Oracy Activities for Primary Schools
Practical, ready-to-use speaking and listening activities to build confident communicators from EYFS to Year 6.
What are oracy activities?
Oracy activities are structured opportunities for children to practise speaking, listening, questioning and building on one another's ideas
6 simple oracy activities to try
ACTIVITY 01 Instigate
Would You Rather?
Give pupils two choices and ask them to justify their answer.
Example question
Would you rather explore the ocean or travel into space?
Sentence starter: "I would choose… because…"
ACTIVITY 03 Build
Build on an Idea
One pupil shares an opinion. Their partner adds to or extends the thinking.
Example question
What makes a good friend?
Sentence starter: "I'd like to add to that by saying…"
ACTIVITY 05 Challenge
Agree or Disagree?
Present a statement and invite pupils to explain different viewpoints.
Example question
Children should have no homework.
Sentence starter: "I disagree with that because…"
ACTIVITY 02 Probe
Picture Talk
Show an interesting picture. Ask pupils what they notice, think and wonder.
Example question
What might have happened just before this picture was taken?
Sentence starter: "I think… because I can see…"
ACTIVITY 04 Clarify
Question Detective
Challenge pupils to ask thoughtful questions to find out more.
Example question
A mysterious object has appeared in the classroom. What would you ask?
Sentence starter: "Could you explain more about…?"
ACTIVITY 06 Summarise
Summarise It
After a discussion, ask pupils to explain the key ideas they heard.
Example question
What were the two most important points made?
Sentence starter: "We discussed… and concluded…"
Oracy Activities for KS1 (Years 1–2)
In Key Stage 1, speaking and listening activities can help children develop confidence, take turns, express simple opinions and listen carefully to others.
Start with familiar subjects and short questions that allow everyone to contribute.
Example activity: What's Your Favourite?
Ask: "Which season is the best, and why?"
Encourage children to explain their choice and listen to a partner's answer.
Sentence starters:
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"I think… because…"
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"My favourite is…"
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"I agree with… because…"
Teaching tip: Give children a few moments to think independently before discussing their ideas with a partner.
Oracy Activities for KS2 (Years 3–6)
In Key Stage 2, oracy activities can encourage pupils to explain their reasoning, build on others' ideas, ask thoughtful questions and challenge opinions respectfully.
As pupils become more confident, introduce questions with several possible viewpoints.
Example activity: Take a Stand
Ask: "Should every child have a say in making school rules?"
Pupils decide whether they agree or disagree, explain their thinking and respond to a different viewpoint.
Sentence starters:
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"My opinion is… because…"
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"I'd like to challenge that idea because…"
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"Building on what you said…"
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Teaching tip: Encourage pupils to refer directly to something another pupil has said before giving their own opinion.
Developing Oracy with Talk Tactics and Talk Roles
Good oracy teaching involves more than giving children opportunities to talk. Pupils also need to learn how to listen, contribute, question, explain and respond to others.
Oracy Spark supports this through two complementary approaches: Talk Tactics and Talk Roles.
Each week, children focus on a particular tactic and role, helping them practise and develop specific communication skills through regular classroom discussions.
Talk Tactics: How we develop a discussion
Our six Talk Tactics help children move conversations forward and think more deeply.
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Instigate – Start a discussion by introducing an idea or question.
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Build – Add to or develop someone else's thinking.
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Challenge – Respectfully question or offer a different viewpoint.
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Clarify – Make an idea clearer by explaining or asking for more detail.
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Probe – Ask thoughtful questions to explore ideas further.
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Summarise – Bring together the main ideas from a discussion.
Talk Roles: How we contribute to discussions
Our six Talk Roles help pupils understand the different ways they can participate in purposeful classroom talk.
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Listener – Listen carefully and show interest in others' ideas.
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Speaker – Share thoughts and opinions clearly.
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Builder – Develop or add to another person's contribution.
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Challenger – Offer alternative perspectives respectfully.
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Clarifier – Help make ideas easier to understand.
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Summariser – Identify and explain the key points of a discussion.
Small steps towards confident communicators
By focusing on one Talk Tactic and one Talk Role each week, teachers can help children gradually develop their oracy skills without needing to plan additional lessons.
