Kindergarten Talent Show Ideas

In kindergarten, children get their first taste of organized schooling and will want to show off everything they are learning. A talent show is a function that kids will be proud to participate in and parents will be proud to attend. Kindergarteners will range widely in their development, so be sure to provide numbers that all kids can participate in, and to highlight the children's strengths. Talent shows can display only the kindergarten class for the evening, or the kindergarten class can be just one act in the talent show for the whole school.

Choose a theme for your show and have all talent numbers revolve around the topic. For instance, an “around the world” theme could have students sing a song from Mexico, perform a dance from Sweden, and recite a poem from South Africa. Or, choose an animal theme and have students perform Aesop's Fables skits, sing a song about animals or play instruments accompanying a “Peter and the Wolf” style story. With practice, even kindergarten children can memorize lines, remember cues and put together an excellent performance.

Separate the children into groups and team up with a class of older students at your school so each group has some younger students and some older. Groups of about five will be best, and should have one appointed leader. Give the students some ideas for possible things to do in a talent show, and allow them to decide on their own one to five minute performance. They may choose to do a skit, sing a song, dance to music, or even recite a poem or some math problems. This method gives students the chance to use their forte, but also provides the support of peers for children who do not want to perform alone.

Not all kids love to sing and dance, though often these activities are the types of activities chosen to showcase in a talent show. Allow students who have other strengths to display them; think outside the box and offer suggestions and support for these students as well. One student may want to memorize and tell some jokes, while another might do magic tricks. If students have a talent that is not a performance, such as painting or swimming, allow the students to have a minute with the mic to explain why they like these activities. Students who are good at building can show how they build a block tower 20 blocks high. Set up your show in the style of America's Got Talent and have some particularly gregarious students be “judges,” dressed in character giving (always positive!) feedback to the performers.