government limit how many children a couple can have?
• Is spanking children an acceptable form of discipline?
• Should we allow parents to choose their children’s physical attributes through genetic engineering?
• Should we require parents to vaccinate their children?
• Should we require companies to give mandatory paternal and maternal leave?
• Should children be allowed to watch violent movies and video games?
• Should parents allow their teenagers to drink before they turn 21?
• Should the government provide childcare?
• Should telling your children about Santa Claus be considered lying?
• Should one parent stay home?
• Should parental consent be required for minors to receive birth control?
• Is it an invasion of privacy for parents to post photographs of their children on social media?

Social Media

• Should social media platforms ban political ads?
• Do the benefits of social media outweigh the downsides?
• Should the government hold social media companies responsible for hate speech on their platforms?
• Is social media making us more or less social?
• Do platforms like TikTok exacerbate mental health issues in teens?
• Should the government regulate social media to protect citizens’ privacy?
• Is it right for parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts?
• Should social media companies enact a minimum user age restriction?
• Should we require social media companies to protect user data?
• Should we hold social media companies responsible for cyberbullying?
• Should schools ban the use of social media from their networks?
• Should we be allowed to record others without their consent?
• Do online crime sleuths help or hurt criminal investigations?

Education – Persuasive Speech Topics 

• Would trade schools and other forms of vocational training benefit a greater number of students than traditional institutions of higher education?
• Should colleges use standardized testing in their admissions processes?
• Is forcing students to say the Pledge a violation of their right to freedom of speech?
• Should school districts offer bilingual education programs for non-native speakers?
• Should schools do away with their physical education requirements?
• Should schools incorporate a remote learning option into their curriculum?
• Should we allow school libraries to ban certain books?
• Should we remove historical figures who owned slaves from school textbooks and other educational materials?
• Should we have mixed-level classrooms or divide students according to ability?
• Should grading on a curve be allowed?
• Should graphic novels be considered literature?
• Should all students have to take financial literacy classes before graduating?
• Should colleges pay student athletes?
• Should we ban violent contact sports like boxing and MMA?
• Should sports leagues require professional athletes to stand during the national anthem?
• Should sports teams ban players like Kyrie Irving when they spread misinformation or hate speech?
• Should high schools require their athletes to maintain a certain GPA?
• Should the Olympic committee allow transgender athletes to compete?
• Should high schools ban football due to its safety risks to players?
• Should all high school students be required to play a team sport?
• Should sports teams be mixed instead of single-gender?
• Should there be different athletic standards for men and women?
• In which renewable energy option would the US do best to invest?
• Should the US prioritize space exploration over domestic initiatives?
• Should companies with a high carbon footprint be punished?
• Should the FDA ban GMOs?
• Would the world be a safer place without nuclear weapons?
• Does AI pose a greater threat to humanity than it does the potential for advancement?
• Who holds the most responsibility for mitigating climate change: individuals or corporations?
• Should we be allowed to resurrect extinct species?
• Are cancer screening programs ethical?

Social Issues – Persuasive Speech Topics

• College education: should the government make it free for all?
• Should we provide free healthcare for undocumented immigrants?
• Is physician-assisted suicide morally justifiable?
• Does social media have a negative impact on democracy?
• Does cancel culture impede free speech?
• Does affirmative action help or hinder minority groups in the workplace?
• Should we hold public figures and celebrities to a higher standard of morality?
• Should abortion be an issue that is decided at the federal or state level?
• Should the sex offender registry be available to the public?
• Should undocumented immigrants have a path to amnesty?
• Do syringe services programs reduce or increase harmful behaviors?
• Should there be a statute of limitations?
• Should those who are convicted of a crime be required to report their criminal history on job and housing applications?

Politics and Government

• Is the Electoral College still an effective way to elect the President of the US?
• Should we allow judges to serve on the Supreme Court indefinitely?
• Should the US establish a national gun registry?
• Countries like Israel and China require all citizens to serve in the military. Is this a good or bad policy?
• Should the police force require all its officers to wear body cameras while on duty?
• Should the US invest in the development of clean meat as a sustainable protein source?
• Should the US adopt ranked-choice voting?
• Should institutions that profited from slavery provide reparations?
• Should the government return land to Native American tribes?
• Should there be term limits for representatives and senators?
• Should there be an age limit for presidential candidates?
• Should women be allowed in special forces units?

