These are 75 fun debate topics for students, from "Is a hot dog a sandwich?" to "Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?" They are light and playful, but every one has real arguments on both sides. That makes them great for warm-ups, first debates, brain breaks and the last ten minutes of class, for ages about 10 to 18.
A silly question still trains serious skills. To win "Does pineapple belong on pizza?" a student has to make a clear claim, back it with a reason and an example, and then answer what the other side said. That is the same claim, reason and rebuttal pattern used on the hardest tournament topics. Because no one needs to research a cereal or a superpower, students can focus on how they argue, and nervous speakers get to practice without worrying about getting the facts wrong.
The topics are sorted into five themes of 15. Topics marked with a guide link have a full Debatery pro and con guide, if you want to turn a warm-up into a full debate.
Jump to: Food · Animals and nature · School life · Pop culture and tech · Would you rather and imaginary worlds
Food (15)
- Is a hot dog a sandwich?
- Does pineapple belong on pizza?
- Is cereal a soup?
- Should people be allowed to eat dessert before dinner?
- Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?
- Are tacos better than burgers?
- Is cold pizza better than hot pizza?
- Is a muffin just a cupcake without frosting?
- Should candy be sold in schools?
- Is chocolate ice cream better than vanilla?
- Is a smoothie a meal or a drink?
- Should everyone learn to cook before finishing high school?
- Is it OK to eat breakfast food for dinner?
- Should school cafeterias let students choose the lunch menu?
- Are fries better than mashed potatoes?
Animals and nature (15)
- Are cats better pets than dogs?
- Should every classroom have a class pet?
- Should zoos exist? (Pro & Con guide)
- Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets?
- Should scientists bring back extinct animals like the woolly mammoth?
- Are sharks unfairly treated as villains?
- Are spiders more helpful than harmful?
- Should dogs be allowed in restaurants?
- Is summer better than winter?
- Is the beach better than the mountains?
- Is a rainy day better than a sunny day?
- Is camping better than staying in a hotel?
- Should cities replace lawns with wildflowers?
- Should fireworks be banned? (Pro & Con guide)
- Is it better to live in the city or the countryside?
School life (15)
- Should schools require uniforms? (Pro & Con guide)
- Should school start later in the morning? (Pro & Con guide)
- Should homework be banned on weekends?
- Should students pick their own seats?
- Should high schools have recess?
- Should students be allowed to chew gum in class?
- Should schools switch to a four-day week?
- Should students grade their teachers?
- Should there be a field trip every month?
- Should esports count as a school sport?
- Is cheerleading a sport? (Pro & Con guide)
- Is it better to sit at the front or the back of the class?
- Should students be allowed to listen to music while they work in class?
- Should summer vacation be shorter?
- Should students be allowed to nap at school?
Pop culture and tech (15)
- Are books better than their movie versions?
- Is it better to watch movies at home or in a theater?
- Are video games a form of art?
- Are board games better than video games?
- Should kids have a daily screen time limit?
- Are there too many superhero movies?
- Are sequels ever better than the original?
- Is it better to binge a show or watch one episode a week?
- Should movies be shorter?
- Should people avoid posting spoilers for a week after a movie comes out?
- Is texting better than calling?
- Do emojis make writing better?
- Should audiobooks count as reading?
- Is reading on paper better than reading on a screen?
- Should robots do all the household chores?
Would you rather and imaginary worlds (15)
- Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?
- Would you rather live in the past or the future?
- Would you rather talk to animals or speak every human language?
- Would you rather know the future or be able to change the past?
- Would you rather live under the sea or in space?
- Would you rather be the smartest or the funniest person in the room?
- Would you rather have no homework ever or no tests ever?
- Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn?
- Is it better to be a superhero or a sidekick?
- Would life be better if no one ever needed to sleep?
- Would time travel do more harm than good?
- Would the world be better if everyone could read minds?
- Would the world be better without money?
- Should humans try to live on Mars?
- Would the world be better if kids made the rules for a day?
How to use these topics in class
- Keep it short. Fun topics work best as quick rounds: one minute per speaker, then a 30-second answer to the other side. Use the debate timer so everyone gets the same time.
- Ask for a reason, not just an opinion. "Pizza is better cold" is only a claim. Ask students to add a reason ("the flavors have time to settle") and an example. That is the habit that carries over to serious topics.
- Make students switch sides. Assign sides with a coin flip or the Team Generator, then run the same topic again with sides swapped. Defending cereal as a soup when you think it is not is great practice.
- Try a this-or-that walk. Read a topic aloud and have students move to one side of the room or the other. Call on one person from each side to give their best reason, then let anyone switch sides if they were convinced.
- Mix in a brain break. Between rounds, play a quick game from Quizzes and Games, or pull a surprise topic from the Random Motion picker for the next debate.
Questions teachers ask
What makes a debate topic fun?
A fun topic is easy to understand, needs no research and gets everyone talking right away. The best ones, like whether a hot dog is a sandwich, sound silly but still have good arguments on both sides.
Do fun debates actually teach debate skills?
Yes. Students still have to make a claim, give reasons and examples, listen to the other side and answer it. Because the topic is light, they can focus on those skills instead of facts and figures.
What age are these topics for?
They work for students from about age 10 to 18. Younger students can stick to the food and would you rather questions, while older students can push deeper on topics like school start times or bringing back extinct animals.
How long should a fun debate take?
A quick round can take 5 to 10 minutes: one or two short speeches per side and a class vote. For a longer debate, pick a topic with a guide link and give students time to prepare.
Can I print this list for my class?
Yes. Use the Print this list button at the top. The list is free to use in classes and clubs.
Missing a topic? Request a guide and vote for the ones you want next.