What is better, peanut butter or Nutella? What came first, the chicken or the egg? Who was a better leader George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? With a million questions in the world, kids (and even adults) have an opinion about all of them. Asking questions that allow your kids to express their opinion is a healthy way for them to learn and grow; that is why debate for kids is so powerful. That is why we are sharing XX debate topics for kids to help them learn to express their opinion and learn to listen to others. Between teaching your kids how to debate and other brain exercises, your child will be a well-rounded student going through school.
What is a Debate?
A debate is two or more people with a formal discussion where they each have a turn to share their opinion. A debate is not a one-sided conversation where one person shares and everyone listens. Still, everyone shares when it is their turn to learn from others, hear different ideas and philosophies, and expand their knowledge for a particular topic.
How does Debating help kids?
Debating helps kids in a variety of ways.
Improves Critical Thinking
Debating helps kids learn critical thinking. They can self-reflect about something they are passionate about to understand why they feel that way. This will help them be able to explain why they don’t like peanut butter rather than saying, “I don’t know; I just don’t like it.”
Increases Language Skills
Debating gets kids talking and thinking all at the same time. While they are talking and trying to articulate their point, they are gaining valuable communication skills
Public Speaking Skills
Along with that, they are gaining public speaking skills. They learn how to articulate how they feel about something when they are in a group of people and maybe under a little bit of pressure. This helps gets get out of their comfort zone and do something new.
Listening Skills
In a debate, you learn how to listen. You have to understand what the other person is saying even if their opinion does not match yours.
Increases Tolerance
At a young age, kids gain tolerance for other people and their opinions. Debating makes this possible because they begin to understand at a young age that not everyone thinks the same way as you.
How to choose debate topics for kids?
We need to be wise when we are selecting debate topics for kids. Everyone has different opinions and ideas, and you never want kids to leave a debate mad at one another. Be sure that your debate questions are age-appropriate when selecting them as well.
Debate topics for kids
Here we have listed some interesting Debate Topics suitable for all age groups. Check them all!
Debate Topics kids up to the age of 10
These debate topics are for younger kids up to the age of 10.
- What time should school start?
- How long should you be able to play on electronics in a day?
- Should shooting games be allowed?
- Should everyone make the school sports teams?
- Are cats or dogs better?
- Which is better, peanut butter or Nutella?
- Should kids be allowed to eat whatever they want?
- Should kids be allowed to stay up as late as they want?
- How many days should Christmas break be?
- Should kids be given an allowance?
- How much money is the right amount for an allowance?
- What is better, Batman or Superman?
- Which is better, the beach or the mountains?
- Should pets be allowed to come to school?
- Should everyone be allowed to get free lunch at school?
- Which is better, homeschool or going to school?
- How many recesses should kids have at school?
- Should computers replace teachers?
- Should kids wear uniforms to school?
- Should soda be banned?
- Should kids be able to watch whatever they want on TV?
- Children need to make their beds every day.
- Every girl should have a Barbie doll.
- Little boys should not have stuffed animals.
- Birthday gifts should never be expensive.
- Should school uniforms be mandatory for all students?
- Is it better to have a pet dog or a pet cat?
- Should kids be allowed to have a later bedtime on weekends?
- Is it important to eat vegetables every day?
- Do video games help develop problem-solving skills?
Advance Debate Topics Ages 10-12
- Video games teach bad habits.
- Violence comes from videogames
- Should children under 12 have their own smartphones?
- Should homework be abolished for elementary school students?
- Smoking needs to be outlawed.
- Everyone should have a phone.
- Smartphones should be banned.
- Everyone should eat a family dinner together.
- Kids are growing up too fast.
- Kids are overscheduled.
- Each child in the house should have to make dinner once a week.
- Homework should be outlawed.
- The school day should be shorter.
- There should be consequences when siblings fight.
- Kids should play outside more.
- Should kids be able to listen to whatever they want?
- Kids should be allowed to be on social media.
- Parents have no right to look at their kid’s phones.
- Is it ever okay to cheat?