Easy Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should schools have uniforms?
• Can video games improve problem-solving skills?
• Are online classes as effective as in-person classes?
• Should companies implement a four-day work week?
• Co-ed learning versus single-sex: which is more effective?
• Should the school day start later?
• Is homework an effective teaching tool?
• Are electric cars really better for the environment?
• Should schools require all students to study a foreign language?
• Do professional athletes get paid too much money?

Fun Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should we allow pets to run for public office?
• Does pineapple belong on pizza?
• Would students benefit from schools swapping out desks with more comfortable seating arrangements (i.e., bean bag chairs and couches)?
• Is procrastination the key to success?
• Should Americans adopt British accents to sound more intelligent?
• The age-old dilemma: cats or dogs?
• Should meme creators receive royalties when their memes go viral?
• Should there be a minimum drinking age for coffee?
• Are people who make their beds every day more successful than those who don’t?

Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics

• Is the movie ranking system an effective way to evaluate the appropriateness of films?
• Should the government place a “health tax” on junk food?
• Is it ethical to create artificial life forms that are capable of complex emotions?
• Should parents let children choose their own names?
• Creating clones of ourselves to serve as organ donors: ethical or not?
• Is it ethical to engineer humans to be better and more optimized than nature intended?
• Should we adopt a universal language to communicate with people from all countries?
• Should there be a penalty for people who don’t vote?
• Should calories be printed on menus?
• Does tourism positively or negatively impact local communities?
• When used by non-Natives, are dreamcatchers cultural appropriation?
• Should companies require their employees to specify pronouns in their signature line?
• Should commercial fishing be banned?
• Are cemeteries sustainable?
• Is it okay to change the race, culture, and/or gender of historical figures in movies or TV shows?

I’ve Chosen My Topic, Now What?

Once you’ve selected your topic, it’s time to get to work crafting your argument. Preparation for a persuasive speech or essay involves some key steps, which we’ve outlined for you below.

How to Create a Successful Persuasive Speech, Step by Step

• Research your topic. Read widely and smartly. Stick to credible sources, such as peer-reviewed articles, published books, government reports, textbooks, and news articles. The right sources and data will be necessary to help you establish your authority. As you go, take notes on the details and nuances of your topic as well as potential counterarguments. Research the counterarguments, too.
• Choose an angle. For example, if you chose the topic “Should we limit screen time for children?” your speech should come down firmly on one side of that debate. If your topic is frequently debated, such as abortion, capital punishment, gun control, social media, etc. try to find a niche angle or new research. For example, instead of “Should abortion be legal?” you might consider “Should you be able to order abortion pills online?” Another example: “Should the death penalty be banned?” might become “How long is it ethical for someone to stay on death row?” If you do some digging, even the most cliche topics have incredibly interesting and relatively unexplored sub-topics.
• Create an outline. Your outline should include an introduction with a thesis statement, a body that uses evidence to elaborate and support your position while refuting any counterarguments, and a conclusion. The conclusion will both summarize the points made earlier and serve as your final chance to persuade your audience.
• Write your speech. Use your outline to help you as well as the data you’ve collected. Remember: this is not dry writing; this writing has a point of view, and that point of view is yours . Accordingly, use anecdotes and examples to back up your argument. The essential components of this speech are logos (logic), ethos (credibility), and pathos (emotion) . The ideal speech will use all three of these functions to engage the audience.

How to Practice and Deliver a Persuasive Speech

• Talk to yourself in the mirror, record yourself, and/or hold a practice speech for family or friends. If you’ll be using visual cues, a slide deck, or notecards, practice incorporating them seamlessly into your speech. You should practice until your speech feels very familiar, at least 5-10 times.
• Practice body language. Are you making eye contact with your audience, or looking at the ground? Crossing your arms over your chest or walking back and forth across the room? Playing with your hair, cracking your knuckles, or picking at your clothes? Practicing what to do with your body, face, and hands will help you feel more confident on speech day.
• Take it slow. It’s common to talk quickly while delivering a speech—most of us want to get it over with! However, your audience will be able to connect with you much more effectively if you speak at a moderate pace, breathe, and pause when appropriate.
• Give yourself grace. How you recover from a mistake is much more important than the mistake itself. Typically, the best approach is to good-naturedly shrug off a blip and move on. 99% of the time, your audience won’t even notice!

