In order to facilitate better time management, middle school students can select where they would like to eat lunch. Children could have a choice of a quiet lunchroom environment where they can do schoolwork, an outdoor setting or the traditional lunchroom. Different settings can offer children various options for lunch, including towels for an outdoor picnic, accessibility to textbooks in a study room or music in the traditional lunchroom.
Middle school students may soon be trying to get jobs. An etiquette lunch will require students to be on their best behavior, but schools can upgrade the atmosphere. Ideas can include festive tablecloths, inexpensive flowers and a sightly better entree. Posters can remind students to be polite during the meal, and condiments can be placed on tables so that students will need to ask for them properly. Mock interviews could even be available for eighth-grade students who wish to practice having a job interview.
Middle schools students often stick to their own social group, and can be unkind to classmates who are not in their group. Schools can challenge students to participate in an event requiring students to sit with classmates they do not know during lunch. This is an opportunity to create new friendships and get to know others better.
Decorate the cafeteria with a red, white and blue theme. Play patriotic music during lunch. When children are finished eating, play patriotic trivia. Give small prizes to students who answer questions correctly. This can be a nice activity near Presidents Day, and students will be able to review information they may have learned in social studies class.