The weekly focus is integrated into Oracy Spark's daily discussion prompts, with supporting sentence starters to help pupils put their developing skills into practice.
Make Oracy Part of Every School Day
Building a culture of talk doesn't have to mean planning extra lessons or finding new activities every day.
Oracy Spark makes purposeful classroom discussion simple with ready-to-use resources for EYFS through to Year 6.
Each week follows five familiar themes, giving children regular opportunities to share ideas, listen carefully, explain their thinking and develop confidence.
Mindset Monday
Growth and Resilience
Talk Tuesday
Communication Skills
Wellbeing Wednesday
Mental Health
Think Thursday
Critical Thinking
Feel-Good Friday
Positivity
The themes remain consistent across the school, with age-appropriate questions and sentence starters for each phase.
Everything teachers need, ready to use
With an Oracy Spark school membership, teachers can:
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Download weekly PowerPoints – Five ready-to-use daily discussion activities, with differentiated sentence starters and follow-up questions.
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Develop oracy skills – A weekly Talk Tactic and Talk Role help children practise specific speaking and listening skills.
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Explore the Sparkive – Access a growing archive of previous weeks' resources.
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Create a Spark – Generate additional discussion questions and sentence starters whenever they're needed.
Free Oracy Resources for Primary Schools
Looking for more ways to get children talking? Explore our growing collection of free oracy resources, designed to help primary teachers develop speaking, listening, reasoning and discussion skills.
From ready-to-use classroom activities and debate challenges to our free discussion question generator, there are plenty of ways to encourage purposeful talk without adding to your planning.
Discover free resources for EYFS, KS1 and KS2, including:
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Free Discussion Question Generator – Create engaging, age-appropriate questions in seconds.
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Free Debate Club Pack – Help pupils express opinions and explore different viewpoints.
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Free Ideas Pack – Ready-to-use ideas to spark meaningful classroom conversations.
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Free 'Pitch It' Pack – Develop persuasive speaking and presentation skills.
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Free Talk at Home Pack – Encourage conversations beyond the classroom.
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Free Calendar of Events – Find themed days and celebrations to inspire discussions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Oracy
1. What are oracy activities?
Oracy activities are structured opportunities for children to develop their speaking and listening skills. They encourage pupils to express ideas, explain their thinking, ask questions and respond to others.
Examples include classroom debates, picture discussions, partner talk, storytelling and activities where children explain or challenge different viewpoints.
2. What are some good oracy activities for KS1?
Effective oracy activities for KS1 include picture talk, 'Would You Rather?' questions, partner discussions, storytelling and simple agree-or-disagree activities.
These help younger pupils practise taking turns, listening carefully, speaking in sentences and giving reasons for their opinions. Sentence starters such as "I think… because…" can help children contribute confidently.
3. How can teachers develop oracy in KS2?
Teachers can develop oracy in KS2 through regular opportunities for discussion, reasoning, debate and collaborative problem-solving.
Activities that encourage pupils to justify opinions, ask probing questions, build on others' ideas and respectfully challenge viewpoints are particularly useful.
Explicitly teaching discussion skills, supported by sentence starters and clear Talk Roles, helps children understand how to participate effectively.
4. What is the difference between oracy and speaking and listening?
Speaking and listening are central parts of oracy. However, oracy involves developing pupils' ability to communicate effectively in different situations, including through spoken language, active listening, discussion and presentation.
Oracy teaching focuses on helping children develop these skills deliberately, rather than simply providing opportunities to talk.
5. How can I include oracy activities in everyday lessons?
Oracy activities don't need to take up an entire lesson. Short, purposeful discussions can be incorporated into morning routines, lesson introductions, plenaries and transitions.
Teachers might use a daily discussion question, ask pupils to explain their reasoning to a partner or encourage children to summarise what someone else has said.
Oracy Spark supports this approach through five familiar weekday themes, ready-to-use PowerPoints and weekly Talk Tactics and Talk Roles.
6. Where can I find free oracy resources for primary schools?
Oracy Spark provides a collection of free resources for primary teachers, including a discussion question generator, classroom debate activities, downloadable packs and themed discussion ideas.
Resources are designed to help teachers encourage purposeful speaking and listening across EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
Explore our Free Oracy Resources page to get started.