6 Self-Esteem Building Activities for

Middle School Students

June 29, 2018 by Guest Post
No one finds it surprising to know that middle school is the period in which preteens and teens
experience their most formative years. What they learn, how they behave, and how they interact
with others during middle school can carry on into adulthood—whether positive or negative.
Teachers have the opportunity to facilitate positive thinking External link and actions in their
students, even when it comes to building self-esteem in teens. Self-esteem is an incredible
component of successful performance in life, so teachers should be concerned about preparing
them in this respect as well as academically.

What is Self-Esteem?
This is a question which can be posited to a class at the beginning of a year. Most students
know what the term means and can define it, but if asked to describe their own levels some
might have more difficulty. Before performing activities directed toward building esteem, it might
be a good idea to collect worksheets for students to describe themselves to their teacher. This
gives teachers a foundational analysis of each student to assess and compare throughout the
year.
For all intents and purposes, self-esteem is both a recognition of self-worth and a healthy love of
the self. It is the ability to know the self and to take actions which preserve, improve, and foster
the self and one’s relationships with others.
Now, let's look at some things that teachers can do in the classroom to help your students feel
more comfortable about who they are. External link These self-esteem activities are suitable for
middle school students, but they could also work with students at any grade.

1. "I Am"
One of the most popular classroom activities to build self-esteem to facilitate at all grade levels
is the “I Am” activity. It utilizes the effective and positive affirmation technique. Students are
encouraged to think positively and with energy about what makes them who they are. The idea
is that by writing down such positive thoughts, they are reinforced in the students’ minds, and by
thinking about themselves and their attributes positively, their self-esteem is heightened.
To do the “I Am” activity, students will each need:
A sheet of paper A pen or pencil
Some magazines or stencils Scissors and glue
On the paper, students create a list of “I am”s. Some examples include: “I am a hard worker.”
and “I am good at basketball.” Each sentence must begin with “I am…” The student writes down
as many positive attributes and qualities about him or herself as he or she can think.
Then the students may decorate their list by adding magazine cut outs of things they like or by
drawing, etc. The idea is that students will either keep these throughout the year, or they will be
hung up in the classroom so they and their classmates remember to be positive throughout the
year.
2. "We Are
To counteract peer pressure, this is one of the many self-esteem building activities for
teenagers that could be used. A variation of the above activity, “We Are…”, is completed as a
group. Students find common ground amongst themselves and complete a list which
demonstrates what makes them alike.
For example, a common answer will be “We are humans,” but deeper probing might result in
interesting things like “We are fans of [TV show].” or “We are each the middle child of our
families.”, etc. Finding commonalities may result in friendship, and like-minded people tend to
raise each other raise rather than putting one another down, which also results in a boost of
self-esteem.

3. Listing Traits
Another activity is “Listing Traits” It’s fairly straightforward: students simply make a list of their
positive character traits that make them a good friend, or good sister/brother to their siblings.
Ask them to describe in detailed scenarios to why they fit those positive traits/titles, also ask
students to explain how these traits are important to them and to people around them.
These can be added to some kind of journal, or on a piece of paper. A teacher should assure
students that no one will see what they have written, so the students can be honest about
writing something down.
The idea is that by writing down and/or sharing something that they have done for others,
students feel more positively about themselves and their behaviours. They might discover
something inside of them that they have never thought of. This is also a helpful way for students
to start thinking about what kind of person they want to be.

4. Flip
The classroom activity is called “Flip”. Students are to make a list of their mistakes, failures, and
obstacles in life, but after having done so, they must “flip” them so that they are positive. The
idea is to allow students the opportunity to self-evaluate, problem solve, and improve
themselves.
For example, a student might list “I failed a math quiz.” A means of flipping this could be: “I will
study harder to pass the next quiz” or “I will ask the teacher for help understanding the material
on the last quiz.”
A variation on this activity would be to have each student make a list of their mistakes, failures,
and obstacles in life, but then place them in groups. Each group will brainstorm ideas to help
individuals flip their listed items.

