Emotional intelligence activity
Public Speaking Stage
Practice standing up in front of your family and sharing something you love! Build confidence by speaking in a loud, clear voice and making eye contact.
Materials and setup
- timer
- topic cards
- paper
- markers
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Practice standing up in front of your family and sharing something you love! Build confidence by speaking in a loud, clear voice and making eye contact.
Steps
- Create a stage area with a taped line or mat for the speaker to stand on.
- Help your child choose a topic: their favorite toy, animal, food, or place.
- Practice 3 sentences together: My favorite ___ is ___. I like it because ___. It makes me feel ___.
- Child stands on the stage, speaks to the audience (family members), and makes eye contact.
- Audience claps and gives one specific compliment: I liked how loud your voice was!
Learning objectives
- Stand in front of a small audience and speak with a clear voice
- Organize thoughts into 3 simple sentences on a topic
- Build confidence through positive audience feedback
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Prepare and deliver a 1-minute speech about a topic you choose. Use a beginning, middle, and end. Practice making eye contact, using gestures, and speaking with expression.
Steps
- Choose a speech topic from the topic cards or pick your own.
- Plan your speech with a beginning (introduce your topic), middle (3 facts or reasons), and end (wrap up and say thank you).
- Practice your speech 2 times in front of a mirror, focusing on eye contact and gestures.
- Set a timer for 1 minute and deliver your speech to your family.
- Audience gives feedback using 2 stars and a wish: 2 things they liked and 1 suggestion.
Learning objectives
- Structure a short speech with a beginning, middle, and end
- Practice public speaking techniques: eye contact, gestures, and vocal expression
- Give and receive constructive feedback gracefully
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Develop public speaking skills through structured presentations. Prepare a 3-minute speech with visual aids, practice delivery techniques, and learn to manage nervousness.
Steps
- Choose a topic you are passionate about or draw a topic card for a challenge.
- Write an outline: hook (grab attention), introduction (state your topic and 3 main points), body (explain each point with details or examples), conclusion (summarize and call to action).
- Create a simple visual aid: a poster, props, or cue cards (not a full script!).
- Practice 3 times, focusing on: pace (not too fast), volume (loud enough for the back row), and eye contact (look at different people).
- Learn 2 strategies for managing nervousness: deep breaths before starting, and power posing for 30 seconds.
- Deliver your speech to your family and receive feedback using a rubric you create together.
Learning objectives
- Prepare and deliver a structured 3-minute speech with visual aids
- Apply public speaking techniques: pace, volume, eye contact, and gestures
- Use strategies to manage public speaking nervousness
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Build public speaking skill through multiple speech formats: informative, persuasive, and impromptu. Notice what makes a strong speech, develop your own speaking style, and help others practice too.
Steps
- Study what makes a great speech: analyze a famous speech for techniques (repetition, rhetorical questions, storytelling, pauses). Note 5 specific techniques.
- Prepare and deliver 3 different speeches: an informative speech (2 minutes on a topic you researched), a persuasive speech (2 minutes arguing for something you believe in), and an impromptu speech (1 minute on a random topic with 30 seconds prep).
- Record yourself delivering one speech and watch it back. Evaluate: body language, filler words, pace, volume, and engagement.
- Create a personal Public Speaking Tips sheet based on what you have learned about your strengths and areas to improve.
- Coach a younger family member through preparing and delivering a simple speech.
- Reflect in writing: How has your confidence in public speaking changed? What strategies help you most?
Learning objectives
- Deliver speeches in multiple formats: informative, persuasive, and impromptu
- Analyze and apply techniques from effective public speakers
- Self-evaluate speaking performance and coach others in speaking skills
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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