Speaking Skills Bumblebees

Our Bumblebees Holiday workshop is a mixed experience program for all Kindy students.

In recognition of the importance of learning presentation skills from a young age, it has (since 2012) formed an important part of the Early Stage #1 (Kindergarten) syllabus for NSW schools.  Given this, even younger students are no longer able to escape the obligation to speaking in front of an audience.

The Early Stage #1 (Kindergarten) syllabus clearly states students should develop the ability and skills to:

“communicate through speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing”

Given this, the Speaking Skills Bumblebees Workshop is designed for all Kindergarten students – confident and shy alike – who are just about to embark on the start of their public speaking journey.

Throughout our lives, we all have to speak to audiences whether that be for our career, education or socially. But we’re of the firm belief that not only is everyone capable of doing this, but that everyone is capable of enjoying it too!

The above said, should students be in Year 1 or 2, we would recommend that they instead give our Presentation Skills Tabby Cats or Presentation Skills Tigers workshops a try!

Check out our video on what to expect at our in-person holiday workshops below!

The Speaking Skills Bumblebees workshop aims to:

• provide Kindergarten students with their first public speaking experiences;
• engage students in highly creative and interactive activities to help build their confidence, communication and social skills;
• put an emphasis on introducing and building good habits over theory, noting students lack abstract thought and written language skills; and
• help students develop a love for presenting in front of audiences.

Connecting with Audiences

The beginning of each workshop is designed to help students get to know one another and feel comfortable when expressing themselves.  Amongst various speaking activities, students will be exposed to the concept of an audience, and come to understand that speeches are about finding a connection between their own interests and that of their audience.

Connecting with their coach and peers will inevitably lead to a classroom that is buzzing, busy and enjoyable!

Creating Content

As students progress, they will be more involved in creating unique content in small groups and individually. Inspiration and support will be provided as they progress to become more and more creative and confident, yet structured in their approach. Plenty of opportunities will be given to present both their group and individual creations, allowing them to receive personalised feedback and improve their speaking skills. They will also be encouraged to create and present impromptu and prepared content.

Importantly, none of the activities or presentations will rely on reading or writing, meaning students can enjoy the program without feeling self-conscious about abilities they are still developing!

Exploring the Art of Narratives 

Storytelling has been a rich tool used to generate connections, inspire dreams and ideas, and help students connect with the world around them.

The Bumblebees program includes exploring the art of storytelling. It involves the students as not only passive listeners but active creators and narrators of their own unique story as well, with students engaging with core storytelling ideas over multiple sessions.

Our classes vary in size every holiday depending on how many bookings we receive. However, the maximum size of our Speaking Skills Bumblebees class is 8 students with one coach, and 16 students with two coaches.

If there aren’t any spots left, it’s usually because we’ve hit capacity – please contact us. We’ll see what we can do about either opening an extra class, fitting your child into the existing class, or putting you on a waitlist in case any students pull out!

• a personal feedback sheet prepared by their coach (and sent via email), which goes through what they’ve improved on, and something they can continue to work on at home;
• a certificate recognising their achievements at the workshop; and
• and most importantly, a more positive perspective on public speaking!

If you’re interested in doing another holiday workshop, we would recommend that students move on to either:

• our Speaking Skills Bumblebees workshop again – the program is modular and changes every holiday, so students will always have something new they can take away; or
• if your child is going into Year 1, our Presentation Skills Tabby Cats builds on what they learn here, whilst also applying those skills to speeches involving reading and writing.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a weekly term program, we offer our Speaking Skills Butterflies program which offers complementary content to help Kindy students develop a love for public speaking!

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions, or get in touch using our contact form to learn more!