Debate Topics for Kids

Debating has been a central factor driving the collective cognitive evolution in human history. Philosophical and political debates can be traced back to Ancient Greece and Ancient India. However, it was during the Age of Reason that debating societies emerged which truly transformed the way we think about the world. Today, debates constitute the base upon which governmental policies, laws, and other important decisions are being made. More than that, debates are also the main form of influence under which people form opinions. For these reasons, including some interesting debate topics for kids in the classroom, might be the best way to prepare kids for the world outside the school’s walls.

Indeed, while in school, children learn from textbooks and other educational material. This is great, as it gives students structure and helps them reach certain learning objectives. But, at the same time, learning solely on textbooks creates a specific dependency and vulnerability which can be overcome with critical thinking and independent learning. This is where debating comes in. 

If you want to learn more about the development of critical thinking and why it’s so important, please follow the links. In this article, we’ll focus solely on debating and share some fun debate topics for kids of all ages. Let’s go!

What is a Debate?

Seemingly, we don’t need anyone to tell us what a debate is, right? However, as teachers or homeschooling parents who need to approach the concept of debate more systematically, we need to break down this phenomenon and look at it under a magnifying glass in order to teach children to debate. Aside from the definition, we need to explore the characteristics of a healthy and constructive debate, as well as the rules or principles the students need to follow.

Let’s start with the definition. 

Debate can be defined as a formal discourse on a particular topic where arguments from different, often opposing points of view are laid out with the goal of better understanding that particular topic. 

From this simple definition, we can already identify the basic characteristics that separate the debate as a unique process from other forms of discourse. 

Characteristics of Debate

When we explain the debating process to children, we need to focus on its defining characteristics, so they can easily grasp its practical meaning and feel confident participating in a debate. 

The first characteristic of a debate is multiple (usually two teams of three people) conversation partners holding opposing (different) views on a specific topic. This is important and it’s the reason why debating is sometimes called a team sport.  Each speaker in the debate has a role. One argues in favor of the topic at hand, while the other argues against that topic. This helps the audience to hear different aspects of the topic and make informed opinions. 

The second characteristic of a debate is the aim to better understand the topic in order to be able to form opinions, make decisions, or simply understand the world we live in. When children engage in a debate, they should have in mind that the purpose is not competing with the other speaker or proving to others one’s better, but to think more deeply about the topic. 

Finally, the third characteristic of a debate is the rigid rules that all the participants must follow. This is one of the most unique aspects of the debate that really sets it apart from other types of discourse. While the rules might feel too rigid, they have their function and guarantee fair play between all the participants. For example, one of the students might be louder, speak fast, be impulsive, or simply be more charismatic. The rules prevent that type of student from dominating the conversation and influencing the audience with its wits. 

How to Teach Kids to Debate?

Let’s talk about the rules a little bit more in-depth, as they’ll help you teach students to debate. When students first start to debate, it’s best to stick to a written guide that makes all the processes more transparent. This also will help them feel more confident and less intimidated as they’ll know what to expect. 

Therefore, first, introduce the formal rules of debate.

1. There are two teams of three people. They’re called the affirmative and the opposing team. 
2. The members of each team speak in an alternating fashion. For example, the first member from the first team, then the first member from the second team, the second member from the first team, the second member from the second team, and so on.
3. The affirmative team starts first and presents the arguments in favor of the topic. 
4. The first member of the opposing team presents the arguments against the topic. 
5. Every other turn after this is called rebuttal, where the member of the team tries to answer questions that might have been raised by the opposite team and provide further arguments.
6. Timelines – in a formal debate, there is a specific time frame during which one can speak. For example, a single session where only one person speaks is usually five to ten minutes. 
7. Recess time – recess time is an optional rule which is usually very beneficial to beginners. It means before addressing the arguments from the previous speaker, each member takes 5 minutes to prepare their answer.
8. No interruptions – this is probably the most important rule that separates debate from an argument. Everyone must wait their turn to speak. 
9. Post-debate discussion and Q&A – once the teams have finished debating, the audience should get a chance to ask questions, express their opinion on the matter at hand, and give feedback to the teams.

It’s also a good idea to have some kind of assessment or evaluation at the end of the debate, which might help students improve and do better next time. 

Also, keep in mind that you can organize debates with bigger or smaller teams, even with only two members, as long as all the other principles are being met. 

Why Teach Kids to Debate?

In our introduction, we’ve mentioned that debating was a process that transformed our society and marked the Age of Reason. This implies that as a technique, debate is one of the most important cognitive tools we have to express ourselves, make sure we’re understood and we understand others, share complex ideas, and make decisions with implications on society as a whole. 

In other words, if we want kids to be agile citizens and take an active role in our society, we need to teach them how to debate. To be more specific, debate teaches kids how to analyze, rationalize, question information, put forward comprehensive arguments, express their ideas, convince others to share their point of view, disagree politely, and influence the decision-making process for the things that matter. 

All of this helps kids to develop their critical thinking and improve their academic performance in general because they’ll learn to think independently, do research, prioritize, be convincing, informative, and clear when speaking or writing. 

Interesting Debate Topics for Kids

The last question remaining for us to answer, after knowing everything that we’ve covered in this article, is what to start with, which is why we shared some interesting and fun debate topics for kids of all ages. Regardless of whether your students are masters at debating, or they’re just starting on that journey, you won’t go wrong with the following topics. They’re easy, relatable, yet still complex enough to be able to construct sound arguments for and against them. 

