I have to thank a fourth grader named Kyson for this idea. One day, this otherwise quiet and timid young man asked me if he could sing a song for me at recess. I thought that was pretty cool, so I said sure! I pulled up the lyrics to one of his favorite songs on YouTube, and handed him our class microphone. He did an amazing job! He grinned from ear to ear as he shared his favorite song with me. His 3rd grade teacher happened to be passing by the room and stopped to listen as well. We gave him a roaring round of applause to try and help him “feel like a million bucks” for a moment.

Then, it got even better: he asked if he could share the song with the class! Thinking about our busy afternoon ahead I said….SURE! We could take 5 minutes out of our day for such a special occasion. The class returned from recess, and I let them know that our friend Kyson was going to share one of his talents with us. We talked about how scary it can feel to put yourself out there in front of others, and talked about how we should show him our respect and attention. We also talked about the huge round of applause we would give him at the end.

So, he sang his little heart out! The class let out an enthusiastic and authentic round of applause. I asked for a few compliments from the class, and a young lady named Analise said, “He actually inspired me to sing something in front of the class. Can I do that some time?” And thus, Talent Tuesdays were born.

Why we have Talent Tuesdays…

To give kids the opportunity to share something important to them with others; to help them discover and engage with their passions; to build their confidence and to make them “feel like a million bucks” for a moment.

How we host Talent Tuesdays…

I keep a sign-up sheet on my clipboard and kids just let me know when they have a talent to share. We have dedicated 10-15 minutes every Tuesday (for us it happens between Specials and Lunch). I mostly tried to be aware of when the 3rd grade classes next to me were out of the room so as not to distract them from learning, though I just thought…maybe they should hear…and maybe we could have a grade- or school-wide talent show someday! I usually will prep the class to make sure they are ready to receive and give positive feedback to the performer.

What We Do on Talent Tuesdays…

I have had kids share some of their writing, some art projects they have done, songs of course, and even some magic tricks! If you check out the slideshow below, it might give kids some ideas for what they could share.