This paper reflects on the nature of ‘dialogic teaching’ to help answer the question: ‘What kinds of dialogue do children need?’ It draws on Bakhtin's analysis of different genres of dialogue and research into philosophy with children to describe how Socratic and Menippean dialogue can extend the creative possibilities of enquiry with children. It argues that Menippean dialogue can add value to Socratic and other more directive kinds of dialogue, illustrating this with examples of dialogue drawn from philosophical enquiries with children using a ‘Stories for Thinking’ approach. It identifies the key features of a community of enquiry and concludes with a summary of ways Socratic and Menippean dialogue can stimulate, engage and inspire ‘dancing minds’.
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