During middle school, students undergo significant physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. These changes are often accompanied by a desire to develop their identity and explore new interests and passions. While extracurriculars can help students master new skills and pursue passions, they require a serious time commitment.
This is where the need arises for other engaging activities that middle schoolers can explore more casually at home under parental guidance. These activities go beyond traditional academics, offering a more interactive and hands-on approach to learning. Though academics remain important, these enrichment activities keep students engaged and foster a lifelong love of learning.
The activities below allow for creativity, critical thinking, confidence building, and improved communication skills. By participating in a mix of academic and fun activities, middle schoolers can enhance their overall learning experience. They can gain exposure to new subjects while discovering their innate strengths and interests.
Activities for Middle Schooler that can Help Them Grow
This list of activities covers different areas of interest, such as community initiatives, STEM, entrepreneurship, and more, that may be interesting to your child. These activities are more than pastimes and hobbies, but they do not require as much serious commitment as after-school programs.
STEM Activities
Science Experiments
STEM experiments allow middle schoolers to engage in hands-on learning while fostering their curiosity about the world around them. These experiments span the domains of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, providing students with the opportunity to apply the scientific principles they are learning in their classes in practical ways.
STEM experiments spark excitement and reinforce concepts through real-world experiences. While technology rapidly advances, hands-on science projects remain an integral and irreplaceable part of STEM education. From erupting volcanoes to homemade slime to exploring the wonders of chemistry, science experiments ignite curiosity and spark a passion for inquiry-based learning.
You can find a plethora of experiments in a simple google search. Check out our comprehensive guide of easy DIY science experiments to try with your middle schooler.
Coding
While coding may seem like a complicated subject, it can be introduced as a game to older kids. Coding tasks that are well adjusted to their level are just like any fun game/challenge they can complete to move on to the next level.
For example, MIT’s Scratch is a block-based coding language that offers a visual learning experience for 8-15 year-olds. Kids can drag-and-drop code "blocks" to build characters and games and in the end, it helps to build a strong coding foundation for kids.
Design Challenges
Problem-solving is at the root of creativity. Utilizing design challenges is an effective way to demonstrate to students how different solutions can be used to solve a single problem. One tool that can assist you in setting up this task is STEM Kits.
STEM kits can give your child a glimpse into the world of engineering and design. Whether it's constructing a robot, building a bridge, or designing a renewable energy system, STEM kits provide a hands-on approach to learning that combines theory with practice.
Community Initiatives
Although community services and initiatives are more time-intensive activities, they provide an excellent opportunity to develop social skills such as communication, leadership, and collaboration.
Building a Community Garden
Gardening is a great way to learn about food, nutrition, soil, and weather. Moreover, creating a community garden is a way to promote local agriculture and provide fresh produce. Have your child pitch the idea to their school, place of worship, or community center.
By having your child take the lead in helping plan, organize, and maintain the garden, they will spend time outdoors and learn how to dig, weed, hoe, and generally get their hands dirty. By familiarizing themselves with nature, students will develop a greater appreciation for the environment and become more open to new experiences, especially outdoors.
Starting a Fundraiser
Having a cause that your child cares about in the early years of childhood contributes enormously to character building and personal growth. To execute a successful fundraiser, first have your middle schooler choose a cause they care about - it could be animal welfare, cancer research, cleaning the oceans, homelessness, etc. Do research on organizations addressing the cause.
Next, brainstorm fundraiser ideas like bake sales, car washes, talent shows, read-a-thons, etc. along with your child. It is important to note that parents have to be fully involved in planning and executing the fundraiser, as their executive functioning skills are still developing.
However, starting a fundraiser empowers the child to make an impact on issues they find meaningful and boosts confidence and leadership abilities at an early stage.
Language and Culture
Making a Movie/Writing a Book
Today's middle schoolers are true digital natives, often more tech-savvy than many adults. Smartphones are capable of shooting high-quality videos without requiring huge investments. With ubiquitous smartphones and free online tools, it's easier than ever for kids to experiment with high-quality video projects to showcase their creativity.
If your child is highly imaginative, this could be the best option to discuss with them as a fun experimental activity. Writing a book or comic book are other options to consider if your child already exhibits good writing abilities.
Learning a Language
Learning a new language builds listening skills, improves memory, and teaches cultural awareness in middle schoolers. Have your child pick a language they are excited to learn - Spanish, French, Chinese, and German are popular choices.
Start with fun daily lessons using language learning apps like Duolingo, which gamify the process. You can learn together and motivate each other by creating friendly competitions. As they progress from basic to advanced lessons, you may consider opting for formal language lessons.
Entrepreneurship
DIY Shop
DIY shops are a great outlet for students who have a keen interest in arts and crafts. Learning to run a micro-business, even at a young age, can nurture their entrepreneurial spirit.
Encourage them to start selling handmade items like jewelry, keychains, or custom apparel at local fairs or through social media. Turning their creativity into a money-making endeavor can be highly motivating. This can be a very enticing opportunity for kids given the chance to make money by doing something they love.
Blogging or Video Making
Starting a blog or vlog channel teaches core skills, including research, writing, public speaking, and video editing. It can even significantly boost their confidence and communication skills, preparing them well for their future careers. They may also consider monetizing once their audience starts to grow.
You can encourage your child to start a blog or vlog sharing their interests, hobbies, or even educational content. Moreover, blogs and vlogs allow for self-expression during the pivotal time of self-discovery in the middle school years.
What are Middle Schoolers Doing Now?
The activities we discussed above are not just pastime activities but necessities for the holistic development of middle schoolers. Recognizing this, the Rise program and our academic strategists encourage students to follow their natural inclinations when choosing an educational pathway.
Our students often undertake independent projects that are unique to their strengths and interests under the guidance of strategists. For example, one of our Crimson students had been volunteering at a home for the elderly for years. As a senior, she created a project called the "Storybook Project". Under this initiative, she collected the stories of the elderly residents, wrote posts, and published them on a website she built. She expanded this project internationally, establishing chapters in several states and other countries, and leading a team in collecting, writing, and publishing real people's stories from all over.
There are many such unique independent projects that our students have been able to complete during the program. This includes publishing books, starting nonprofit ventures, and many more.
If you're a parent looking for new ways to support your child's learning and are interested in our holistic approach, book a free consultation call with our academic advisor.
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