These are 101 funny debate topics for students. Every one gets a laugh when you read it out, but every one also has real reasons on both sides. Should the snooze button be banned? Should you get money for landing on Free Parking? Was the U.S. right to stop making pennies? A funny question lowers the stakes, so nervous speakers relax and the whole class joins in, while they still practice giving reasons, using examples and answering the other side.
Some of these questions are sillier than they look. In 1893 the U.S. Supreme Court really did decide that a tomato counts as a vegetable for tax purposes, astronomers voted in 2006 to stop calling Pluto a planet, and the U.S. Mint struck its last circulating penny in November 2025. The topics are sorted by grade: elementary school (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12). The high school questions are a little wittier and lean on real ideas about rules, language, money and technology.
Jump to: Elementary school (grades 3-5) · Middle school (grades 6-8) · High school (grades 9-12)
Elementary school (grades 3-5) (34)
- Should kids get to pick what the family eats for dinner once a week?
- Should every week have a pajama day at school?
- Would dinosaurs make good pets?
- Should schools have slides instead of stairs?
- Is it better to be the oldest or the youngest child?
- Should kids help make the class rules?
- Are pencils better than pens?
- Should recess be longer than lunch?
- Is a snow day better than a day at the beach?
- Should robots help kids with their homework?
- Should kids get to name the streets in their town?
- Should teachers have to do the homework they give?
- Is it better to have a secret superpower or one everybody knows about?
- Should classrooms have beanbags instead of chairs?
- Should kids be allowed to paint murals on their school walls?
- Should people dress their pets in costumes?
- Would having a tail be more helpful than annoying?
- Should kids have to try one bite of every food?
- Is it better to build a snowman or a sandcastle?
- Should kids keep all the money from their lemonade stand?
- Should pets be allowed to sleep in your bed?
- Would you rather be as tall as a giraffe or as small as a mouse?
- Should school buses play music?
- Should every class have a joke of the day?
- Are comic books as good as chapter books?
- Should kids be allowed to bring stuffed animals to school?
- Should every playground have a zip line?
- Is it better to be a pirate or an astronaut?
- Should vegetables be hidden in desserts?
- Should kids get a sticker just for trying?
- Is being bored good for kids?
- Should every neighborhood have an ice cream truck?
- Should kids get to be principal for a day?
- Should kids have to make their bed every morning?
Middle school (grades 6-8) (34)
- Should group chats go silent after 9 p.m.?
- Should teachers be allowed to give pop quizzes?
- Should the person who calls "shotgun" always get the front seat?
- Should "finders keepers" be a real rule?
- Is it rude to take the last slice of pizza?
- Should school start an hour later on Mondays?
- Should every class have its own mascot?
- Is it okay to recline your seat on an airplane?
- Should socks with sandals be considered stylish?
- Do cheat codes count as cheating in video games?
- Should pets have their own social media accounts?
- Is it better to know a little about everything or a lot about one thing?
- Should superheroes have to reveal their secret identities?
- Is the villain ever the real hero of the story?
- Should passengers clap when a plane lands?
- Is it better to save your Halloween candy or eat it all at once?
- Should homework be optional on your birthday?
- Should there be a slow lane in crowded school hallways?
- Does autocorrect do more harm than good?
- Is it better to be early or right on time?
- Should schools hold a bring-your-pet-to-school day?
- Should team mascots be allowed to play in the game?
- Should you get money for landing on Free Parking in Monopoly?
- Should sports games be allowed to end in a tie?
- Should humans try to contact aliens?
- Is a class clown good for a class?
- Is it better to present first or last?
- Should kids be paid for good grades?
- Is talking during a movie ever okay?
- Should people be allowed to bring their own snacks to the movie theater?
- Should libraries be quiet places?
- Should every video game have an easy mode?
- Should emojis be allowed in school essays?
- Should people be allowed to wear pajamas in public?
High school (grades 9-12) (33)
- Should the snooze button be banned?
- Should daylight saving time be abolished? (Pro & Con guide)
- Should students be able to fire a teammate from a group project?
- Should "reply all" be removed from email?
- Was the U.S. right to stop making pennies?
- Should tipping be replaced by higher menu prices?
- Should stores wait until after Thanksgiving to play holiday music?
- Should robots replace umpires and referees?
- Was the Supreme Court right to call the tomato a vegetable?
- Should Pluto get its planet status back?
- Should the Oxford comma be required?
- Should the world get rid of time zones?
- Should "GIF" be pronounced with a hard G?
- Should the U.S. switch to the metric system?
- Should leap day be a holiday?
- Should cities ban gas-powered leaf blowers?
- Should more intersections be roundabouts?
- Is it okay to let AI write your birthday cards?
- Should parents be allowed to give their child any name they want?
- Would a world without white lies be better?
- Should movies based on true stories be allowed to change the facts?
- Should weather forecasters be held responsible for wrong forecasts?
- Should "the customer is always right" be retired?
- Should self-checkout machines be banned?
- Should influencers need a license to give advice?
- Should AI grade homework?
- Should humans settle the Moon before Mars?
- Should plant-based meat be allowed to be called a "burger"?
- Should every phone use the same charger?
- Is procrastination ever a useful skill?
- Is water wet?
- Should a robot be allowed to be your lawyer?
- Should tied elections be settled by a coin toss?
How to use these topics in class
- Laugh first, then argue. Let the class enjoy the question for a moment, then ask for real reasons. A funny topic still needs a claim, a reason and an example, just like a serious one.
- Make students define the terms. Many funny questions turn on a definition: what counts as wet, what makes a planet, what counts as cheating. Ask each side to define the key word first, then argue about whose definition is better.
- Find the serious idea underneath. Most silly questions hide a real one. The snooze button is about health and self-control, Free Parking is about rules versus fairness, and the coin toss is about how to break ties fairly. In 2018, a tied race for Virginia's state legislature was settled by drawing a name from a bowl.
- Still require rebuttal. A joke is not an answer. Every speaker after the first should respond to at least one point from the other side. Assign sides with the Team Generator so nobody just argues their favorite.
- Keep it quick and timed. Funny topics work best as warm-ups. Use the debate timer for 1-minute speeches, or pull a surprise question with the random topic picker.
Questions teachers ask
What makes a funny debate topic good?
A good funny topic makes people smile but still has real reasons on both sides. "Should the snooze button be banned?" works because you can argue about sleep, health and freedom. A question with only one sensible answer is a joke, not a debate.
Are funny debate topics useful or just a waste of time?
They are useful. Because nobody feels strongly about pennies or Free Parking, students focus on how to argue: giving reasons, using examples and answering the other side. They are also great for shy speakers and first debates.
How do I keep funny debates from getting silly?
Set the same rules as any debate: timed speeches, one reason and one example per point, and at least one rebuttal from every speaker after the first. Argue against ideas, never against people.
Which funny topics work best for older students?
The high school section leans on real ideas: the Supreme Court tomato case, Pluto's planet status, the end of the U.S. penny, the metric system and robot lawyers. Students can research them, so a funny opening can turn into a real argument.
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.
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