When participating in team sports, children learn to rely on one another explicitly. For example, in basketball, teammates rely on one another to pass the ball and move it down the court. Middle school students have the motor skills, agility and mental prowess to handle games like this. They still require a firm hand of guidance, though, to help them get the most from organized sports. Keep a close eye on the children to quell physical confrontations that occur between the teams.
Building teams for a trivia game will help spark discussion, educational exploration and quick reaction times in your students. Quiz bowl is one such game that challenges students' knowledge of a subject. Set up teams, and ask questions about recently covered lessons. This gives the added benefit of helping your students review the subject matter in an interesting way. Keep the groups small so you don’t have too many conflicting decisions between groups. Three or four students should be able to work together without too much conflict in the group.
If you prefer a game without a competitive purpose, then a scavenger hunt works well. Split your class into teams, and set them loose in an area to search for a list of items. The students will have to help one another locate the items on the list and navigate the area. Give the children ample time to find each item because it isn’t a competition among the teams. Offer a reward at the end for each participating team that encourages them to finish, but doesn’t pit them against one another.
While it’s not advisable to send middle schoolers into the wild unattended, an afternoon of well-supervised wilderness exploration can help a group of children work together. For example, instruct the children on how to build a fire. Send them out in a small search party to find tinder. Carefully supervise them as they attempt to start a fire. Instruct the children on how to make emergency shelters, and ask them to demonstrate their new skill.