Getting ready for middle school: 20 Middle School Preparation Activities – Teaching Expertise

20 Middle School Preparation Activities – Teaching Expertise

The middle school years are often when a child’s views about school and its worth become set in stone. Middle school lessons place a greater emphasis on learning information and drawing connections to real-world situations. Preparation for this new setting is essential for students to succeed.

Here is a list of 20 activities students can do to help prepare them for the upcoming middle school transition.

1. Connect with your Middle Schoolers

By communicating with your students or children, you’re helping them to establish a strong and healthy relationship with you and others. By using effective communication, students’ attentive listening and understanding skills are improved. Here are 25 conversation starters for your middle schoolers.

Learn More: Free Home School Deals 

2. Middle School Transition Graphic Organizer

Upper elementary students that are about to enter middle school have many questions and experiences to look forward to. This activity allows students to share their thoughts and feelings about the transition and talk to and collaborate with others who experience similar emotions.

Learn More: Savvy School Counselor

3. A Combination Lock

A locker’s independence is a crucial aspect of a child’s development. Instilling a sense of trust and importance in the student’s possessions, ideas, and thoughts. Giving students a chance to practice opening their lockers will help them feel more at ease and confident on their first day.

Learn More: And Next Comes L

4. 5th Grade Binder Organization

Providing elementary students with a binder and working with them to develop organizational skills is a great way to prepare them for middle school. Students have an organized system for keeping track of their materials and locating their homework, saving time and effort.

Learn More: One Stop Teacher Shop

5. Create a Love for Reading

Building strong readers at any grade level will help with easy transitions throughout school life. This is primarily due to the importance of language development. As kids transition to middle school, it’s essential that they have a robust vocabulary and an enhanced ability to comprehend what they read and hear. 

Learn More: The Conversation

6. Teach Mindful Communication

Open and closed communication is a  great tool for developing interpersonal skills for 6-8th grade students. A good start is to make children conscious of how their words and actions affect those around them. Involving students in mindful interactions compels them to face fears and barriers to open expression. 

Learn More: Happier Human

7. Respect Communication Between Elementary & Middle School Students

When you invest time in educating your students with soft skills like communicating respectfully, you create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the classroom. Students will carry this with them in hopes that it will inspire students to engage actively in their learning and future social interactions.

Learn More: Education World

8. Create a Study Plan

Study techniques can help lessen the stress associated with deadlines and tests. Therefore, improving these techniques in elementary and early middle school will help students to be more successful. This study plan is a great graphic organizer students can take with them throughout their academic journey.

Learn More: Pinterest

9. Teach Goal Setting

Instructing students in the art of goal-setting can help them develop analytical abilities, creative problem-solving skills, and a mature understanding of handling adversity. Students’ growing sense of self-assurance during the transition to middle school will benefit greatly from this.

Learn More: Mrs. Winters Bliss

10. Study Skills Coloring Page

Elementary and middle school students are entering a new world with testing and deadlines. It’s vital to teach study skills. This coloring page will provide students with various studying tips. Have students keep it tucked away in their binders or print it on a large piece of paper and create a “study coloring wall”. 

Learn More: Study Petals

11. Teach Cornell Note Taking

Cornell notes are one of the best ways for students to take notes. Elementary students may not be thinking about college, but teaching note-taking skills throughout elementary & middle school will help to get students on the right track for college. 

Learn More: Medium.GoodNotes

12. Following Directions

It’s crucial to practice listening to directions in everyday life. Following directions can impact grades, subject knowledge, and skill execution in a classroom setting. This activity is perfect for giving students an inside look at their direction-following skills.

Learn More: In a School Daze

13. 10 Truths Middle Schoolers Must Know

Reading through these ten truths with your students will help them prepare and give them something to think back on when times get tough. Bonus: it takes practically zero prep time for elementary and middle school teachers. 

Learn More: Karikampakis

14. Teach Healthy Self-talk

Teaching your students positive self-talk can make all the difference between failure and success with their newfound independence. Positive self-talk has the ability to alter students’ perspectives, altering their behavior completely. It will help students to be successful in their endeavors as well as their challenges.

