Are you wondering how to host an elementary school talent show? Your event can be the talk of the town with these simple and fun school talent show ideas!
What is a talent show at school?
A school talent show is a place for students to show off their special skills like singing, dancing or even telling jokes. Many of us have seen high school kids perform in a show like this, but can you actually do this in first grade? I'm here to tell you it's not only possible, but tons of fun!
A great time to host a school talent show is at the end of the school year. Talk to your students about all they have learned over the year. In our classroom, we talked about how far we had come in our reading, writing and math. I showed the students some of the books they were reading at the beginning of the year and some of their September writing. They were amazed at how easy those things had become and were so impressed with all they had learned!
I told my students that there were other things they are good at too. I reminded them that some of them are dancers or singers or athletes. Then we read the story Penny and Jelly – A School Show. This is an adorable story about a little girl who wants to try out for the school talent show, but isn't sure what her talent should be.
What can kids do for talent shows?
After we have read the story, we talked about some of the students different talents. We worked together in interactive writing to list the things they were good at – singing, dancing, telling jokes, reading, magic tricks, etc. We talked about how they might be able to use these talents to perform in our show.
What can a 7 year old do for a talent show?
The next day we read another story called Ella Sets The Stage about a little elephant who wants to be a part of the school talent show, but isn't sure she has any talent.
We reviewed our anchor chart from the day prior and then the students wrote about their own talent. They chose to write about something that they felt they are good at and that they might be able to perform in a talent show. It was a great way to incorporate an opinion writing lesson into our activities.
They students chose one of two differentiated writing templates – one template (with writing prompts) is perfect for struggling writers or younger students and the other is great for advanced writers.
Take a look at some of the things we did in my classroom in this video:
How do you organize a school talent show?
Finally it was time for the students to begin preparing for the talent show. In first grade, I found that most children liked working in a small group for their talent. Older students may feel comfortable doing a performance on their own.
We divided the students up into groups according to the act that they wanted to perform in the talent show. Some students wanted to sing a song together, some wanted to do a dance routine or tell knock knock jokes together.
As we prepared for the talent show, I kept a checklist to help me stay on task, remember all the details and check off things as they were completed. You can grab this free checklist here.
What are some good talent show ideas?
I won't sugar coat this. Having a talent show in first grade is tons of fun, but it's also hard work. Your students will need a lot of coaching to find the right talent and group of students to work with. Some ideas that have worked for our school in the past are:
- Performing a simple dance routine to a popular song
- Telling knock knock jokes
- Singing a song with a small group of kids
- Simple tumbling routines to music
- Hoola hoop routines to music
- Simple magic acts
- Dribbling basketballs to music
- Rhythm stick routines to music
Practice Makes Perfect
If you're teaching older students, they can meet with their group and practice outside of school. If you are having a school talent show with younger students, I suggest you set aside time in your school schedule each day for practice in class. It's too difficult for elementary students to get together after school because they have to rely on parents to get them to another students house for practice. It's best to schedule time at school for best results.
Give students about two weeks to prepare for the show, with about 20-30 minutes of practice time each day. Use this time to reinforce how to work together in a group and get along. If you can't spare time in your regular schedule, recess is a great time for kids to practice. They love to perform for their teachers so have kids get together in their groups and practice outside on the playground!
With younger students, you'll need to give them a lot of direction. Show your students YouTube videos of real talent shows so that they can see one in action and understand what a talent show is all about. Another great place to get inspiration for your talent show is Go Noodle. Have your students practice song and dance routines that they have been enjoying all year and use those as some of your talent show acts.
Want to make your show an extra special hit? Be sure to have the teachers perform, as well. We always had our first grade team perform a silly song at the end of the show as a surprise for students and parents. They loved it!
Gather Materials and Set The Stage
Gather all of the materials you will need for each act. Have students decide on simple costumes or props they'lll need for their performance. Will the magician need a magic wand? Will your jokesters need to write their jokes on cards to help them remember on stage? Ask parents to send in old halloween costumes, dance costumes or props that might be helpful.
Have the students help you make decorations for the stage. Make a big sign that says Talent Show and hang it as a simple backdrop on your stage. Have your students join in and help you make everything. Remember….this is THEIR show, so let them show off their talents in all areas!
Send home invitations to parents a week or two before the performance. Will you be charging admission? Make that decision before the day of the show and include that information in your invitation.
Organizing Your School Talent Show
You'll need a few volunteers to help with your talent show. Parents or older students can help with practice sessions, putting up school talent show posters, getting and setting up refreshments, making stage decorations and more. Be sure to make a school talent show program that you can pass out to guests as they come into the show. Parents love to see their child's name in the program so be sure to include the names of the children in each act.
You'll also need help on the day of the talent show. Recruit the help of some other teachers or parents to help back stage making sure each act is ready to come on stage, opening the curtains, and playing the correct music for each act.
On With The Show
Be sure to set aside time to practice on stage with everyone a couple of times before the day of the show. Go over any school talent show rules. For instance, make sure students understand that they need to be quiet back stage, stay in order and not horse around while waiting their turn. Do a run through of all the acts so that students know how to come on and off stage, where to go before and after their performance.
On the day of the talent show, line your students up in order of appearance in the show. Have your volunteer helpers take their place and get ready to enjoy a great show!
If you're ready to have a memorable and fun end of the year activity, try having a talent show! Your students and parents will love it! Grab everything you need to plan your event here. This set includes lesson plans, writing templates, anchor charts, audition forms, tickets, congratulation forms, editable programs, editable invitations, advertising posters and more.