Good Persuasive Speech Topics—Final Thoughts

The art of persuasive speaking is a tricky one, but the tips and tricks laid out here will help you craft a compelling argument that will sway even the most dubious audience to your side. Mastering this art takes both time and practice, so don’t fret if it doesn’t come to you right away. Remember to draw upon your sources, speak with authority, and have fun. Once you have the skill of persuasive speaking down, go out there and use your voice to impact change!

Looking for some hot-button topics in college admissions? You might consider checking out the following:

• Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
• Should I Apply Test-Optional to College?
• Should I Waive My Right to See Letters of Recommendation?
• Should I Use the Common App Additional Information Section?
• High School Success

Lauren Green

With a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia University and an MFA in Fiction from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, Lauren has been a professional writer for over a decade. She is the author of the chapbook  A Great Dark House  (Poetry Society of America, 2023) and a forthcoming novel (Viking/Penguin).

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

143 Family Speech Topics [Persuasive, Informative]

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Some of these topics will deal with issues such as divorce, illness and death. There are a number of topics about children and their safety. These would all be good to use when your speech is about talking to children about serious things.

In this article:

Informative

List of family speech topics.

• Children should go to daycare.
• The importance of listening to your parents.
• Internet chat rooms are dangerous places for kids.
• Child abuse prevention efforts should be increased.
• Domestic abuse awareness should be increased.
• Should parents lie to their children about Santa?
• It is better to have children at a young age.
• Older parents are usually more patient.
• The youngest child is usually the wild child.
• Middle child syndrome is a real thing.
• It is important that couples do not bad mouth each other to their children.
• The eldest child is usually the most responsible.
• Children do what their parents do and not what they tell them to do.
• Family traditions are important.
• It is good to give age appropriate chores to children.
• Letting children play outside makes them more creative.
• Family game nights are fun and important.
• Parents should not over schedule their children.
• Parents need to let children do things on their own.
• Children need to respect their elders and elders need to respect children.
• Parents need to teach their children about sexual abuse.
• Parents need to teach their children about physical and emotional abuse.
• It’s okay not to give children everything they want.
• Spending time with children is more important than spending money on them.
• The earlier parents start reading to their children, the better.
• Let children believe in Santa.
• Reasons why children need a family pet.
• Children should be taught to donate what they no longer use.
• Parents and teachers need to work together and not against each other.
• Children have more stressful lives now than what their parents did when they were children.
• Teaching children about good hygiene should start at a very young age.
• Children need to be taught about the dangers of the internet.
• Why children should not be allowed to have sleep overs.
• Parents need to speak to their children about the plans that are in place in the event of their parents death.
• Parents should not make their child kiss or hug any one that they don’t want to.
• Teenage pregnancies affect the whole family.
• Parents should never smoke near children nor allow anyone else to.
• How to handle family get-togethers when some family members don’t get along.
• No, you don’t have to invite all your family members to your wedding.
• What to do when your child is bullied.
• What to do when your child is the bully.
• Why your siblings are your true best friends.
• Yes, blood is thicker than water.
• Who in the family may discipline a child?
• Mothers and fathers need date nights and time alone.
• What to do when the children have left home and spouses realise that they have become strangers to each other.
• No, grandparents can’t feed children whatever they want.
• Children need to be taught about stranger danger.
• Is it okay for a young child to have a mobile phone?
• How to talk to children about that alcoholic uncle.
• Let children play in the rain and mud.
• Why mother’s need to stop telling everyone that their daughter is “now a woman”.
• Be a parent first and your child’s friend second.
• Why parents shouldn’t tell their children to “shut up”.
• Parents should not compare their children.
• Parents should rather save money for their child’s future than throwing over the top birthday parties.
• Why it is a bad idea to tell children to finish all the food on their plate.
• How to tell your obese family member that you are worried about their weight.