Learn More: For Healthy Minds

15. Worry Hearts

Whether you want to make these yourself or have students create them, they’ll be happy to have the comfort with them. This is great for the beginning-of-the-school-year activities for middle school teachers or the end-of-the-year activity for elementary. 

Learn More: Sunny Day Family

16. Tiny Book of Positive Thoughts

Looking for a cute craft and keepsake to send your students off to 6th-grade or 7th-grade homeroom? This cute little book of positivity might be exactly what you’ve been searching for. Positive vibes and optimistic surroundings are essential for student progress.

Learn More: Etsy

17. DIY Fidget Toys

Students in grades throughout elementary and middle school LOVE fidget toys. Through the manipulation of toys, fidgeting helps children focus better, enabling them to focus on work in the classroom or online. Create your own for students to take with them to the next grade level. 

Learn More: The OT Toolbox

18. Virtual Middle School Tour

If you’re a 5th-grade teacher, then this video might be the perfect video to show your students in grades 5 and even 6. This is a great video to spark conversation with your kiddos about middle school. Your student’s future teacher will thank you for the preparation.  

Learn More: Michael Hayes

19. Give Parents Some Prep Time

Elementary teachers have plenty going on. Use the collection of resources in this video to send home to parents! Have parents use this and their own content knowledge to help prep their newfound 6th or 7th graders for middle school. 

Learn More: Salem-Keizer Public Schoo

20. Fears and Faves

Listen to other students about all things middle school. From middle school teachers to school drama and making friends, video clips like this are great for students transitioning into middle school. This is one of those videos that will prepare students with problem-solving and listening skills. 

Learn More: Spokane Public Schools

How to Prepare Your Child for Middle School

Are your kids beginning the the middle school years? Learn how to plan ahead and make adjustments to pave the way for a strong transition from elementary to middle school.

Many parents say, “I knew middle school was coming, but I didn’t expect things to change so fast.” They are caught off guard when their daughter starts to check out the latest fashions. Then their son suddenly needs new shoes every three months. These are some of the warning signs of your new journey into helping your kids prepare for middle school.

While some differences between elementary and middle school may be unexpected, parents can prepare for the changes and help their children navigate this exciting transition. Here are a few suggestions for helping tweens thrive during this season.

Tips to Prepare Your Child for Middle School

Think back to when your child was a toddler and wanted to do everything for herself. You let her fall down while learning to walk and make messes while learning to feed herself. You recognized that these experiences were a necessary bridge from babyhood to preschool age.

The middle school years hold the same sort of transitions as your child moves from childhood into adolescence. Instead of dreading this stage, relax and observe the progress. Listen for new insights, then watch as agility and confidence replace awkwardness and self-consciousness.

As a parent, the best thing you can do is take a step back, but not too far. Let your child know you’re there when she needs you — but she can now take some steps on her own. If you can achieve this balance, your child will discover confidence and independence within the security of your love.

1.

Loosen Your Grip

Remember learning to drive with hands tightly grasping the wheel? Over time you realized that a lighter touch was all you needed to steer. Relating with your middle schooler as she explores more independence is a similar experience.

You are still the authority, so don’t lower standards or compromise on negative behaviors. Instead, have conversations about trust, and involve your child in discussions on limits. Emphasize that rules exist to keep them safe, not to ruin their fun. Hold the line on issues that matter most to you, but look for areas where you can guide instead of control.

During this stage, you become a consultant. While a boss gives orders that should quickly be obeyed, a consultant makes suggestions on how to get things done. If your child’s grades slip, ask questions to find out why it’s happening. Then, help him think through a plan to correct the problem. When she shows up wearing something inappropriate, explain why it’s a bad choice and help her come up with better alternatives.

2. Communicate Differently

That 7-year-old who used to chatter on about school will become a 12-year-old who shrugs and says, “Fine.” Some middle schoolers complain about parents who “ask a thousand questions when I don’t want to talk.” Watch for natural opportunities — such as in the car on the way to soccer practice — and be available when he wants to open up, even if it’s inconvenient for you.

I’ve heard middle schoolers say, “I don’t tell my mom anything because she goes off on me about stuff!” As middle schoolers navigate the emotional storms of this age, they need parents who will be their anchors. Keep your expression and tone neutral when you’re facing an upset preteen.

