It can be hard to spend weekends with middle schoolers when it's raining. They are too old for simple crafts and too restless to sit still all day, but they still like activities that are fun and a little competitive. Here are some ideas that really work for this age group.
1. Make your own escape room at home
Make a bedroom or basement into a puzzle room. Hide clues, lock small boxes, and make up riddles that lead from one task to the next. You can make the problems harder or easier to keep middle school kids interested.
2. Challenge to Cook
Give them some food and a time limit to make something they can eat, like pancakes, sandwiches, or smoothies. Extra points for being creative and presenting well. Parents or siblings can act as judges, turning it into a fun family cooking competition.
Couch Trivia gives structure to days when everyone is restless without making them feel like "school." Put kids in groups and ask them strange questions about memes, movies, or fun facts. You'll see how quickly they get competitive. Couch Trivia is a fun way for middle schoolers to learn new things while also having fun with their friends.
4. Make and try
Tell them to make something useful out of things around the house, like a bridge out of straws or a tower out of marshmallows and spaghetti. Then see whose creation is the heaviest or tallest.
5. Lite Debate Club
Choose silly but debatable topics, like "Which is better, pancakes or waffles?" or "Should homework be banned for good?" Kids in middle school love to argue their point, and this gives them a fun way to do it.
6. The Olympics in the House
Push-up contests, sliding down the hallway in socks, or timed planks. They'll get tired quickly, and it's funny to watch them fight for bragging rights.
7. Challenge for creative writing
Give them 20 minutes and 10 random words to write a short, funny story. Then have a session of dramatic reading. This works surprisingly well because kids in middle school like to make each other laugh.
8. Taste Test in a Mystery Box
They try to guess what foods are by smell or taste while blindfolded. Choose things that are safe but not what people would expect, like pickles, Nutella, or even plain rice. It's silly, but middle schoolers love the surprise.
The Point
You don't have to be bored or scroll through your phone all day when it's raining and you have middle school kids. You can give them the structure, competition, and fun they want with things like escape rooms, cooking challenges, and group games like Couch Trivia. These will make a gray day into something they'll never forget.
1. Make your own escape room at home
Make a bedroom or basement into a puzzle room. Hide clues, lock small boxes, and make up riddles that lead from one task to the next. You can make the problems harder or easier to keep middle school kids interested.
2. Challenge to Cook
Give them some food and a time limit to make something they can eat, like pancakes, sandwiches, or smoothies. Extra points for being creative and presenting well. Parents or siblings can act as judges, turning it into a fun family cooking competition.
Couch Trivia gives structure to days when everyone is restless without making them feel like "school." Put kids in groups and ask them strange questions about memes, movies, or fun facts. You'll see how quickly they get competitive. Couch Trivia is a fun way for middle schoolers to learn new things while also having fun with their friends.
4. Make and try
Tell them to make something useful out of things around the house, like a bridge out of straws or a tower out of marshmallows and spaghetti. Then see whose creation is the heaviest or tallest.
5. Lite Debate Club
Choose silly but debatable topics, like "Which is better, pancakes or waffles?" or "Should homework be banned for good?" Kids in middle school love to argue their point, and this gives them a fun way to do it.
6. The Olympics in the House
Push-up contests, sliding down the hallway in socks, or timed planks. They'll get tired quickly, and it's funny to watch them fight for bragging rights.
7. Challenge for creative writing
Give them 20 minutes and 10 random words to write a short, funny story. Then have a session of dramatic reading. This works surprisingly well because kids in middle school like to make each other laugh.
8. Taste Test in a Mystery Box
They try to guess what foods are by smell or taste while blindfolded. Choose things that are safe but not what people would expect, like pickles, Nutella, or even plain rice. It's silly, but middle schoolers love the surprise.
The Point
You don't have to be bored or scroll through your phone all day when it's raining and you have middle school kids. You can give them the structure, competition, and fun they want with things like escape rooms, cooking challenges, and group games like Couch Trivia. These will make a gray day into something they'll never forget.