Public Speaking for kids: 7 Confidence Boosting Tips
Public speaking can be nerve-wracking—even for adults! But when children start learning how to speak clearly, expressively, and with confidence, it becomes a superpower they carry with them for life. Whether your child is preparing for a LAMDA Public Speaking exam, reciting poetry, or simply learning to present ideas in school, the skills they build now will shape how they communicate forever.
Here are 7 practical, playful ways to build those skills—used every day in our LAMDA lessons and easy to try at home, too.
1️⃣ Voice: It’s Not About Volume, It’s About Audibility
We’re not teaching children to shout—we’re helping them project their voice so it can be clearly heard in the space they’re in. This is what we call audibility: being loud enough for the room, while still sounding natural.
Try this exercise:
Choose a short poem and read it three times:
Once as if you’re in a cupboard under the stairs, reading to an audience of mice 🐭
Then as if you’re in the living room, reading to a few grandparents 👵👴
Finally, imagine you’re in the school hall, reading to your entire year group 🏫
Ask your child: Did your voice match the space? That’s the goal.
2️⃣ Body Language: Root Yourself Like a Tree 🌳
We often use this visual: imagine you’re a tree.
Your feet are the roots, growing into the ground to keep you balanced and centred.
Your legs are the trunk—soft-kneed and strong. No locked knees or fidgeting!
Your arms are the branches, free to move expressively but not wildly.
Standing in this way grounds the speaker physically, which in turn settles nerves and adds authority. No swaying, no pacing—just purposeful presence.
3️⃣ Facial Expression: Your Face Is Part of the Story
There are 43 muscles in the face—and we love helping young people use them all! Facial expressions are powerful tools in storytelling. They let us show joy, surprise, frustration, curiosity… sometimes without saying a word.
Play the Emoji Game:
Pick five emojis 😄😢😡😲😎. Ask your child to guess the emotion, then mirror it back with their own face. Can they switch between them? Hold them? Use them mid-sentence?
Small shifts in expression can make a huge difference to how a message lands.
4️⃣ Breathing: Breathe from the Bottom Up
Shallow, panicked breaths can creep in quickly—especially when nerves kick in. We help children breathe low and slow, from the diaphragm rather than the chest, to support a steady, healthy voice.
Top tip:
Imagine the air is coming in through your feet and rising slowly up to your belly. Want to get playful? Try breathing in tartan air, gold glitter air, or bubblegum pink air—using imaginative visuals helps little ones connect with their breath in a creative way.
5️⃣ Eye Contact: Bounce Your Eyes Off the Page 👀
Making eye contact keeps an audience engaged—it’s like saying “I’m speaking to you.” If a child is reading from a script, we teach them to bounce their eyes off the page and onto their audience. It’s all about connection! In online lessons, we coach learners to look just above the webcam. In person, we teach them to scan the room slowly, as if checking in with each corner.
6️⃣ Pacing & Pauses: Power Lies in the Silence
90% of young speakers rush—and that’s totally normal when adrenaline kicks in. But clarity lives in the pause. Speaking at a steady pace shows control, confidence, and care.
Top tip:
Help your child find one or two moments in their speech where they can pause:
a) for emotional impact, or
b) to highlight a key idea.
Silence can be just as powerful as words.
7️⃣ Praise Every Step Forward 🌟
Progress in public speaking isn’t just about the big performance—it’s about the small wins. Every time a child speaks up in front of others, experiments with a new tone, or holds eye contact a little longer, that’s a huge leap.
At My LAMDA Tutor, we’re big believers in naming those wins and building from them. Encouragement builds trust, and trust builds confidence.
How LAMDA Supports Public Speaking
LAMDA’s Public Speaking syllabus gives young people a brilliant structure to practise all of the above—and more. From selecting speeches and preparing cue cards to engaging an audience and answering questions, it’s a practical, empowering framework that supports learners through every stage of their speaking journey.
With 1:1 coaching, gentle encouragement, and a good dose of creativity, we help each young speaker find their voice—and love using it.
🎤 Want to know if LAMDA is right for your child?
