Children’s Day Speech for Kids: Short and Long Versions for 14 November

Every year on 14 November, India celebrates Children’s Day, Bal Diwas. Schools hold special assemblies, teachers sometimes put on performances for students, and children are often asked to give a speech. It is the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, who was known for his affection for children and was fondly called Chacha Nehru.

Here are two Children’s Day speeches your child can use or adapt: a short one for younger students and a longer one for older students, followed by tips for delivering them confidently.

Some facts to get right

Jawaharlal Nehru was born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad, now Prayagraj, and served as India’s first Prime Minister from 1947 until his death in 1964. After his death, his birthday came to be celebrated as Children’s Day in India. Before that, India had marked Children’s Day on 20 November, the date the United Nations observes as World Children’s Day. A speech that gets these facts right will always impress the teachers listening.

Short speech on Children’s Day (about 1 minute)

Good morning to our respected principal, teachers and my dear friends. Today is 14 November, Children’s Day, and I am happy to say a few words about this special day.

We celebrate Children’s Day on the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. He loved children very much, and children lovingly called him Chacha Nehru. He believed that children are the future of our country, and that every child should get education, care and love.

Children’s Day reminds us that childhood is precious. It is a time to learn, play, ask questions and dream big. Let us promise to study well, be kind to one another and become good citizens of India.

I would also like to thank our teachers, who make every day special for us. Happy Children’s Day to all my friends. Thank you.

That speech is about 140 words, which a young child can say comfortably in about a minute.

Long speech on Children’s Day (about 3 minutes)

Good morning to our respected principal, teachers and my dear friends. If someone asked you who the most important people in our country are, what would you say? The Prime Minister? Scientists? Soldiers? Today, I want to suggest a different answer: children. That is what today, 14 November, is all about.

Children’s Day is celebrated on the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was born on this day in 1889 in Allahabad. He was a leader of our freedom struggle and became the first Prime Minister of independent India in 1947. Even with all the responsibilities of running a new nation, he never forgot children. He loved spending time with them, and they called him Chacha Nehru. He often wore a rose in his coat, and that rose has become a symbol of this day.

Nehru believed that the future of India depended on how its children were raised. He wanted every child to have the chance to learn and grow. He is often remembered for saying that the children of today will make the India of tomorrow. He was also a great letter-writer: when his daughter Indira was a young girl, he wrote her a series of letters about the history of the world and of nature, which were later published as a book called Letters from a Father to His Daughter.

But Children’s Day is not only about remembering the past. It is also about asking whether every child today is getting what they deserve. Every child has the right to education, to good health, to safety, and to be loved. Many children in our country and around the world still do not have these things. Children’s Day reminds us that we must care for one another.

And it reminds us children of our own responsibility. We should study sincerely, respect our elders, be kind to our friends, and dream big dreams. We should also protect our childhood: laugh, play, ask questions and be curious about the world.

Finally, I would like to say a special thank you to our teachers, who guide us, correct us and believe in us every single day.

Let us celebrate this day with joy and promise to make Chacha Nehru’s dream of a bright, educated India come true. Happy Children’s Day to everyone. Thank you.

That speech is about 420 words, which an older child will speak in roughly three minutes at a relaxed pace.

A good speech gives the audience one thing to remember. On Children’s Day, let it be this: every child matters.

How to make the speech your own

Encourage your child to add one personal line: what childhood means to them, a favourite memory, or something they want to become. A personal sentence makes the audience listen more closely.

Let them change any phrase they would not naturally say. A speech should sound like the child, not like a textbook.

Tips for delivering it

Practise out loud every day for a week, standing up. Time it, so your child knows they will finish within the limit.

Use a small cue card with five points: greeting, who Nehru was, why the day matters, children’s responsibilities, thank you. Do not read from a full script.

Practise the opening question carefully, and pause after it, so the audience has a moment to think. It is the most powerful moment in the long speech.

Speak slowly, look at the audience, and smile. Children’s Day is a happy occasion, and a warm, cheerful delivery suits it perfectly.

Finish clearly. Say the final wish, pause, then thank you, and only then walk away.

Building lasting confidence

School assemblies give children a chance to speak only a few times a year. Our live public speaking classes give them that practice every week, in a small, encouraging group with a mentor who helps them improve step by step. If you would like your child to learn with a mentor, enquire about our classes through the Book a Class page; fees are listed on our Pricing page.