Middle school is often cited as when things get challenging for pre-teens. Los Angeles private schools work hard to keep middle schoolers engaged and excited about learning, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges along the way. Parents want to keep the passion for learning they developed in their elementary school years alive, and there are ways we approach keeping middle schoolers engaged, excited, and inspired even when the lessons get tough. A few ways we engage middle school aged kids in our Los Angeles private schools are:
- Keep things physical – Middle schoolers still have the energy they had when they were younger, but they’re in a more structured environment that requires just a bit more concentration. Afterall, they’re leveling up in their learning! When pre-teens of this age feel that brimming with energy, but they can’t let it out, their concentration suffers along with their engagement. Our Los Angeles private schools really love when we can create active moments alongside learning. It allows for better concentration, more engagement, and – most importantly – more fun!
- Welcome talking – Middle school aged pre-teens are really coming into their own, and they love to talk, interact, and engage on their own terms. Lessons that require a whole lot of listening, without much space for talking, can begin to lose interest quickly. We love opening up discussions about what is being taught, and valuing the ideas, inspiration, and communication received by our engaged middle schoolers.
- Motivate – Motivation helps to engage everyone, not just middle schoolers, but it seems like this age group often gets forgotten a bit when it comes to celebrating successes. Elementary school aged kids get celebrated often, and adults partake in “self-care” or self-reward often, but middle schoolers are looking for that bit of recognition and encouragement, too! Celebrating even the small victories really helps to keep young people of any age moving forward in an inspired way.
Middle school is a really important transformative age, where kids are growing quickly into teenagers and young adults, but they still have quite a bit of that “kid” left in them. Los Angeles private schools work to cater to the kid and the pre-teen at the same time, providing just the kind of motivation that continues to nurture an excitement for learning and a curiosity for the world.