From One Stage to the Next Part 1: Elementary to Middle School Transition Tips

Posted on May 20, 2016

Transitioning from elementary to middle school can feel like a daunting step for many children. They are often shifting from being the “big kid on campus” to being the “freshman,” so to speak. Regardless of when they transition to middle school (as it varies from district to district), children often have a plethora of concerns^[1] regarding their new learning environment. Taking steps towards helping students transition from elementary to middle school is vital; according to the Georgia Department of Education^[2], “students who participate in intentional transition efforts and as a result make a smooth transition into 6th grade are absent less often than students who did not, experience less disruption in their academic achievement and maintain higher levels of engagement in school.” With this in mind, teachers, parents, and principals have a lot of options available to help prepare students for middle school.

What Worries Students about Transitioning to Middle School?

One important facet of preparing students for middle school is easing their fears and mentally preparing them for the challenges that await. Children who are about to transition from elementary school often worry about class changes, more difficult classes, lockers, the new social atmosphere, and finding their way around the new school^[3]. In addition, some students get a great deal of misinformation prior to their elementary to middle school transition. According to the National Education Association^[4], , incoming middle school students often hear about stricter teachers, harder class work, and middle school bullies from their siblings, neighbors, and current teachers. All of these ideas about what middle school will be like, combined with various other unknowns children are facing, can cause “many sleepless nights and a summer of anxiety and anticipation” between their last year of elementary school and their first year of middle school, according to the NEA^[5].

How Can Parents Assuage These Fears and Prepare Their Children for Middle School?

Parents can accompany their children on tours and orientations offered to incoming students and their parents, preferably with a map and a copy of their children’s schedules^[6], and mark down the locations of their classes, locker, and other important locations (i.e. bathrooms and the cafeteria) on the map. If their children have friends from elementary school going to the same middle school, parents can work together to take the children on tours in groups so “they can boost each other’s memory about where things are when school starts,” suggests GreatSchools.org ^[7].

Parents can also prepare students by enrolling their soon-to-be middle school students in summer programs at the middle school so they can get used to being on the campus; then, once school starts, it won’t feel like such an alien place to them. Parents who are worried about how to prepare their children for middle school should also review the student handbook with their children over the summer to get them acquainted with the rules, regulations, codes of conduct, and other helpful information.

To prepare students for using lockers, parents may also want to purchase the locks for their children’s lockers a few weeks ahead of the start of school so their children have time to practice unlocking and locking it. If the school’s lockers have built-in locks, parents may want to ask the school if their children could have a lesson on how to open and close them during one of the campus tours or orientations.

Parents can help prepare students for the social aspects of transitioning into middle school activities by encouraging them to participate in afterschool activities such as sports, fine arts programs, or other clubs at school. Parents should also remind their children of social skills such as starting conversations, good listening, and other traits that would make them good friends. It is important to talk about bullying and peer groups ahead of time, to help them understand how to handle situations before they arise (for more information on bullying, please see our Bullying in Schools series).

When parents talk to their children about these things beforehand, children are less likely to fear them so extensively because they are better equipped to handle these situations^[8]. In addition, parents may want to look into sales and thrift shops to get their children new clothes^[9]; middle school is a time of change and often lowered self-esteem, so a new wardrobe may help children start the year with a confidence boost.

Academically, parents can prepare their children for middle school by helping them learn new study skills and organizational systems. Parents should also ask teachers if there is a summer reading list^[10]; if there is one, they should make sure their children read the books on the list so they don’t start the year behind. It’s also a good idea for parents to set up a quiet study corner^[11] for their children where they can work on their homework, if they do not already have one.

How Can Teachers and Schools Help Students Transition from Elementary School to Middle School?

Schools, according to the Georgia Department of Education^[12], “must play a primary role in the middle school transition process.” Elementary schools should make sure their students are “involved in a variety of activities preparing them for middle school,” as stated by the National Education Association^[13]. Schools should arrange field trips to the middle school in order to help incoming middle school students get acquainted with the layout of their new school. Schools can also help dispel the myths that students often learn prior to entering middle school. Using students’ impending transition to middle school as a threat or motivational tool does not help to ease students’ fears about this transition^[14]; elementary school teachers should be discouraged from doing this.