If your middle schooler does shares a problem with you, feel honored, but don’t offer unsolicited solutions. When you can, name and validate the feelings, by saying something like, “That probably makes you mad. I’d be mad, too!” When preparing for middle school, what your preteens want from you is what you want from a friend or a spouse: to be listened to, understood and taken seriously.

3. Expect Growth

Physical growth is the easiest growth to see. Some boys gain six inches or more in height between the beginning of sixth grade and the end of eighth. Girls become curvier. Both genders lose the roundness in their faces. And the boys’ cracking voices can create some awkward moments. All of this produces embarrassing situations and clumsiness at an age of exteme self-consciousness.

Do all you can to protect your child’s dignity when preparing for middle school. For many, “looking stupid” is their greatest fear. Remain low-key when your tween takes a spill or knocks things over. He’s still adjusting to his quickly growing body.

The physical changes are easy to see, but changes in the brain are happening at the same time. This is when students begin to think more in the abstract. They’ll lie awake pondering ideas like infinity and creation and what would happen if the sun burned up.

Their emotional changes happen so quickly that they are as surprised as you by them. One middle school teacher has Kleenex boxes all over her classroom because seventh-graders are known for unexpected tears — from being upset, from laughing so hard and from being surprised by something unexpected and unexplainable. One tween at a student-led conference summed it up well when suddenly he had tears streaming down his face. He reached for a tissue and said, “What is happening to me?”

Spiritual growth takes place also. Don’t be alarmed if your middle schooler asks hard questions about faith. Welcome the questions, and if you don’t feel comfortable answering them, involve a youth pastor or Christian teacher. Be prepared to address the common secular attitude of “Whatever seems right to you is what you should do,” and discuss the validity and truth of Scripture.

Then encourage him to research the Bible on his own. This is not the time to give a middle schooler the choice of whether or not to attend church, because the decision will likely be based on mood and energy level rather than on beliefs.

4. Understand the Bubble

With all of this growth, middle schoolers can come across as self-centered. As one dad put it, “Am I the only one who feels like I’m raising a narcissist?” We call it “the bubble,” because kids are often totally preoccupied with what’s happening to them. They’re constantly checking the mirror to see what’s changed, checking their feelings to gauge what might happen next and pondering the strange new thoughts going through their minds.

If you want to get a middle schooler’s attention, begin your conversation with the part that has to do with him. If you say, “Grandma is sick, so I need to take her to the doctor this afternoon. Jake’s mom will take you to practice,” you’ll likely hear, “Wait—what? Why is Mrs. Smith driving me?”

Instead, start with, “You’re riding to practice with Jake because I have to take Grandma to the doctor.” The good news is that “the bubble” is temporary, at least in its most extreme form.

Middle School Survival Tips for Boys

Navigating the madness of middle school can be difficult for any boy. Too big to be little yet too little to be big, he’s a mix of body changes, rushing hormones and learning challenges. The good news is that these awkward years don’t last forever. But your son needs you to help him learn three practical survival skills to prepare for middle school:

1. Respect

At their core, guys want to gain respect and avoid embarrassment. When his respect-o-meter feels full, your son will stand taller, smile more and say words other than fine. When he feels disrespected or embarrassed, he cringes, gets defensive and believes everything is “stupid.”

Help your middle schooler by teaching basic life skills that will earn him some respect from peers and teachers. Start with personal hygiene. Ridicule and embarrassment follow bad breath and body odor — things he can easily avoid with your guidance. Then show him how to deliver a confident handshake, introduce himself and converse intelligently with others.

2. Maturity

Ask your boy to finish this sentence: Practice makes _____. Did he say perfect? Oops. We know practice makes better, not perfect. Convincing your son to practice something other than video games can be a challenge. Setting and tracking goals, and then celebrating these accomplishments, will help.

Have him write his goal, such as “Raise my math grade from a C+ to a B in the next three weeks.” Then add action steps: 1) Ask for help in understanding difficult concepts; 2) Turn in late homework and ask to retake the last test; and 3) Meet with the teacher to discuss extra credit.