5. The Interview
“The Interview” is an activity which pairs up students, who interview each other. They are to ask
questions with the intention of getting to know the other person, such as “What is your favourite
colour?” or “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?”, etc.
At the end of the sessions, students “present” their partners to the class. Some teachers might
hand out a list of diverse questions for students to use during the interviews. The idea behind
this activity is to form bonds with one or more classmatesfrom the start of the year.
6. A Letter to Yourself
An underrated (or, perhaps, outdated) activity is writing letters to the self. That is, students each
write a letter to his or her future self, detailing whatever they wish, whether it details their life at
the moment, a poem, or their future goals, etc. When the students receive the letter back again,
they will be able to compare and contrast themselves after a year’s worth of change.
Teachers may ask students to handwrite them and seal them in envelopes, which will be
handed back at the end of the year. Or they may utilise an online service like FutureMe.org,
which allows users to delay the electronic letter for one, three, or five years, or to choose a
specific date of delivery.

Final Thoughts
Promoting self-esteem in the classroom can be beneficial for all students. Certain activities can
help to form lasting connections among students, improve team performance, and heighten
students’ empathy levels for others External link as well as serve as a means to decrease
stranger anxiety through “exposure”. Other activities which focus on the individual’s self-
perceptions may foster the skill of self-reflection, which enables them to evaluate their own
actions and pinpoint the attributes or habits which need improvement.
Gigi Wara is an inspired writer who loves writing about language and acquisition, career building
and education-related stories in general. Her post comes courtesy of Kids Helpline External
link , an Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service
for young people.

30 Icebreaker Activities for High School and Middle School Students

Thrown into a group of teenagers who are total strangers? Whether you’re a teacher, coach or a teen trying to
make new friends, these 30 icebreaker activities are sure to get students feeling more comfortable in a new
situation.

Keep It Moving
It’s easy for students to tune out or get bored sitting down, so keep everyone moving and engaged with these
ideas.

Blobs - First, draw a category from a hat (i.e. color). Then, have students race to see who can make a group of four
to five the fastest based on a similarity within that category (i.e. they are all wearing blue).
Line it Up - See how fast your group can get into an alphabetical line based on their names. Better yet, split into
boys vs. girls or two randomly assigned groups and race to see which group can get organized first.
Move if You… - Have students sit in a large circle with one person in the middle. The middle person calls out for a
certain group of people to move — for example, “Move if you have brown hair” or “Move if you have been to
another country.” If the students fit the criteria, they must run to a new seat in the circle. The one student left
standing is in the middle for the next round.
Play Catch - Have students stand in a large circle and play catch with a large beach ball. The trick? Write get-to-
know-you questions all over the beach ball and whoever catches it must answer the question their hand rests on.
Giant Jenga - Buy a giant Jenga set and put a question on each block! Every time a student pulls a block, they’ll
answer a question — and there’s sure to be a lot of laughter as students try to keep the tower from tumbling
down!
Shuffle Your Buns - Make a circle of chairs with one empty seat. One person in the middle of the circle must try to
sit down while the seated students all shift down, moving the empty seat down the line. The twist? Have someone
call “switch” every so often, forcing the people in the circle to switch directions and shift the other way. If the
middle person manages to sit in the empty seat, the person that was supposed to be moving into it is in the
middle.
Giant Knot - Create a shoulder-to-shoulder circle, and then have each student grab two other hands from two
different people across the circle. Now the entire circle must figure out how to untangle the giant knot of arms and
people without letting go.
Race for the Truth - Have each person stand on the starting line while a leader lists off general facts. (For example,
I have a dog.) If the stated fact is true for any of the students, those students must move forward a step. Whoever
crosses the finish line first wins!
Organize school club volunteer opportunities with a sign up! SAMPLE.

Talk It Out
If you want to lead a discussion or learn more personal information about your students, try one of these games.

