We’ve all seen it—or felt it ourselves. The sweaty palms. The dry mouth. The blank brain as you stare out at a room full of people during a presentation.
For others, it might be a smaller scale with the same amount of anxiety, say... a birthday party where people are milling around making small talk.
That kind of high-stakes pressure around public speaking has been baked into how we think about “presenting.” But what if it didn’t have to be that way?
At Curio, we’ve watched students transform when we shift the focus from performance to expression. One of our favorite examples? A quiet student in our CurioSpeak class who, for weeks, said very little and barely made eye contact. But then, one day, he brought in a homemade LEGO spaceship and spoke three full sentences about it—with a smile. He was so proud, and we were able to celebrate that progress together. And that one moment changed everything.
Because the truth is: when kids feel safe and seen, they speak up.
Traditional public speaking assignments—think memorized speeches or oral reports—often spark more anxiety than confidence. That’s why our Show & Share classes are designed differently.
In each session, kids get the chance to present something they care about:
A favorite book or character
A recent art project
A pet, a poem, a science fact, a LEGO scene they built
This kind of ownership turns fear into excitement. Kids want to share when they know their voice matters and the topic is their own. There’s no pressure to be perfect—just permission to be themselves.
Even though our approach is playful, we’re building big skills behind the scenes.
Every Show & Share class helps students develop:
Public speaking skills: tone, pacing, eye contact, posture
Active listening: learning to ask meaningful questions and encourage others (no yes/no questions here!)
Confidence and communication: knowing your voice matters and learning how to express it clearly
In a world where so much learning is gamified or solitary, these moments of real-time interaction make a lasting impact.
In traditional school settings, presentations are often a final product—you prepare, you perform, you’re graded.
In our classes, presentations are just part of the process.
Students improve over time through repeated, low-stakes practice. They learn to speak without fear because they’ve done it before. And when they mess up or freeze? We normalize it. We laugh together. We keep going.
That’s how brave learners are built.
One of the most beautiful things about our Show & Share classes is the community that forms. Kids don’t just learn how to share—they learn how to receive each other’s ideas.
They ask follow-up questions. They give kind feedback. They learn from what others bring to the table. And through this, many form friendships they look forward to seeing each week.
No competition. No critique. Just curiosity and connection.
You don’t need a spotlight and a script to teach public speaking. You need a space where kids feel safe, encouraged, and celebrated.
That’s what we offer through Show & Share—a joyful, low-pressure environment where students can grow at their own pace, one sentence (or spaceship) at a time.
And if you're not quite ready to jump into a full class? We’ve got a great way to start small:
🎤 Download our FREE 30-Day Public Speaking Challenge
Each day offers a short, creative speaking prompt—perfect for homeschool mornings, dinner-table chats, or warm-ups before co-op. No pressure. Just practice.
👉 Grab it here and see your child’s confidence grow one prompt at a time.
Ready to help your child find their voice?
Explore upcoming CurioSpeak and Show & Share classes and discover how joyful public speaking can be—when it starts with connection.