3. A Competitive Edge

The book of Proverbs says that just as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17), but the process often causes sparks to fly. Middle school can be rowdy and unpredictable, and by the end of the day, boys often feel more dented than sharpened. Share daily words of encouragement with your son to sharpen his emotional and spiritual edge. Tell him, “You are made of mettle.” Mettle is character that includes strength, bravery and courage.

—Jonathan Catherman, the author of The Manual to Manhood.

Middle School Survival Tips for Girls

A lot has changed since you were a tween. But if you’re like most parents, you can remember the middle school madness. Here are three ways to help your daughter successfully prepare for middle school:

1. Confidence

Help your daughter recognize and gain confidence in her abilities by setting and accomplishing goals. This includes both her must-do goals about school and chores and the want-to-do goals of her hopes and dreams.

Work together to create a goal list that gets her from where she is now to where she wants to be. Discuss how long each goal will take and what action steps will mark her progress. Then celebrate her successes along the way.

Another way to build your daughter’s confidence is to help her learn to interact with adults. Teach her to shake hands, look them in the eyes, introduce herself in a confident voice and to talk to them, even when she doesn’t feel capable. This teaches her how to act confident until she feels confident.

2. Fearlessness

Many girls — especially tweens — fear failure. This can keep your daughter from trying new things, practicing what’s difficult and reaching her potential. Remind her that God is bigger than her fears and that she has not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).

Take something she believes she’s failed at and walk through how she can grow from the experience. If she tries out for the school play or a sports team or a choir and isn’t chosen, but has the ability, figure out with her what she can do differently next time. Or if her skills are in another area, direct her there.

3. Self-kindness

With the many challenges of middle school, girls may wallow in negative emotions, believing they’re stupid and worthless. Combat that by encouraging your daughter to think and speak well of herself. Remind her that you love her deeply, and so does God. Also, that she is God’s masterpiece, created to do good things (Ephesians 2:10, NLT). This season is tough, but it will pass. So help her stay focused on the beauty and significance God has placed within her.

—Erica Catherman

4 Secrets to Preparing for High School

The transition from high school to high school can be daunting. If you neglect self-organization, you can lose your grip and slide into failure. After all, high school students have so many worries besides studying that sometimes their heads are spinning.

We tell you how not to go crazy with the workload and organize your life in high school.

Source: mrpl. city

Self-organization is needed to turn chaos into order. It is very difficult to remain calm and keep up with everything if you need to complete the DZ and solve a lot of personal issues.

When the workload is high, planning is important. Without it, you will float in a huge pile of tasks without understanding what to take on at all.

Plan your life

To be organized, you need to know what is happening and when. Schoolchildren are drowning in a stream of homework and other life issues. They have to balance between ordinary and school life. In order not to go into one of these areas to the detriment of the other, it is important to track the course of events.

Let’s see what is being used today to organize life in high school.

Calendar

Source: wikihow.com

Calendars are great for long-term planning. They help you keep track of your class schedule during the term, as well as remember important dates and events.

Calendars are inexpensive. If you don’t want to spend money at all, you can use the Google version or the built-in calendar in your smartphone.

Diary

Diaries are suitable for detailed planning of daily activities. Use them to track individual tasks: homework, workouts, meetings, extracurricular activities. This accessory should always be with you.

Lists

During the day, different tasks will “arrive”: homework from teachers, homework assignments from parents, self-planned activities. Add tasks to the list and cross them off as you complete them.

You can keep a regular paper list or use online planners: Trello, Todoist, etc.

Don’t get distracted

You can’t study effectively if you have Netflix running and Telegram notifications are ringing. It is important to collect yourself in a fist and stop being distracted.

Study purposefully

Source: rg.ru

You can sit on your homework for 6 hours while watching TV. Or you can spend only 2 hours on DZ, but for this you need to focus.

1. Set aside a specific time slot for studying. Use your diary or calendar for this.
2. Put your gadgets away. Take your phone and laptop to another room if you don’t need them for work.
3. Use website blockers if you can’t resist social media. networks. It can be found for free in the browser store.
4. Create a comfortable atmosphere. Learn where your head works best: in your room, in the hall, in the library.

Set goals for yourself

Another way to organize the learning process is to set yourself goals. Write down 1-3 specific tasks you want to accomplish tonight.