• Visit your parents, often it is the only thing that they have to look forward to.
• Send your mother flowers, just because.
• Why parents should be their child’s biggest supporter.
• Let children make up their own mind about religion.
• There is nothing wrong with co-sleeping with a baby.
• What to do when you don’t get along with your in-laws.
• How to deal with the family gossip.
• How cancer has a way of uniting families and bringing them closer together.
• Having strong-willed children is a good thing.
• Parents should never put their shy child on the spot.
• It’s okay to say no to children.
• It is important that parents talk to their children about puberty.
• Giving up on a child is never an option.
• Children do not need designer clothes.
• How to handle the fussy eaters in the family.
• How to explain divorce to children.
• Single parents should get more help from the government.
• Parents should spend time alone with each child.
• Why young kids should be in bed by 8 o’clock.
• When it is the right decision to put older parents in a retirement home.
• Never make a big issue about a child’s report card.
• It’s okay for a child to have an imaginary friend.
• Families should have code words in place in the event that they find themselves in danger.
• Parents should not fight in front of their children.
• One parent should not override the other parents’ rules.
• Children should make their own school lunch.
• Yelling at children doesn’t make them listen.
• Never choose work over your family.
• Please stop referring to adopted children as adopted.
• At what age should teenagers start dating?
• Never use children as a weapon against each other.
• 12 year olds should not be on social media.
• It is important for families to have dinner together around a table.
• Parents should never make their children feel like their mobile phones are more important than them.
• Parents need to apologize to their child when they are wrong.
• Why mothers and daughters are better friends when they are older.
• Children shouldn’t drink coffee.
• Parents should never force their own dreams on to their children.
• Age restrictions exist for children’s own good.
• Children shouldn’t be forced to spend time with people that they are uncomfortable with.
• Why ending an abusive marriage will be a good thing for the kids.
• No matter how old, children should always feel like their family home is their safety net.
• Ways in which parents should deal with their child’s spouse when they don’t like them.
• Children’s personal space needs to be respected.
• Why parents should go through their children’s mobile phones and other technology.
• Contrary to popular belief, teenagers do want boundaries to be set.
• Parents need to stop posting photographs of their children on social media if the children are not comfortable with it.
• Why social media check-ins are a bad idea with regards to children’s whereabouts.
• We have the right to favour certain relatives over others.
• Kids must not help with home cleaning tasks.
• The two-parent family works best.
• Special programs are needed for step children.
• Sex education is the responsibility of the parents.
• Seniors are too old to adopt children.
• Personal organization of your household is a specialist job.
• Parents should not spank their children.
• Parents should have a license for having children.
• Parents should be liable for illegal activities of their children.
• Parents are to blame for unruly children.
• Parents are responsible for the news their children see on TV.
• Men also have ticking biological clocks.
• Lock your guns if there are underaged children in the household.
• Nursing homes are the end of family visits.
• Feminism causes the break down of family lives.
• Family support services can prevent placing children in foster care.
• Children of divorced parents are at greater risk of depression.
• Parents must pick baby sitters more carefully.
• It is better for a child to grow up in the countryside than in a crowded city.
• Court-ordered child support does more harm than good on the long term.
• A happy childhood should be a universal Children’s Right.
• Parents should be allowed to choose the gender of a child.
• Domestic violence leads to loss of housing.
• Mothers should be home every afternoon when their children return from school.
• Babysitters should be at least 16 years old.
• Birth order influences your career.
• Make birth control methods more easily available to the third world.
• All toddlers should be required by law to take swimming lessons.
• A child must be at least 10 years old before staying home alone in a safe neighbourhood.
• Single parents should be allowed to adopt children.
• The impact of divorce on children.
• Picking a name for your children.
• When do babies start talking?
• Parenting solutions to discipline children and toddlers without arguing and yelling.
• Aspects of life the past that we want to keep, appreciate and enjoy and to pass on to our children.
• Non-profit organizations that help families.

136 Speech Topics About Animals [Persuasive, Informative]

274 Speech Topics for Business [Persuasive, Informative]

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