Everyone has some kind of talent that the world needs to see. Whether it's being able to name the color of an M&M simply by tasting it, hanging a spoon from your nose for an impressively long time, or being a world-class juggler, sharing those talents in a talent show is tons of fun.
Talent shows are a great way for kids and families to express themselves creatively, but the most challenging part of being in a talent show is settling on the perfect act. We guarantee that even if you don't think you do, you have a talent to share. These great talent show ideas could help you find your perfect routine.
Talent Show Ideas for Kids
You may not have discovered all your talents yet, but you can still participate in a talent show. We love these talent ideas for kids that almost anyone can do.
Do a Fun Dance Routine
You don't need to be ready for So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing With the Stars to strut your stuff on stage in a talent show. Find a song you love, make up some simple moves that you can easily do, and shake it. You can do it as a solo act, but it's even more fun with a few friends.
Lip Sync
Not everyone can sing, but everyone can lip-sync. Learn a song by heart and mouth it along with the original lyrics on center stage. Pair it with a bit of choreography and lots of enthusiasm, and no one will care that the sounds coming from the stage are not yours.
Play a Musical Instrument
Do you play an instrument? Whether it's piano, guitar, violin, or recorder, get up on stage and share your talent. Pick a song that you can play well and perform it on stage. People are usually blown away by musical talent. You don't have to be the next Jimi Hendrix or Billy Joel to amaze crowds. Just knowing simple songs will be plenty to wow them with.
Looking for a super easy musical instrument? A recorder is a great one you can learn simple songs on quickly. Or try a kazoo. It's super easy and tons of fun, and it can be entertaining if you perform the song with gusto.
Act Out a Day in the Life of Your Pet
We love this creative idea, and it's not one you see in a ton of talent shows. Dress up like your pet, and then come up with a short, fun act where you act like your pet. For example, play with a cat toy, chase a laser, or bark when the doorbell rings. Make it fun and funny, and the audience will love it.
Do a Dramatic Reading
Do you have a favorite passage in a book that you absolutely love? Get up on stage and read it. Put on voices for each of the characters, add a lot of drama to your voice, and read the heck out of that story.
Tell a Spooky Story
Love scary stories? Share one with the world, whether it's an original spooky story you've written or one somebody else wrote. Be sure to add a spooky voice and lots of dramatic pauses in all the right places to keep the audience on the edge of their seat.
Show off an Athletic Talent
If you play soccer or basketball or do gymnastics, you're full of special talents that you can turn into a talent show routine. Highlight some basketball dribbling, soccer ball juggling, or flips and cartwheels. Everyone will enjoy seeing special athletic skills on stage.
Share Some Culture
Schools are packed full of students from different cultures. Talent shows are perfect places to share some of those cultural aspects. Dress in garments from your heritage, and share stories or dances from your culture. Share what is beautiful and unique about you and your culture.
Perform a Skit
Performing a skit is another very popular talent show routine. The skit can be funny or dramatic. It's a good idea to write the skit parts down along with the planned dialogue so that talent show organizers know what performers plan to say and do.
Recite Poetry
Choose a few of your favorite poems and recite them for audiences. Poetry is a beautiful way to express yourself. You can choose funny poems, heartfelt poems, or create a few poems of your own to mesmerize the world with.
Wow Them With Magic Tricks
Everybody loves a bit of magic, and basic tricks are relatively easy to learn, thanks to internet tutorials and how-to books. Don't try to master everything. Instead, choose 3-4 manageable tricks and practice them so you can perform them for audiences. Make sure you fashion a fun cape and gather a few common magician props for effect.
Hula Hoop for the Masses
How are you at hula hooping? If the answer is "Pretty good," then congrats. You found your talent. Put on some music and show everyone just what you can do with a hoop.
Show the World Some Yo-Yo Tricks
Not into hula hoops, but great with a yo-yo? There's your answer. Show the world just what a yo-yo can do by busting out some entertaining tricks.
Learn How to Do Basic Juggling
If you have great hand-eye coordination, it's pretty easy to learn to juggle, and there are tons of online tutorials. Starting with scarves means you'll be able to juggle in just a day or two and be ready to take the show onstage.
Hold a Fashion Runway Show
Love fashion? Make a collection of looks to share in a talent show. You'll need some runway music and a few friends willing to help you start the "runway" with selected looks. For each look, explain what makes it great.
Do Famous Celebrity Impersonations
Are you good at imitating other people? That's a talent. Choose a few well-known celebs and impersonate them onstage.
Brush Up on Ventriloquist Skills
This act is a challenge and will take some skill and practice, but when done correctly it is a show-stopper. In order to learn how to be a ventriloquist, you will need a ventriloquist doll as well as a mirror. Make your doll look as if it is talking while your mouth stays sealed.
Family Talent Show Ideas
Showcase your family's talents for the neighborhood, extended family, or just for each other. It's a fun way to spend time together, and these family talent show talent ideas will be perfect.
Walk With Books on Your Head
Are you super good at balancing books on your head? Show it off at the family talent show. Maybe start with a single book to walk across the stage and then add books one at a time, showing off how great you are at balancing things on your head.
Solve a Rubik's Cube
Speedcubing is a competitive sport that involves solving a Rubik's Cube from any starting point in just a few minutes. Learn the basics of speedcubing, and then blow your family away with just how fast you can solve it.
