I’m going to be up front and state a truth about me:
I’m not an avid TED talks watcher.
I know lots of people who LOVE TED talks. My mom, for example, watches them all the time – or so it seems. She’ll occasionally send ones to me that she thinks I’ll enjoy or find some value in.
I’ve watched some that I love. I’ve watched some that made me angry and I really disagreed with what the presenter was speaking about. But regardless of all of that, the truth is that each talk holds value for someone. That’s why the presenter was chosen to speak.
I once worked for a company and part of my job was to look into the process of getting our CEO to be a speaker at a TED talk. We weren’t even looking for him to speak at the main talk, but rather one of the local ones called TEDx that are held around the country. The requirements regarding the speaker and his presentation were strict.
So keeping in mind that I’m not an avid TED talk watcher but I knew the requirements for the talks, I ventured onto my handy dandy TED app to check out some talks that might be good for kids.
I went through probably upwards of 50-100 talks, sifting through which ones are more aimed towards adults, ones are by teens speaking to other teens, and ones that are kids speaking to adults, demonstrating the power of the determination of a child. I watched ones that are short 5 minute long discussions and ones that are upwards of 20 minutes long. This was the most I’ve ever seen of TED talks.
I can’t say that I’m a changed believer in TED talks, but I have gained a new appreciation for some of them. There are some really interesting topics out there that can make you wonder, think, and be energized towards a goal. It is worth it to check out the top talks, even just for yourself as a parent.
When I was working through these talks, I wanted to find ones that were perfect for kids. I was looking for topics that would encourage curiosity, that were aimed towards a variety of ages from young grade school through teenagers, and I wanted to find ones that a young kid could relate to. In the end, the video needed to either be short enough that a child could sit through it quickly or intriguing enough that they wouldn’t lose interest.
Keeping all of this in mind, here are the top 10 TED Talks that I found the best to watch with your kids.
Being young and making an impact
Speaker: Natalie Warne
Best ages of viewers: Teens
Why I liked it: Natalie Warne spends her speech talking about a concept she labels as “Anonymous Extraordinaries”. These are individuals who follow their passions with unwavering faith and determination regardless of an end result of fame or fortune. These are the individuals who are pursuing passion because they want to make the world a better place. I think this is the perfect talk to watch with preteens and teens. Kids at this age are looking for ways to make a difference and have an influence on the world. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of “what will make me famous”. Remembering that the influence one can make is just as significant internally and externally is an important lesson.
Our campaign to ban plastic bags from Bali
Speakers: Melati and Isabel Wijsen
Best ages of viewers: Grade school or older
Why I liked it: I actually recently heard an interview with these two extraordinary girls, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, on NPR, so when I came across their talk from several years ago, I went into it knowing that they had achieved their goals, but interested to hear how they had gone about it. These two girls worked together with other grade school kids to make the island of Bali free from plastic bags. In their talk, they discussed the background of why they chose this mission, the process of trying to get supporters, the pitfalls of their work and lessons they learned, and their ultimate successes. From two young girls, this is a very inspiring message and can really show young children that they too are capable of making a huge difference.
It is a longer talk, coming in at 11 minutes, so if you have a kid who may not be able to sit through the whole thing, there are some good stopping points during the talk where you could take a break, discuss, and come back.
Turning trash into toys for learning
Speaker: Arvind Gupta
Best ages of viewers: Any
Why I liked it: Though this is a longer talk, and for young kids you could probably move past Arvind Gupta’s introduction to where he starts going through the toys on the table in front of him, he demonstrates creativity in using items that you could find anywhere to create little gadgets and toys. He takes simple items, like a straw, to demonstrate how, as it gets shorter, the pitch will become higher as you blow through it. I can imagine the jumping off point this could create, searching the house with your kids to find new and innovative ways to use “trash” and make something fun to play with!
Teach girls bravery, not perfection
Speaker: Reshma Saujani
Best ages of viewers: Preteens and teens, specifically girls
Why I liked it: I am a perfectionist. I don’t think I’m afraid to fail – thus why I’ve started several of my own companies – but I can definitely relate to the topic of which Reshma Saujani is addressing. She believes that we, as a society, teach girls to be perfect and teach boys to be brave and that this is one of the real reasons that is causing fewer girls to be successful in STEAM careers. This is an important TED talk for parents to watch on their own as well for young girls to watch. I think it’s very important to reinforce that it is ok to fail. It isn’t the failure that is the important part in life, but how you move beyond the failure to the successes.
Hands-on science with squishy circuits
Speaker: AnnMarie Thomas
Best ages of viewers: Preschoolers
Why I liked it: Sometimes it’s hard to figure out ways to keep young kids interested in more complex science topics. AnnMarie Thomas takes an item common for more young kids – playdough – and uses it to explore science concepts in a quick video that you can then follow up and do at home.
Underwater astonishments
Speaker: David Gallo
Best ages of viewers: Preschool, Grade School
Why I liked it: If you have a kiddo who is especially interested in ocean life, this is a fun, quick talk to watch. David Gallo uses amazing photographs and video footage of underwater life, celebrating the work of ocean explorers.
The magic of truth and lies (and iPods)
Speaker: Marco Tempest
Best ages of viewers: Grade school and older
Why I liked it: Full disclosure – my husband and I sat in awe watching this talk. It is less of a talk and more of an amazing presentation using iPods and seeming magic to tell how truth and lies interweave in our daily lives. Marco Tempest is entrancing and his sleight of hand will leave you wondering how he does it.
Science is for everyone, kids included
Speakers: Beau Lotto and Amy O’Toole
Best ages of viewers: Preteen and teens
Why I liked it: Beau Lotto spends this talk addressing the idea behind why science and the discovery process should be pursued by people of all ages. He, reinforced by teen Amy O’Toole, speak towards how anyone can have the power to change perceptions through science. It is through science that we are able to make discoveries and find out new information that will influence what we know. Although it does address science for all ages, the talk is longer and a bit heavy on information that may make it difficult for very young audiences to watch.
A performance of “Mathemagic”
Speaker: Arthur Benjamin
Best ages of viewers: Grade school and older
Why I liked it: I love math. I love doing mental math. I love figuring out the answer faster than others and being able to not have to use a calculator other than to check my work. I used to tutor high school math students even though I was a music major. I just love math. Math is not the easiest subject in school to love though. Even I didn’t love it right away – it took help from my dad for me to really enjoy it at first. Most of the high schoolers I worked with would scoff at the idea of not having to use a calculator – every phone has one now, why do we need to know mental math? Arthur Benjamin shows just how fun and cool it can be to be proficient in mental math. This talk is less of a talk and more of a show that will keep even young kids interested in the math he’s doing.
In the Internet age, dance evolves …
Speaker: The LXD
Best ages of viewers: Any age
Why I liked it: This is more of a performance than a talk, but The LXD does an amazing job using the stage to perform and demonstrate global street-dance culture, reinforced by the Internet. This is entertaining and just fun to watch. For older kids, I don’t see why it couldn’t lead to a longer discussion about Internet culture and the spread of information.
So from all of the talks, performances, and demonstrations that I watched, these were my favorite 10. They are for a range of ages, a range of concentration levels, and a range of interests.
All of these talks are perfect to be used as a starting point for conversation. Use them as a tool in your parenting. Work them into curriculum or extended curriculum with your kids. Encourage your children to have takeaways and action points after watching them. Reinforce that your kids, no matter what age, can make a difference.