It is important that the objectives are clearly defined. Write not “make English”, but “take the test”, “learn 11 new words”, and so on.

The more specific the task, the more effectively you will be able to focus on it!

Take frequent breaks

If you are constantly distracted by something and cannot concentrate, then the brain needs rest. Help him: take frequent breaks from study, but only planned ones.

Source: ru.depositphotos.com

Take a break from tasks for 5 minutes every 25-30 minutes of study. So you will not have time to get tired, and the work will go smoothly.

During breaks, you can stretch your body, make tea, chat with your sister or parents. Be sure to get up from the table and change the environment so that the brain switches.

Eliminate dead time

Think of all the wasted hours of the day: commuting to and from school, waiting for laptop upgrades, looking for missing notebooks and pens… It’s “dead” time wasted. But it can be directed to something useful.

Determine your “dead” time

Sometimes everything is obvious: in public transport, you usually stare idlely out the window. But there are meaningless cases that are not so easy to track. For example, thoughtlessly reviewing notes.

Studying history can take an hour. But if 35 of those minutes are spent organizing unorganized notes, you’re wasting your time. Therefore, you need to learn how to keep competent records from the very beginning.

To identify “dead time”:

1. Think about your day.
2. Determine what you did today.
3. Determine if an action has value.

Exercises

Sometimes students get carried away with their studies and forget about physical health.

Exercise not only reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, but also improves memory and learning.

The fact is that during training, the heart pumps blood faster, which increases the level of oxygen in the brain. That is why after training new ideas may come, how to solve a problem in mathematics or another subject.

While you’re waiting for your laptop to update or your friends to come to a meeting, you can take a short jog or walk, do some warm-ups.

Write down questions that pop into your head and ask them

Source: psy.systems

Let’s say you struggled with algebra in the first term, but never bothered to ask for help. In the second quarter, you begin to study trigonometry, as a result, the problems become even greater: both disciplines are strongly intertwined.

Start a book of questions. This is a notebook in which you record all questions in any discipline. So you definitely won’t forget what difficulties arose in the remote sensing and what to ask the teacher about.

It is important to organize the book so that you can quickly navigate through it without wasting time. Designate several pages for each discipline and mark the sections with colored stickers.

We do not recommend crossing out questions as they are resolved: perhaps there will still be difficulties with them. It is better to mark them with some color.

We wish you an easy transition from the middle classes to the senior ones! Let you have only those problems that you can easily solve on your own, and the Alpha school will help you with the difficult ones.

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Transition to secondary school: how to prepare yourself and your child

One of the first important milestones in a child’s education is the end of elementary school and entering secondary school. The transition to 5th grade brings big changes for children: there are new teachers, subjects, peers, more study and homework, and a new learning space. It is natural for children to have mixed feelings and take time to adjust

Adaptation is the process of adapting to certain environmental conditions. It consists not only in the successful development of the educational process, but also in comfortable conditions for the student to stay in an educational institution, building normal relationships with teachers and classmates. The most difficult stage of education is the transition from primary to secondary school. The adaptation period can take from several months to a year.

Features of adaptation during the transition from elementary school to secondary school

Grades 5-6 can be called a truly troubled time for both children and their parents. The main problems with adaptation during the transition from primary to secondary school lead to a decrease in academic performance and arise for several reasons:

• Children are oriented towards the environment, not knowledge. When you move from primary to secondary school, the environment changes. If earlier the student was in the same room, now he has to move from class to class. New subjects appear, and instead of one teacher there are several. Everyone has their own requirements and rules of conduct in the classroom. It is difficult for a child accustomed to one teacher to readjust;
• Difficulties in studies. The training program with the transition to the secondary level of the school becomes more complicated. If the child does not have time to learn the topic, there are difficulties with further study. If there are difficulties with any subject, the help of a tutor may be needed;
• Lack of academic independence. Children are just getting used to the transition to secondary school, they need help and attention from parents and teachers. This is due to the fact that in elementary school the approach to learning is individual, the teacher completely controls the children, manages the learning process. From the 5th grade, the student should be more independent
• Physiological changes. Hormonal restructuring at the age of 10-11 years leads to sleep disturbance, attention disorder, decreased performance. Due to physiological changes in the body, the child is more tired. As the workload increases, academic performance drops
• Lack of strategic goals (motivation for learning). The child does not understand why he needs this or that object in his life. The lack of interest in learning in a student leads to a drop in academic performance. Also, a reluctance to learn appears if there is no relationship with the teacher. It is necessary to motivate the child to study the subject;
• Personal experiences. Difficulties in adaptation may arise due to problems in the family, quarrels with friends. Children aged 10-11 are very impressionable, so even a minor conflict leads to stress. Usually in this case it is enough to wait out the time, and the situation will improve. If the child is very worried, psychological support from a specialist may be needed;
• Self-doubt. The main cause of the problem is pressure from loved ones. Parents expect good grades from the child, but he is afraid not to live up to their expectations. The student gets upset at the slightest failure in his studies. As a result, motivation disappears, performance decreases. If a child receives a bad mark, a remark from a teacher, his self-esteem falls, the desire to learn disappears;
• Lack of ability. Some of the students are better at mathematics, while others are better at the humanities. With the advent of new subjects in the school curriculum, there is an opportunity to express themselves. It happens that children who did not do well in a certain subject in elementary school get excellent marks in it in high school.

How to help your child adjust during the transition from elementary to middle school

To make the transition from elementary school to secondary school more seamless for yourself, teachers and your child, you need to take care of it in advance. Here are some tips on how to easily get through this stage:

• Get ready

Make sure your child attends all transition and orientation programs the school offers.

Tell him yourself about what awaits him. The main thing is not to intimidate, but to talk about the transition from elementary to high school, as if it were a new adventure. Share your story. Explain to the child that such a transition is an opportunity to reveal oneself from the other side, to learn something new and interesting, to show independence.

• Pay attention to the development of communication skills

A child should be able to communicate not only with peers, but also with adults. It is necessary to teach the student that in case of difficulties, any questions, he would turn to the class teacher or another teacher.

• Work with alarm

If the child is anxious, talk about what he is most afraid of. Listen actively as he shares his feelings and concerns about the transition to high school. Say that it is natural to worry in this case.

Offer to look at the positive side of going to high school. For example, you can highlight new extracurricular activities that you can try.

Get ready for the ups and downs. It takes time to adjust to the changes and adapt, but if the difficulties persist after the first quarter, talk to the class teacher. Remind your child that it’s natural to be nervous about starting something new. For example, you could talk about how nervous and excited you are when you start a new job.

• Make a daily routine

Develop a clear daily routine so that the child understands what he does before and after school. For example, doing homework, hobbies and sports, and relaxing before bed. Make sure your child eats healthy foods, moves a lot, and gets enough sleep. This will help avoid fatigue. When doing lessons, you also need to follow a certain schedule. For example, 20 minutes are allotted for homework in the Russian language, followed by a break of 5-10 minutes. After that, the child begins to complete the lessons in another discipline. This mode develops self-control.

• Talk to your child about friends and socializing

If there is a change in class or school along with the transition to high school, reassure your child that it is normal to worry about making new friends. Encourage new friends to visit or be ready to take your child to their home.

If you see that you don’t get along with friends at school, offer to sign up for children’s sections, perhaps “your” people will meet there. Learning to play a musical instrument, taking up a new sport, or attending a theater club are great ways to meet new people and get involved in school activities.

• Give your child enough attention

Go beyond the standard questions about how your day at school went. Try to set aside time each day to ask in detail about lessons learned, impressions received, relationships with teachers and classmates. So the child will feel your attention and support, which will give him self-confidence.

• Teach your child to be independent
  In elementary school, the child gets used to the fact that the teacher is in complete control of the learning process – he monitors homework, reminds him what supplies to bring to a certain lesson. Subject teachers are very busy, so there is no individual approach to students. It is necessary to accustom the child to independence gradually. The student must collect the portfolio himself, do his homework. If there are difficulties with the lessons, you can call one of your classmates. The child must do this on their own.

• Pay attention to the learning process
  As you move from elementary school to high school, the program becomes more difficult. Your child may need help with homework. In no case should you do homework for a student. It is worth explaining the topic, follow the homework.