Principals of middle schools should consider “school articulation visits” to answer elementary student questions about their school. One principal^[15] traveled to her middle school’s feeder schools multiple times each year to improve student attitudes towards middle school and help prepare them for their futures at the middle school. During this time, she answered student questions and discussed what the students could expect going into middle school.

Schools may also want to work together and create a peer mentoring program^[16] in which middle school students periodically meet with elementary school students throughout their final year of elementary school. This may help the younger students learn about their new school, including information about the environment, the academics, and the social atmosphere. In addition, having an older student mentor can help ease student fears about not having friends in the new school.

When creating mentorship programs and/or elementary to middle school transition programs, it is important to establish a baseline and assess who needs the assistance, how much assistance they need, and how the program is doing over time. To do this, schools should consider conducting surveys among their outgoing elementary school students and their incoming middle school students.

Taking the First Steps Toward Preparing Students for the Future

When students transition from elementary school to middle school, they are achieving a major milestone in their educational career. This is their first transition phase since starting school and by properly preparing students for this transition, teachers, parents, and schools are helping students prepare for future transitions and helping them engage in a better academic career.

[1] “Kids’ Biggest Middle School Fears” Scholastic, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/back-to-school/kids-biggest-middle-school-fears on May 4, 2016.

[2] “Middle School Matters: A Guide for Georgia Schools on Middle School Transition.” Georgia Department of Education. Retrieved from https://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Documents/Parent%20Engagement/Final%20Middle%20School%20Transition%20Toolkit.pdf on May 4, 2016.

[3] “What Worries Students about Middle School?” Newport News Public Schools.

[4] Lorain, Peter. “Transition to Middle School.” National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/16657.htm on May 4, 2016.

[5] Lorain, Peter. “Transition to Middle School.” National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/16657.htm on May 4, 2016.

[6] “Smoothing Your Child’s Transition to Middle School.” GreatSchools.org. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/smoothing-your-childs-transition-to-middle-school/ on May 4, 2016.

[7] “Smoothing Your Child’s Transition to Middle School.” GreatSchools.org. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/smoothing-your-childs-transition-to-middle-school/ on May 4, 2016.

[8] “Parents.” StopBullying.gov. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-you-can-do/parents/index.html on May 4, 2016.

[9] Hartwell-Walker, Marie. “Helping Your Child Transition from Elementary to Middle School.” Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/helping-your-child-transition-from-elementary-to-middle-school/ on May 4, 2016.

[10] Hartwell-Walker, Marie. “Helping Your Child Transition from Elementary to Middle School.” Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/helping-your-child-transition-from-elementary-to-middle-school/ on May 4, 2016.

[11] Hartwell-Walker, Marie. “Helping Your Child Transition from Elementary to Middle School.” Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/helping-your-child-transition-from-elementary-to-middle-school/ on May 4, 2016.

[12] “Middle School Matters: A Guide for Georgia Schools on Middle School Transition.” Georgia Department of Education. Retrieved from https://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Documents/Parent%20Engagement/Final%20Middle%20School%20Transition%20Toolkit.pdf on May 4, 2016.

[13] Lorain, Peter. “Transition to Middle School.” National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/16657.htm on May 4, 2016.

[14] Lorain, Peter. “Transition to Middle School.” National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/16657.htm on May 4, 2016.

[15] Lea, Joy Jameson. “Smooth Sailing to Middle School: Action, Articulation, and Activities Provide a Framework for the Transition to Middle School.” Association for Middle Level Education. Retrieved from http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/399/Smooth-Sailing-to-Middle-School.aspx on May 4, 2016.

[16] “Making the Transition to Middle School: How Mentoring Can Help.” U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/making-the-transition-to-middle-school.pdf on May 4, 2016.