Parent guide
Debate topics for kids: 75 easy and interesting topics
Debate teaches children to think, listen and speak with reasons, not just opinions. Here are 75 topics, sorted by class, with a worked example of points for and against, and a simple format your child can use to prepare.
By the Eloqova team · Updated 25 October 2026
How to prepare a debate speech: the PREP format
- Point: "I strongly believe that..."
- Reason: "This is because..."
- Example: a fact, a story or something from daily life.
- Point again: "That is why I believe..."
Two or three PREP blocks make a strong 2-minute debate speech.
Worked example: "Homework should be banned"
For the motion
- Children need time to play, rest and spend with family after a long school day.
- Too much homework causes stress and leaves less time for reading and hobbies.
- Learning can happen in other ways, like reading, sports and helping at home.
Against the motion
- Homework helps us practise what we learned, so we remember it.
- It teaches responsibility and time management.
- It shows parents what their child is learning in school.
Rebuttal tip: listen to the other side and answer their strongest point, starting with "My friend said..., but..."
Easy debate topics for Classes 3 to 5
- Homework should be banned.
- Children should have a mobile phone.
- Summer vacation is better than winter vacation.
- Dogs make better pets than cats.
- School uniforms are necessary.
- Online classes are better than school classes.
- Reading books is better than watching TV.
- Children should be paid pocket money for doing chores.
- Junk food should be banned in school canteens.
- Playing outdoors is better than playing video games.
- Every child should learn to cook.
- Zoos should be closed.
- Exams should be stopped for primary classes.
- Children should choose their own bedtime.
- Living in a village is better than living in a city.
- Superheroes are good role models.
- Cartoons are good for children.
- Every school should have a pet.
- Teachers should give fewer tests.
- Children should learn more than one language.
- Saturday should be a school holiday.
- Travelling by train is better than travelling by plane.
- Sports period should be every day.
- Children should help with household chores.
- Rainy season is the best season.
Debate topics for Classes 6 to 8
- Social media does more harm than good to teenagers.
- Artificial intelligence will help students more than it harms them.
- Board exams should be abolished.
- Students should be allowed to use calculators in maths exams.
- Competition among students is healthy.
- Coding should be a compulsory subject in school.
- Plastic should be completely banned in India.
- Online learning can replace classroom learning.
- Children learn more from games than from textbooks.
- Physical punishment should never be used in schools.
- Students should be allowed to grade their teachers.
- Sports are as important as studies.
- Fast fashion is bad for the planet.
- Space exploration is a waste of money.
- Mobile phones should be allowed in schools.
- Ranking students by marks does more harm than good.
- Tuition classes are necessary for good marks.
- Students should do community service every year.
- Electric vehicles are the future of transport.
- Watching the news is important for students.
- Group projects are better than individual projects.
- Every student should learn a musical instrument.
- Homework helps students learn better.
- Celebrities should not advertise junk food.
- Reality shows have a bad effect on children.
Fun debate topics for kids
- Pizza is better than burgers.
- It is better to be able to fly than to be invisible.
- Chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla.
- Morning people are happier than night people.
- Robots should do all our homework.
- Kids should run the school for one day a week.
- Books are better than their movies.
- Aliens exist.
- It is better to live in the past than in the future.
- Mountains are better than beaches.
- Cats secretly rule the world.
- Every day should have a nap time, even in high school.
- Rain is better than sunshine.
- Dinosaurs should be brought back.
- Everyone should have a pet dragon.
- Teachers should wear uniforms too.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
- Board games are better than video games.
- Being the youngest child is better than being the eldest.
- Holidays at home are better than holidays away.
- Talking animals would make the world better.
- The ocean is more interesting than outer space.
- Sweets should be eaten before dinner.
- Weekends should be three days long.
- Toys should be made only from wood.
Useful debate phrases
- "Respected judges, teachers and my worthy opponents..."
- "Today I stand for / against the motion that..."
- "Let me give you an example."
- "My opponent said..., but I would like to point out that..."
- "In conclusion, I firmly believe that..."
For rebuttal drills and extempore practice, read our debate and extempore tips. For shorter speeches, see 1-minute speeches and speech topics by class.
Want your child to debate with confidence?
Eloqova's live 1:1 online classes teach children to organise their ideas, argue politely and think on their feet. In a free 1:1 demo session, a trainer tries a short debate round with your child and shares what to work on.