- What should happen to a bully?
- Should YouTube be outlawed or regulated better?
- Should kids be punished?
- Kids should never be spanked.
- Zoos harm animals.
- Why are the Olympics important?
- What should the age be to vote?
- Is it better to learn a second language from an early age?
- What is the right way to disagree with someone?
- Should you be able to buy junk food at the cafeteria?
- Lunches from home should be regulated as to what you can bring.
- Kids are required to save 15% of what they earn for college.
- Is social media addiction?
- Should students have the freedom to choose their own school subjects?
- Is it ethical to keep animals in zoos for educational purposes?
- Apps should be able to charge money for you to play them.
- Every household needs a pet.
- Kids must exercise every day for 30 minutes.
- Kids should be allowed to have their phones with them at school.
- Sleepovers should be against the law.
- The egg came first.
Debate Topics for Middle Schoolers
These are great debate questions for middle school-aged kids.
- All kids should play a sport.
- Should students have homework during weekends?
- Museums should be free.
- If you are failing, you need to go to Saturday school.
- There should be punishments for bullies.
- Kids should wear uniforms.
- Global warming is a real thing.
- Government is too big.
- School should be during the summer.
- Each child should have the same amount of chores.
- If you play sports, you shouldn’t need to do chores.
- All kids should have a job.
- Kids can go on vacation with their friends without parental supervision.
- Kids should be allowed to drink.
- The rich should give money to the poor.
- Children should have no rules.
- Movie stars are heroes
- Professional sports should be outlawed.
- Peer pressure is a good thing.
- Aliens exist.
- Everyone should be a vegetarian.
- School-age kids should not dye their hair.
- School-aged kids should not have fake nails.
- Pen and paper should be outlawed and replaced with digital products.
- Anyone should be able to run for president.
- Grades in middle school do matter later in life.
- Plastic should be prohibited.
- Everyone should learn to play an instrument.
- It should be mandatory for everyone in the United States to be able to speak English.
- Should students have a say in choosing their own classes?
- Corporal punishment is a good thing and should be enforced.
- War is good.
- Is it better to have a longer summer break or shorter, more frequent breaks throughout the year?
- Is social media a positive influence on young people?
- Is it more important to be book-smart or street-smart?
- Kids should be able to buy whatever they want.
- Tests should be banned.
- Kids should drive at 14.
- Tap water or bottled water?
- Everyone should know how to swim.
Debate Questions for High schoolers
These questions requirer higher-level thinking and are a little more controversial.
- Macs or PCs.
- Phones should be allowed at school.
- Everyone deserves the same education.
- College should be free.
- Is it appropriate to have a dress code in high schools?
- Is it ethical to use animals for scientific research?
- Everyone should make the same amount of money.
- Women should be able to have an abortion.
- Kids should be able to drink and party if they choose.
- It is okay for friends to do assignments together.
- Parents should not be allowed in High School kid’s rooms.
- You should not have unlimited data.
- TikTok should be banned.
- Censorship is happening every day.
- The president should be able to serve for longer than 2 terms.
- Socialized medicine is better than what we have now.
- All schools should be online.
- SAT and ACT tests should not matter.
- All colleges should cost the same amount of money.
- High school sports are important.
- Kids should be punished for bad grades.
- Animals should always be used for medical testing.
- My parents should buy me everything I want.
- We see entitlement all around us.
- Kids should get brand-new cars.
- The death penalty should be banned.
- Sex offenders should never be released from prison.
- Boys and girls should play on the same team.
- Boys should be able to play girls’ sports.
- Kids that are 16+ should be able to get tattoos.
- Women’s rights should be taken more seriously.
- Sex education should be mandatory.
- You should have to marry by age 30.
- Computers will replace jobs.
- High schools should be single-sex.
- Kids should go to jail for drug use.
- High school kids should take home skills courses.
- Is it ethical for high school students to have jobs during the school year?
- Should high school athletes be drug-tested regularly?
- Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
There you have it! 149+ great debate topics for kids. What would you add to the list? Share in the comments below!