Ai Tong Primary -- Naomi Yeo #SpeakUp2026

Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Naomi and I am 8 years old. I am from Iron Town School and I am here today to share with you about the topic of why every adult secretly wishes to be a kid again. Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever wished to be a kid again? Well, I believe that every adult secretly wishes to be a kid again. And it's not just nostalgia. It's because childhood reminds us of something magical. Joy, courage and possibility. For us, as kids, we didn't have to worry about meeting deadlines or paying bills. Our biggest stress was whether the ice cream would melt before we finished it. Life was simple and happiness was everywhere, in which we can still find it in doing small things such as taking a walk in the park, telling a silly joke, or even dancing in the rain. Secondly, kids also dream without limits. They say, I'm going to be an astronaut and make friends with an alien. I'm going to be a rock star. I'm going to be a dinosaur trainer. But as adults, they say, it's getting so hot these days, I'm not going anywhere. Somewhere along the way, you can keep on making bold dreams for, say, friends. But here's the motivation of this. Why not set goals that excite us, not just ones that check boxes? Thirdly, let's not forget resilience. Kids may fall down, scrape their knees, but bounce right back. Adults may also stumble back sometimes and stay down longer than they should. But childhood teaches us that setbacks aren't the end, they're just part of the adventure. So yes, every adult secretly wishes to be a kid again. kid again. A lot of those kid responsibilities were for the joy, the imagination, and the resilience that made childhood magical. Most importantly, laugh more freely, dream more boldly, and bounce back faster. Because the secret isn't that we want to be kids again. It's we want to live with the same spark we had as kids. And that spark is still inside us, waiting to shine. Lastly, I would like to thank the judges and the lovely audience for this opportunity. I believe that every adult secretly wishes to be a kid again. Thank you!