6 Best Speech And Debate Club Starter Kits That Build Foundational Skills

Your child comes home from school, buzzing with excitement about the new speech and debate club. You see the spark in their eye, and you want to fan that flame. But then comes the inevitable question: what do they actually need to get started? It’s a familiar moment for any parent—that desire to support a new passion without getting overwhelmed by gear or overspending on something that might be a passing interest.

Building a Foundation: Key Debate Starter Tools

Before we dive into specific kits, let’s talk about what any new debater truly needs to build a solid foundation. Think of it less like buying a uniform and more like assembling a personal toolkit. At its core, every debater needs a way to learn the rules, a method for organizing their thoughts, and a tool for practicing their delivery.

This doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. For a middle schooler just dipping their toes in, the "kit" might be as simple as a good three-ring binder for organizing evidence, a set of colored pens for marking up articles, and the timer app on your phone. The goal at the beginning is to equip them for learning and participation, not to outfit a future national champion. Focus on tools that build the habits of research, structure, and practice.

As they progress, their needs will become more specific. A student in a fast-paced debate format will need digital organization tools, while a student performing a dramatic monologue will benefit from a voice recorder. The key is to match the tool to the immediate task. Start simple, and let their growing passion and the specific demands of their event guide any future investments.

The NSDA Resource Package for Aspiring Debaters

If your child has joined a school-sponsored team that competes, chances are they’ll be connected with the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA). Think of the NSDA as the Little League or USA Swimming of this world—it’s the main governing body. Their resource packages are the gold standard for students who are moving beyond a casual club and into structured competition.

This "kit" is less a physical box and more a digital key to a treasure trove of resources. A school’s membership often provides students access to training videos, topic analyses written by expert coaches, and access to a massive library of past debate rounds and speeches. It’s the official curriculum for competitive forensics, teaching the specific rules, strategies, and norms for events like Lincoln-Douglas or Public Forum debate.

This is the right path for the high schooler (or advanced middle schooler) who is serious about competing. It’s an investment in a curriculum that aligns directly with the activity they’re pursuing. Rather than a generic "how to argue" book, this gives them the specific playbook for the game they’re about to play.

The Classical Academic Press Argument Builder Kit

What if your child is younger, maybe 10 to 14, and the club is more about learning the basics of logic than formal competition? This is where a curriculum-in-a-box, like the Argument Builder from Classical Academic Press, truly shines. It’s designed to be a student’s first formal introduction to constructing a sound argument from the ground up.

This type of kit focuses on the "why" before the "how." It walks students through identifying assumptions, using evidence, and spotting logical fallacies in a clear, methodical way. It’s less about the rapid-fire delivery of a debate round and more about the careful, deliberate process of building a case. For many kids, this is the perfect starting point, as it builds confidence in their own reasoning abilities.

Consider this the ideal tool for a homeschool co-op, a new middle school club, or for any parent who wants to build these foundational thinking skills at home. The skills learned here—like identifying a weak premise or a faulty conclusion—are life skills that will pay dividends in their history papers, science labs, and future persuasive writing.

Jay Heinrichs’ "Thank You for Arguing" Bundle

Perhaps your teen is more drawn to the "speech" side of the club than the "debate" side. They might be interested in giving persuasive speeches, telling stories, or crafting a powerful message. For this student, a kit built around Jay Heinrichs’ phenomenal book, Thank You for Arguing, is a fantastic, real-world starting point.

This approach is less about the rigid structures of formal debate and more about the art of rhetoric and persuasion in everyday life. The book, often bundled with a workbook or other supplements, teaches students how to understand their audience, frame their message, and use rhetorical tools to be more compelling. It’s incredibly accessible and connects ancient principles of logic to modern examples, from pop culture to politics.

This is the perfect "kit" for the high school student preparing for Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, or even just wanting to gain confidence for college interviews and class presentations. It’s a resource that teaches them how to be a better communicator, not just a better debater. It’s a gift that will serve them long after their time in the club is over.