Execute Some Pet Tricks
Do you love working with your family pet? Include them in the fun by showcasing some of the family pet's favorite tricks. Anything goes with this act, so long as it is safe and approved by parents.
Do Some Stand Up
Write down some funny jokes and share them with your family. For a comedy act, you can create your own set of funnies, or you can borrow some common wisecracks from the internet or from a joke book.
Related: 75 Silly Spring Jokes for Kids to Sprout Some Smiles
Walk a Slack Line
If the talent show is in the backyard, hang a slackline between two trees and show off your exceptional balance skills.
Swim Your Way to Talent Show Victory
If your family has a pool, create a swimming routine that's graceful and entertaining. Show off your favorite swim strokes, flips, and dives as your family watches on. A performance like this will certainly score first-place marks in a family talent show.
Display Some Art
If art is up your alley, create a gallery of your favorite drawings and projects. Explain a bit about each one so that your family knows about the inspiration behind the piece, as well as the mediums that you chose to work with.
Create a Jump Rope Routine
Jump roping is fun and a great way to get some exercise, so why not make it into a routine to share with your loved ones? You can have a solo jump roping act, or you can grab a sibling and try to create a routine together.
Make a Band and Jam
Do you have a large family? Ask a few siblings or a parent if they will be a part of your band. You don't have to even know how to sing or play an instrument to try this act out.
Be an Awesome Air Band
So you don't actually play instruments, and nobody is a great singer? It's okay. Instead, gather up your Rock Band instruments, pick a song that everybody loves, and fake it. While the track plays, lip sync, play air guitar, play air drums, and just generally perform the heck out of it as if you all are making the music instead of just pretending.
Use Household Items as Percussion Instruments
Create a fun percussion act using bowls, pots, buckets, and wooden spoons. Turn everything upside down and use the spoons to drum your heart out.
Speaking of Percussion, Try Some Body Percussion
Your body is an amazing instrument. You can make all sorts of percussion sounds by stomping your feet, clapping your hands, making clicking noises with your mouth (or beatboxing), and patting various body parts with your hands.
Play a Water Xylophone
No musical instruments? No problem! Make a water xylophone, learn a few songs, and play it for the fam.
Hold a Puppet Show
Make some puppets and have a puppet show for your family. You need very little to pull this off — just the materials to create cute puppets and a puppet stage. The back of a couch, a chair, or the edge of a bed works just fine as a puppet stage.
Do Some TikTok Dances
Spend hours on TikTok? You probably know all the dance moves. Share a few with the fam with this fun talent.
Model Braiding Talents
Grab a hair model and show off all the cooling styling tips and tricks you know. Make ponytails, intricate braids, and interesting updos. Being able to style hair is definitely a talent worth sharing.
Do Some Bike Tricks
Bike tricks can find a space in a family talent show where they might not fit into a community or school talent show. Head outside and show your loved ones the cool things you can do on your bike. Can you glide with your feet straight out or ride with one or no hands on the handlebars? Can you pop a wheelie or do some cool stops? All these possibilities can be included in a bike routine; just make sure anything performed is parent-approved and you're wearing all the safety gear.
Sing Your Favorite Ballads
If you're too shy to sing in front of a crowd at school or in the community but love to belt out a tune in the shower, then sing something for the fam. They've heard you singing in the shower anyway, so it's lower stakes than performing for a bunch of strangers.
Prepare Fancy Foods
Use your kitchen and your culinary skills to create something delicious for your family. Whatever your kitchen talent is, share it in a family talent show. Do you make the perfect grilled cheese? Set up a demo. Decorate cookies or a cake, make sushi rolls, build the coolest, most creative sandwich in the world, or blend up some smoothies. If your talents are in cuisine, then show them off!
Build Something From Lego Bricks
Build something amazing from Lego bricks and show it to everyone on talent show day. Tell your family all about how you made your creation, how long it took, what the challenging parts were, and what your favorite parts of the creation are.
Showcase Bubble Blowing
Bubble blowing is beautiful and fun for people of all ages. Whip up some bubble solution and show everyone how to make bubbles of all shapes and sizes. Experiment with varying tools to create little bubbles, huge bubbles, or masses of bubbles.
Have a Hand Clapping Routine
Grab a sibling and showcase a hand-clapping game. This is the perfect partner act for the fam.
Showcase the Cat's Cradle
Grab some yarn, tie it in a loop, grab a sibling, and perform the cat's cradle. Not sure how? This video tutorial shows you all the steps.
Do Some Card Tricks
Card tricks can be real crowd-pleasers. Start with some super easy card tricks and show your family your newfound skills.
Build a Card House
Speaking of cards, how about showing off your steady hand? Build a card house or card structure to showcase your unique talent.
Try Trampoline or Swing Routines
If you have a trampoline or swing set in the backyard, use it to create a routine for the family talent show. Bounce and flip around, impressing the audience, or show off your swinging abilities on the swing set.
Talent Show Considerations
When it comes to talent show act options, the possibilities are endless. When deciding on an act, make sure to account for the following:
- Related costs. Will you need costumes or props to make your routine special?
- Practice time. Tailor your act to the amount of time that you have to practice. Don't choose an act that will require hours of practice time each day if you don't have those houses to devote to the routine.
- Make sure it is non-offensive. What's funny to one person may be highly offensive to another.
Talent Ideas for Your Talent Show
No matter what you choose as your talent, remember that it's all in good fun. So get out there and show your skills with our talent show ideas.
