12 Oct Show and Tell Part Two – Tips for Show and Tell
In Part one of Show and Tell, we talked about the benefits of show and tell for children at school, and there are so many.
Now for the really useful part – how to help your child prepare a great Show and Tell!
Show and Tell Topic Ideas
The most important part of Show and Tell is deciding on a topic. Help your child choose a topic that they know about, are willing to research or is something that is of particular interest to them. Public speaking is always easier if you know a lot about your topic and it is something you are passionate about.
Some Show and Tell ideas include:
- Something from a holiday, old or recent. It could be a postcard, a souvenir or a holiday journal where they can read an excerpt
- A photograph of an activity (you may even be able to provide an electronic version for the teacher to show up on the whiteboard)
- A piece of artwork or craft they have created at home or in a workshop
- Something they have collected. We recently had a student who found a black feather in his backyard, so he researched which Australian birds lived in his area and talked a little about each one with photos from the internet. It was a great way to encourage a fun class discussion on which bird the students thought was most likely
Whatever you decide to share, remember having something to pass around is fun and interesting for the class.
How to Prepare for Show and Tell
Some children are happy to speak about their Show and Tell without much preparation beforehand, and others may need some support such as bullet points written down. Either way it is still a good idea to have a little practice in front of the friends, family or a even your pet!
When your child is practising you may need to remind them of the following:
- Keep your head up and look around at your audience as much as possible
- Use a loud and clear voice
- Keep your feet still and together on the floor
- Try to use exciting words or adjectives to describe your adventure or object
They can practise answering questions too. Young children often ask questions like, “Where did you find it?”, “How long have you had it?” and simple things like that. Other common questions at Show and Tell include, “How does it work?” or “Why is it special to you?” Practising answering questions helps children to learn to communicate feelings, thoughts and emotions with different words.
Don’t forget our teachers are always happy to help students prepare a speech they have to do outside of drama class, from these early show and tell activities through to persuasive speaking for older children.