Sixth and seventh graders start to crave more independence from their parents but often lack confidence and self-esteem. To help their development and increase self-esteem, arrange for confidence-building games and activities. Hand out questionnaires where the teens have to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses before discussing them in a group setting. In compliment games, students have to make each other feel good by saying nice things about members of the group and point out their peers' qualities. Keep the students active and involved by giving out class jobs on a weekly schedule. To inspire a sense of responsibility, give students small jobs, including maintaining the class library, or looking after classroom supplies. Remember to praise jobs well done to help boost confidence.
Conformity within a group of peers becomes an issue in the development of 11- and 12-year-old students. To avoid peer pressure and bullying, initiate some team building and bonding activities where students learn to respect each other and appreciate diversity within a group. Team building activities can include co-operative art projects where the young teens design and prepare collages, mosaics or art installations together. Ask for group work with science fair projects, or arrange relay races and scavenger hunts where the teens only can succeed when using their combined talents.
Sixth and seventh graders are used to concrete thinking based on facts and details. School courses, including language, arts, math and science, increasingly require the application of abstract thinking where students have to develop concepts and investigate ideas. To develop thinking skills in math and science, students can learn abstract formulas by hands-on activities, including building contraptions or doing experiments. In language arts, encourage students to write essays around themes rather than concrete titles. Going to the museum to compare figurative paintings with conceptual works will give students a visual impression of the difference between concrete and abstract.
Apart from noticing hair growing in funny places, sixth and seventh grade students will experience a variety of physical changes within their bodies. Girls will start to grow breasts and some might even experience their first menstruation. Boys will see their genitals grow, and notice a change in their voices. To avoid negative body images as a result of the changes, play a guessing game where you show yearbook pictures and mugshots of celebrities and the students have to figure out who the person is. The students' awareness of their body changes also give a good opportunity to encourage healthy life styles through conscious eating habits and physical exercise. Activities can include journal writing where students each day note down the food they consumed, and the amount of exercise they performed.