Fully Replacing In-Person Teaching With Digitalized Alternatives: Yes or No?

This is a topic that you don’t want to skip, considering the situation we’re in with the pandemic. What was one a distant future scenario, suddenly became a reality because the educational system had to quickly adapt to meet the students’ needs during the pandemic. But, what has this new way of teaching taught us? Is the future fully digitalized? What are the benefits and drawbacks of fully digital instruction? 

ZOOs and Animal Welfare

Debating about ZOOs and animal welfare is a great way to promote moral reasoning skills and introduce the complexity of societal phenomena. ZOOs can be viewed as cages that do not come close to the natural habitat of animals in the wild.  On the other hand, you can argue that ZOOs protect against a species going extinct, and they also provide a safe environment for animals that would otherwise not survive in the wild. What are all the arguments for and against this view?

How Important is Space Exploration?

In recent years, space exploration has gotten a lot of attention, although it’s an endeavor that has been pursued for a lot of time. However, today, space travel, even space tourism, are a reality. Is this a good thing? Should we waste so many resources on space exploration? On one hand, space exploration has taught us so much about the universe and our planet, but on the other hand, should we focus our attention on Earth considering the damage we’re doing? 

When Should School Hours Start?

New discoveries in the neuroscience of sleep have taught us that sleeping is incredibly beneficial and also incredibly dangerous if we don’t get enough. A lot of diseases stem from lack of sleep. More importantly, for this context, the capacity for learning and memory is also dependent on how much we sleep. Does this mean that school hours should start later and finish later? How do current starting hours affect students? Are they truly capable of following morning classes with full attention? 

How Should We Address Mistakes?

This is an interesting topic because it puts kids in the role of their parents needing to come up with a system for teaching others what’s right and what’s wrong. Should punishment exist, and if yes in what form? When can we say that punishment is fair or beneficial? Would people follow societal rules if there was no punishment at all? Students are usually on the receiving end of the stick, which is why it’s nice to see their opinion on this topic and the arguments they’ll present. 

Should Social Media Usage Be Limited?

Another very interesting and relatable topic is the use of social media. When debating whether or not social media usage needs to be restricted, kids should cover the dangers, the consequences, health implications, and the social benefits, in order to present a full picture of social media in their lives today. Another reason why this topic is important is that it encourages kids to talk about topics such as cyberbullying, hate speech, cancel culture, body image, and other devastating phenomena that make the life of teenagers very difficult. 

Is Having Pets a Good or Bad Idea?

At first sight, it’s difficult to take this topic seriously as it’s hard to find an argument why it would be a bad idea for kids to have pets. However, just as the topics with ZOOs, there are some aspects that are very eye-opening and worth discussing. For example, while debating about pets, give kids information about breeding practices and the harmful health effects to animals, the breed discrimination, the pet business, and statistics about pets aside from cats and dogs, such as fish, hamsters, spiders, snakes, lizards, and other. Are they really better in our home rather than in the wild? 

Is it Okay to Eat Animals?

Another touchy subject that becomes more and more discussed among young people is the awareness about the dairy and meat industry. The exposed cruelty behind these businesses begs the question of whether it is ethical or moral for us to eat animals. Also, there’s the harmful environmental impact of these industries. On the other hand, is it healthy to follow only a plant-based diet, and more importantly, is that an accessible solution to everyone? There are so many different aspects kids can debate, which makes this topic a very interesting choice. 

What Kind of Food Should the School Cafeteria Have?

While talking about diet and food, you could also ask students to debate about the food choices in the school’s cafeteria. Should there be junk food available considering the harmful health effects, or should there only be healthy food? Some kids do not like the taste of boiled vegetables or other healthy foods. Is taste an important factor?

Should We Ban Plastic Use Completely?

By now, students should be aware of the pollution and waste caused by single-use plastic. Our oceans suffer the most, but climate change is a danger to everyone. Does this mean that governments should take more serious action and ban the usage of all plastics? What are the implications of such a decision? Why might that not be a good idea? What else can we do?

Wearing Mobile Phones at School: Yes or No?

The last question in our debate topics for kids is regarding mobiles phones at schools. We all know the downsides, as well as the benefits of wearing mobile phones. Kids get distracted, they might cheat or simply use it during class. On the other hand, mobile phones are important and they allow kids to always be reached. If something bad happens, they can call a hospital, police, or their parents. Yes, mobile phones at schools are a double edge sword, but what would be the students’ verdict? 

Before You Go

Of course, we can’t cover all the debate topics for kids, but hopefully, we’ve inspired you with the wide variety of topics we’ve selected. From here on, you can think of more specific topics related to your school or current local events, which might be more appropriate for your situation, although we promise that you can’t go wrong with the ones we’ve shared. 

What’s even better, for many of the topics, we’ve included links to our appropriate worksheets or other resources that provide useful information you could share with the students in order to prepare them for debiting. This is why it might be a good idea to visit our website and browse through our worksheet library! In case you have a unique topic in mind, we’re sure we have some valuable worksheet packs with key information and interactive printables! 

And, while you’re on our website, don’t forget to also check out our blog! We regularly share insightful articles with educational activities for students, tips for teachers, and in-depth guides with new trends in teaching styles and practice. Plus, if you subscribe to our newsletter, you’ll stay up to date with all the news without losing precious time schooling through the internet.