This or That - As any parent will tell you, teenagers LOVE to argue. Ask silly would-you-rather questions and have
your group move to different areas based on what they chose. Then, have them present their arguments and see if
they can change the other students’ minds! You’re sure to have some funny moments.
Pows and Wows - This is a great game to help a classroom or team of students build camaraderie. Have each
person share one good thing and one bad thing from their day. It’s simple, but effective!
Who Am I? - Put a notecard with the name of a well-known figure on each student’s back. Next, have the students
walk around asking each other yes-or-no questions. First person to figure out who they are wins!
World’s Worst - This game is good if you want to laugh. Pick a profession and have each student say something
that would be said by the world’s worst person in that profession. For example, the world’s worst dentist might
say, “Please, take a bag of candy from the toy chest as you leave.”
Scars - This game is best in small groups. Have each student show a scar and explain how he got it. For instance, “I
got this scar from a paper cut because I was using a paper sign up instead of SignUpGenius.” The students may
have funny stories or they may have personal ones. Either way, you will all learn a lot about each other.
Toilet Paper - Pass a roll of toilet paper around and tell each student to take as much as they would like. Then,
after some students have taken a huge amount, reveal that for each piece of toilet paper they must say a fact
about themselves!
Autobiography - For groups that need to be close knit, like a sports team or a drama cast, have each person sum up
their life in one sentence. It’s difficult — but you’ll learn a lot about your new friends!
Candy Confessions - Buy colorful candy — like Skittles — and have each person take a handful. Then, unveil that
for each color, they must reveal a different type of fact about themselves. For example, for each yellow Skittle,
they must say a favorite food.
Classroom testing proctor volunteer conference sign up form School class supply wish list volunteer sign up form
School carnival festival fundraiser volunteer sign up form
Get Creative
For students who love art or are visual learners, these colorful ideas are sure to be a hit.
Blindfolded Self-Portraits - Blindfold all the students and have them (attempt to) draw a self-portrait. Finally, take
off the blindfolds and try to match the portraits to the people!
Architect - Give the students a bunch of silly materials (paper, Post-it notes, strings, tape, wood, etc.) and then
assign them to build small models of different objects in five-minute increments — an elephant, a car, etc. Pick a
winner each time!
Post-it Statues - Split your group into teams of five or six. Give each team Post-it notes. In five minutes, they must
cover one person in the group as completely as possible with Post-it notes. Count which group got the most —then
see who can get them all off the fastest.
Bubble Gum Artist - Give each person two to three pieces of bubble gum to chew. Then give them an index card
and a toothpick. They must then make a bubble gum art piece using just those things. Vote on which is the best!
Facts About Me - Give each student a blank template of a person. Then, the leader gives the students instructions
on how to draw on the self-portrait based on facts. For example, the leader might say, “If you have a dog, draw a
green shirt.” At the end, shuffle the pictures and see if the students can match them to the correct person.
Name Pictionary - Have students write their names by drawing pictures of objects that start with the correct letter.
For example, someone with the name Ann would draw an apple, a nose and a nest. Then, have the group try to
spell and guess each person’s name.
Tattoo Parlor - Have each student draw a tattoo that they think accurately describes them or includes one of their
favorite things. Then, pin the pictures up and try to match the “tattoos” with the people who drew them.
Collect donations for a silent auction with an online sign up! SAMPLE.

Use Your Head

This list of memory, improvisation and on-the-spot games are sure to give your brains a workout.

Assassin - One student stands in the middle of a circle. The students in the circle know that one person in the circle
is the “assassin.” When the “assassin” sticks their tongue out at a student, that student must pretend to die
dramatically. Amid the commotion, the middle person must figure out who the assassin is.
Rock Star - Split your group into two teams. When it’s their turn, each team must grab a word from a bowl (words
can be common ones such as rain, baby or sun) and try to sing as many songs using that word as they can. See how
long they can go until they run out of songs using that word.
Desert Island - Each person goes around the circle and says one thing they would take with them on a desert
island. The next person must then name the items before them and add their own item on. Keep going until
someone makes a mistake!
Think Fast - Give students a few minutes and tell them to learn all the names they can. Then split the group into
two teams. Have one student from each team stand on either side of a barrier (like a dark blanket or sheet). Make
sure they can’t see each other, then without warning, drop the sheet. The first person to say the other’s name gets
a point for their team!
The Number Game - Have the students sit in a circle and attempt to count to 10. Explain that there is no set order
or time for calling out the numbers. Anyone can call out the next number, BUT if they say the number at the same
time as someone else, the group must start over. Once the group reaches 10, try to get to 20!
Rainbow Categories - Have two students stand up. Let the group pick a category (like animals) and a color (like
orange). The students must then alternate, trying to name orange animals for as long as possible until one
hesitates. When one person stops, the other student wins.
What’s Different? - Students all pair up and get 30 seconds to memorize everything about their partner’s
appearance. When the time is called, they turn away from each other and change something (i.e. take off a
headband or button another button). Which pair can identify each other’s changes the fastest?
By using just a few of these icebreakers, you’re sure to have a close-knit group within minutes!
Kayla Rutledge is a college student who spends most of her time writing, singing for her church and eating
quesadillas.