You want your class to gel, but how?
Enter these awesome team building activities for middle school!
Whether you’re in person or online, we have activities that are sure to bond your middle schoolers.
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Middle School Team Building Activities
Middle schoolers are in that in-between stage.
They have the enthusiasm of younger students, but it is hidden behind layers of self-consciousness.
More than any other age, they need help showing their true selves and building relationships.
Classroom Team Building Activities
Covid has changed the classroom landscape.
These team building activities for middle school will not only pull your class together, but they will also tamp down the germ sharing.
Check out these socially distanced classroom team building activities during covid (or any other time you want to keep the germ spreading to a minimum)
M&Ms Game
Give every student a pack of fun-size M&Ms.
Have them sort the M&Ms by color.
Now pair off the students.
Have each student share facts according to the color key (the number of facts depends on the number of M&Ms of that color).
The students listen to each other and then present to the class “Three Things I Learned About My Partner.”
Color key:
Red: things you love
Orange: things you dislike
Yellow: important people in your life
Green: Places you want to visit
Blue: favorite books, movies, songs, or videogames
Brown: favorite animals.
For example, if I had three reds, one orange, two yellows, five greens, zero blues, and two browns in my M&M pack, I would have to tell my partner a total of 13 facts (e.g., 3 reds = Three things I love are coffee, yoga, and my family).
Sculpture Reveal
Give each student their own playdough tub.
Call out a category and let the sculpting begin!
Afterward, see if you can guess what each sculpture is supposed to be.
Categories could include favorite pet, favorite food, what you ate for breakfast, something that symbolizes your favorite sport or activity, or something you did over the summer.
Get-to-Know-You Sentences
With a piece of paper, ask each student to write the sentence, “Hello, my name is [student’s name]” with a lot of space between the words.
Now ask your students to write their favorite food before their name.
(Hello, my name is Rice Brandi.) Now have your students write their favorite animal after their name.
(Hello, my name is Rice Brandi Dog.) Now add their favorite color before their favorite food.
(Hello, my name is Blue Rice Banana Brandi Dog.) You can share the silly sentences in stages or wait for the final reveal!
Virtual Team Building Activities
It is really challenging to make connections in a virtual classroom, but it’s not impossible.
Try some of these engaging team building activities for middle school that work well in a virtual classroom.
Name Game
Do you want to make someone feel valued?
Call that person by name.
To play this activity, ask each student to think of an adjective that describes himself that begins with the same letter as their name.
For example, I could be “Bright Brandi” (because I love learning and I have a positive outlook).
Introduce the names one by one and see if each person can name those that came before.
Digital Escape Room
Share your screen, and let the group figure out clues and solve puzzles to advance through these digital escape rooms.
Check out my list of free digital escape rooms!
Scavenger Hunt
Have your students race through the house and return with items that will spark stories and sharing.
Ideas include favorite children’s book, most random kitchen utensil, must-have product for getting ready in the morning, and go-to snack.
Color-Coded Opinion Poll
Ask your student to color four pieces of paper: one purple, one blue, one orange, and one red.
Then color code is as follows:
Purple – strongly agree
Blue – agree
Orange – disagree
Red– strongly disagree
Then make a statement like “Pepperoni is the best pizza topping.” Each student holds up the color paper that corresponds with his opinion.
You can then ask specific students why they agree or disagree.
Statement ideas could be: Students should wear uniforms.
Dogs are the best pets.
Chick-fil-A has the best chicken nuggets.
Soda should be banned for kids under 12.
Team Building Activities for Middle Schoolers
Team building activities are more than just fun; they foster an environment where everyone feels seen and valued.
Shy students are more likely to participate in class; dominant students are more likely to listen to their peers.
Pull out some of these fun team building activities for middle school and take your class to a whole new level.