The Sony ICD-PX470 Kit for Interpretation Prep

When your child is practicing their dramatic or humorous interpretation piece, they’re not just memorizing lines; they’re becoming a performer. They need to hear themselves to modulate their tone, perfect their pacing, and ensure their character voices are distinct. Simply practicing in front of a mirror isn’t enough to catch the subtle audio cues that make a performance great.

This is why a simple, high-quality digital voice recorder is one of the most powerful tools for any student in a speech event. The Sony ICD-PX470 is a workhorse in the speech and debate community because it’s reliable, easy to use, and captures clear audio. The "kit" is the recorder itself, paired with a decent set of headphones for playback. That’s it.

This small investment empowers your child to become their own coach. They can record a practice session, listen back, and make their own adjustments. It fosters independence and a deeper understanding of their own performance habits. For any student involved in interpretation events, this simple piece of tech can be a complete game-changer.

The Thinking Toolbox for Middle School Logic

For many middle schoolers, the abstract rules of formal debate can feel intimidating. Before they can worry about flowing an opponent’s case, they need to build the core muscle of critical thinking. A kit like The Thinking Toolbox and its predecessor, The Fallacy Detective, is designed to do exactly that in a way that is engaging and fun for this age group.

These books aren’t debate manuals. They are logic primers that use cartoons, quirky examples, and relatable scenarios to teach kids how to identify bad reasoning. They learn to spot a red herring, a strawman argument, or a faulty analogy in advertisements, news articles, and conversations around them. It turns critical thinking into a kind of detective game.

This is the absolute best starting point for an 11- to 14-year-old who has shown an interest in how arguments work but isn’t yet in a competitive program. It builds the foundational skills necessary for any debate format, but more importantly, it helps them become a more discerning consumer of information in their daily lives. It’s a pre-debate kit that prepares their mind for the challenges ahead.

Evernote & Debate Timer for Digital Organization

In today’s speech and debate world, especially in faster events like Public Forum, managing information is half the battle. Students conduct extensive research and need a way to organize articles, "cut cards" (the term for pulling key quotes), and build their cases. A purely paper-based system can quickly become a backpack-breaking mess.

A modern, effective starter kit can be entirely digital. Pair a powerful note-taking app like Evernote, Notion, or OneNote with a specialized debate timer app on a smartphone. Evernote allows students to clip web pages, tag evidence, and organize everything into notebooks for different topics or arguments. The timer app helps them practice their speeches with the precise and often complex time constraints of a real round.

This digital duo is perfect for the tech-comfortable high schooler. It’s a low-cost, incredibly powerful way to teach them the organizational and time-management skills that are critical for success in debate. It mirrors the workflow of college students and professionals, preparing them not just for the next tournament, but for future academic and career demands.

Matching Your Kit to Specific Debate Formats

So, how do you choose? The best kit is the one that matches your child’s specific event and developmental stage. You wouldn’t buy a professional baseball glove for a T-ball player, and the same principle applies here.

Let’s break it down by common needs:

• For the Formal Debater (Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Policy): Start with the NSDA Resource Package for the rules and the Evernote & Timer combo for practice and organization. These formats are evidence-heavy and strategically complex.
• For the Performer (Dramatic/Humorous Interp, Oratory, Informative): The Sony Recorder Kit is essential for self-coaching, and the "Thank You for Arguing" Bundle provides a brilliant foundation in persuasive communication.
• For the Young Beginner (Middle School or a new club): Begin with The Thinking Toolbox or the Argument Builder Kit. These build the non-negotiable foundation of logic before layering on the pressure of competition.

The most important thing is to start with the foundational need. Don’t buy for the debater they might become in three years; buy for the student they are today. You can always add more specialized tools as their skills and commitment deepen.

Ultimately, the best starter kit isn’t about having the most impressive gear. It’s about giving your child the right tool for the right stage of their journey. Your encouragement, your willingness to listen to them practice a speech for the tenth time, and your support are the most valuable parts of any kit. The rest is just there to help them build confidence in their own voice.