One-Minute Talk Showdown

What you need

• Phone, 1, for its timer
• Paper, a few slips for topics and score (optional)
• Crayons or markers, 1 (optional)
• Bowl, 1, for topic slips (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Find a timer or a phone with a timer, and a comfy spot where everyone can see each other. Write a few topic ideas on paper if you like.

1. Sit in a circle and choose who speaks first.
2. Learn the three rules: no pausing, no repeating, no filler words.
   Ask: Which rule do you think will be the hardest to follow?
3. Warm up with a 30 second round where filler words are allowed.
4. Pick a topic for the speaker.
5. Start the one-minute timer and speak on the topic without stopping.
   Ask: How long do you think you can go before someone calls you out?
6. Hear a pause, repeat or filler word? Call it out and take over!
7. When the timer ends, give a point to whoever is speaking.
8. Choose a new topic and play again! Who will collect the most points?
   Ask: What topic would be the funniest or trickiest to talk about for a minute?

Ideas to try

• My favorite animal
• The best day ever
• How to make a sandwich
• Why dogs are great
• What's in my backpack
• The moon
• My dream treehouse
• Pizza
• The best game
• How to tie shoes
• If I ruled the world
• My bedroom
• The ocean
• Robots
• The weather today
• My favorite book
• Why we need sleep
• How to be a good friend
• Dinosaurs
• The future

Play it again

• Speed round: use 30 seconds and see who gets the most points in ten rounds.
• Silly topics: write wild topics on slips, like "a talking sandwich", and draw one each turn.
• Teach it: speak as an expert and explain how something works, like how to brush an otter's teeth.