Fostering the art of debate at a young age is very important, which is why we came up with 15 persuasive debate topics for elementary school students.
Don’t expect scholarly questions fit for the presidential debate- these issues are all relatively basic. But that’s exactly what kids need at this age. They may not have a clue about the state of the economy or the political unrest in Venezuela, but that never stops them from arguing about what they do know. (Just ask their parents.)
We derived some of our questions from Kids World Fun. But most of them just came from a knowledge of what kids are into these days, namely candy, pets, and their favorite Disney character. How much simpler can you get?
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But though they may sound simple, some of these issues may reveal something a little deeper, too. By asking kids what subjects they like best, you might get an idea of what they’d like to be when they grow up. By questioning them on their favorite vacation spots, you might know where they’d like to attend college. And of course, whether a person likes cake or pie can say a lot about their inner selves.
It’s understandable for middle school, high school and college students to be debating more intelligent topics (like in 17 Controversial Debate Topics for Teenagers.) In fact, if they haven’t moved on from Elsa vs. Ana by the age of 22, there’s something wrong.
But just think of what an elementary school kid would answer to the question “Should kids have cell phones in school?” They’ll say yes, they should, of course. Because that’s a well-thought-out answer? No- because they want a cell phone.
What about the intelligent question of whether video games are constructive for children to play? An elementary school kid would answer a resounding yes, of course they’re good for them. It’s just what you expect from them.
But here’s a list of basic, persuasive debate topics for elementary school kids. It might be fun to answer these yourself as you read them, even if you’re not a child. You’ll probably know yourself a lot better for it.
15. Vacation in the mountains or vacation on the beach?
The child’s parents will hate you because they’ll be constantly pestered about vacation now, but it’s still a fun question for a child to consider.
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14. Disney world or Disney land?
That is as long as the elementary school child has already been to both parks, and if they have, they’re one lucky kid.
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13. Woody or Buzz Lightyear?
Just because this Pixar-inspired question was posed to Andy all those years ago, doesn’t mean today’s children should forget it.
12. Science and Math or English and Art?
The answer to this question will reveal something very important about the child- whether they’re left or right brained.
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11. Chocolate milk or regular milk?
Most adults would say regular. But a poll of elementary school kids might reveal the opposite.
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10. Elsa or Ana?
A little girl will be delighted to hear this one, and likely have a strong opinion about it. Although Elsa does seem to be the more popular of the two.
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9. Cake or pie?
Pie seems to be the more adult of choices on our list of persuasive debate topics for elementary school students, but all those pie related nursery rhymes might make a child choose it as well.
8. Showers or baths?
Maybe they’ll be embarrassed by their frequent baths, rubber ducky in tow, and choose showers. Or maybe they’ll just unabashedly choose baths simply because, with enough bubbles, they can turn into Santa Claus.
7. Dr. Seuss or Roald Dahl?
Most adults probably can’t decide on this one, but a child is more likely to remember some of their favorite reading material and choose one or the other without waiver.
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6. Casual or dressup?
We all know what the boys will say, but the little girls who change into their poufy princes’ dresses as soon as they get home from school every day will have the opposite answer.
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5. Sesame Street or Winnie the Pooh?
Almost as difficult as number 7 on our list of persuasive elementary school debate ideas. Big Bird may be endearing, but is he as adorable as the chubby, honey-loving bear? Let the kids decide.
4. Summer or winter?
There’s Christmas and snow and hot chocolate by the fire and then there’s vacations and sunshine and sandcastles. That’s a toughie.
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3. Dogs or cats?
This debate that ranks third on our list of persuasive debate topics for elementary school students, though classic, never gets old. It works for just about any age group, too. There’s always a strong argument on both sides.
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2. Morning person or night person?
Parents could probably answer this question number 2 on our list of persuasive debate topics for elementary school students, for their kids. When do they seem to have the most energy? (Sorry, unfortunately all day long is not an option.)
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1. Milk, dark or white chocolate?
We couldn’t leave this one out. And who better to answer it than elementary school students, most of whom are obsessed with candy?
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And there you have it! 15 persuasive debate topics for elementary school students. Hope you enjoyed!
