Teach your students character and a sense of duty with these responsibility activities for middle school students. Middle schoolers are new to the highs and lows of adolescence and may still be unsure of who they are which may potentially lead to them acting out. Instill a sense of personal responsibility to help guide them through this phase of their lives. Here are a couple of activities to help you do so!
1. Character Lessons
A straightforward way to teach students about responsibility is to give them lessons on responsibility. Get your lesson plans ready to take learners through different levels of responsibility like here.
Learn more: Build Character Build Success
2. Responsibility Coins
For a more practical demonstration of what personal responsibility is, hand each student a responsibility coin and tell them what that coin means. It’s a great way to remind them that as they get older and have more freedom, they also have more personal and social responsibility. Here are some plastic ones to see.
Learn more: Active Parenting
3. Responsibility Finger
Have the kids draw a big hand with different words and phrases pertaining to responsibility. Tell them to write things like positive character traits. By bringing in context for students, you’ll guide them through a thought-provoking activity like so.
Learn more: First Cry Parenting
4. Character Collages
Kids will curate a collage of what character means to them. This is a chance for students to engage in a class activity that teaches them what life skills and leadership skills are. This fun activity can be done with basic resources. Put them in groups with different topics and watch as their creativity astounds you!
Learn more: Mr. Otter Art Studio
5. Class Discussions
Classroom teachers often utilize circle time for elementary students, but bring your middle schoolers back to a fun time with a twist. Sit students in different circles and have class discussions. Gather discussion cards and select a leader for each circle. The discussion topics could be about basic concepts you want to highlight.
Learn more: Beetles
6. Reading Time
Take out books and additional resource types to read with your class. This is an engaging way to teach them using literary characters. Get simple books about character chronicles to instill a higher sense of duty in the kids like this.
Learn more: Northern Bright Bookshelf
7. Character Basket
Teach kids about consequences with this fun activity. Create a list of actions and consequences and write them on separate pieces of paper. Crumple them up and put them all in a basket. Have them pick and read aloud each action and possible consequences. Teach them about the positive and negative consequences of this game.
8. Little Workers
Assign jobs to each member of the class and create a schedule for everyone to fulfill their duties. Teach them to watch out for irresponsible behaviors and call such out immediately. Watch here.
Learn more: Jaqueline Hall
9. Event Planning
Plan an event for the class/school with your preteen learners. Teach them what running an event entails, and the amount of work that goes into the process like here.
Learn more: The International School of Choueifat – Amman
10. Responsibility Worksheets
Get some worksheets with themes on duty, character, leadership, and others for the preteens to solve. This is another practical and engaging way to guide them through the meaning of leadership.
11. Trash Math
Plastic trash is an increasingly bothersome issue. Have the kids look at statistics and calculate how much trash is irresponsibly disposed of in the world. This will make them more aware of global environmental problems, and give them a sense of personal responsibility to dispose of trash more carefully.
Learn more: Business Insider
12. Character Roleplay
Cut up some pieces of paper and have your students write down different roles and scenarios. Have them pick their roles and scenarios from a container and roleplay. The twisted scenarios are sure to give the class a good laugh while learning about responsibility.
Learn more: Northern Illinois University
13. Responsibility Awards
Create a display board with your students’ names across the board in a grid. Award different students each day/week according to the responsibility criteria you set. The students with the most stars should get a reward at the end of the month. This serves to encourage responsible behavior in class and society.
Learn more: Class Craft
14. DIY Responsibility Cards
Make DIY responsibility cards with the class for their tasks. Encourage responsibility by having the students pick up a card for a weekly task. Give them tasks that drive home the need for responsibility, by holding them accountable for their tasks. The cards help to remind them of their assigned tasks as well.
Learn more: C.C Maya
15. DIY Flashcards
Get crafty with this activity. Get the class to make flashcards to work with later. Have them create flashcards with different meanings of what responsibility looks like. Use these flashcards for the class after. All they need for DIY Flashcards are:
- Paper/Cardboard
- Pens/Markers
- Scissors
Learn more: Aesthetics with Tanzz
16. Creative Essays
Have your students write essays or stories about what they feel being responsible means. They could even write creative stories about what responsibility is. This will help them to reflect intentionally and internalize some of what they’re writing as here.
Learn more: All For Kids TV
17. Punch Cards
Have the kids look forward to a fully punched card at the end of the month. Reward good choices and behavior by punching a hole in their responsibility cards as they make good choices, like here.
Learn more: Kara Wilkins
18. Responsibility Posters
Have the children draw/paint posters about responsibility. Have them display it across the class. Do this with the students to guide their artworks like here. All you need are:
- Paints
- Drawing Paper/Cardboard
- Pencils
- Markers
Learn more: Crafty Nika
19. Voice Out
Set out time to hear the students’ opinions on classroom activities and management. Hear out the kids opinions on different things in the class and school. This helps them feel heard and will encourage their sense of responsibility. Watch here.
Learn more: Core Collaborative
20. Choices
Make the students consider choices made during the week for negative or positive outcomes. Sit with the kids and have them give you examples of the choices they made and if they think they were good or bad like this.
Learn more: Gregl 1219
21. Teamwork Games
Teach kids responsible behavior like cooperation and teamwork by having them play games that require teamwork. During the games, they’ll have to think of other people as well. Play teamwork games like tug-of-war or football and other sports game with them.
Learn more: Tim Mueller
22. Gardening Class
Gardening is fostering life and ensuring that plants survive. Teach the students how to ensure that they take care of other living things and remain constantly of its health. This teaches them a sense of duty. Additionally, you don’t need much, all you need to start planting are:
- Planter boxes/Containers with dirt
- Seeds
- Water
Learn more: Learn with Mrs. B
23. Apology Lesson
Every responsible person needs to learn how to give genuine apologies to those that they offend. It shows that they care and intentionally take responsibility for their actions. Sit your students down and take them through genuine apologies to give to founder good relationships.
Learn more: Participant
24. Simon Says
Play this classic game with the kids and have one of them be Simon whilst the other kids follow the instructions. This teaches them to think before acting, and to not be so impulsive. Just have the leader call out commands prefaced with/without “Simon Says”. Whoever does the action without “Simon Says” is out of the game.
Learn more: Michelle Cummings
25. Sorry Cake Baking
What better way to say sorry to a person you wrong than giving them a delicious dessert you made yourself? Have a baking class with your middle schoolers and teach them how to bake and frost a cute “sorry” cake like this. Gather baking ingredients and an oven and get baking like this!
Learn more: Cake Cake
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