15 Fun Summer Activities for Middle School Students

Summer holidays provide a good opportunity for students to take a break, refresh, try out different activities, and return to school with enthusiasm. Summer activities give you the opportunity to learn new skills and discover new passions. You can take this time to try your hand at different activities outside the traditional classroom.

Summer activities can also be a way to meet new friends with shared interests. You develop soft skills in communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

15 Fun Summer Activities for Middle School Students

1. Research / Academic Exploration

In the summer, you can consider conducting research on a topic of your choice. Research helps expand your knowledge regarding a specific subject. For this, you can opt for a mentored research program with Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. Here, you will learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study. Through such programs, you also polish your scientific communication skills. Lumiere also offers a Junior Research and Publication Program for students who wish to publish their research in academic journals in 16 weeks.

2. Volunteer in Your Community

Volunteering with a local organization is a good way to give back to your community. Whether at an animal shelter, by organizing food drives, or other such activities, you can learn social work as well as management skills. You can also bring your friends together to make your social initiative all the more impactful. Volunteering also helps your profile stand out during college admissions.

3. Coding / AI

If you’re interested in technology, you could learn coding and computer programming. With the growing usage of AI, you can learn how it works. For this, Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program may be a suitable option. It teaches you the basics of AI and machine learning by covering a range of topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. You then apply the learnings to develop a technological solution for a real-world challenge.

4. Create a Business Plan

Middle schoolers who are curious about business and entrepreneurship can begin their own venture. You don’t have to get a fresh business off the ground. You can start by creating a business plan for an idea you might have. Research how plans are made and put together a pitch. You can test out your business at a small level before launching to see if your idea works.

5. Start a Garden

Plant a few seeds in your backyard or in indoor pots. They can be of fruits, vegetables, or flowers. Starting your own garden teaches you about plants and botany in general. You learn to care for plants and understand how different plants grow differently. You might have to wait for some time before you see them grow, but you can start with a few plants till you get the hang of it.

6. Build an Art Portfolio

With some free time during the holidays, you can start building a portfolio of your artwork. You can pick a theme or style to create art over the summer. Experiment with new techniques or material you may have wanted to explore. At the end of the summer, you can host an art show and invite your family and friends to celebrate your art.

7. Create a Miniature Architectural Model

Pick a building or structure that you like in terms of design. Try to replicate it as a miniature model made of card board, paper, and other readily available supplies. This activity teaches you how an architect works. You discover the intricacies and the engineering behind constructing a building. If you make a few such models, you could have your own miniature city.

8. Start a Mentorship Program

A mentor is someone who guides the mentee regarding a topic or aspect of life they have more experience in. They can provide mentorship in academic subjects, careers, hobbies, and so on. For this activity, bring together your friends and begin mentoring younger students or even each other on something one has more experience in. This activity improves your communication and collaboration skills. You also learn something new from your friends or mentees over the summer.

9. Learn Sign Language

Many students pick up another language to learn over the summer. You can opt to learn sign language. Attempting to be inclusive and learning this skill can help you interact with people from diverse backgrounds as well as open up different career pathways. Many online tutorials and resources are available for you to learn sign language. Alternatively, you can also opt for classes in your area.

10. Track the Stars

As the planet rotates and revolves, the night sky appears ever so different. Map the constellations and stars. With this activity, you can explore astronomy. You learn what outer space looks like and how the sky and stars appear based on where you are located. You can also delve into the history of astronomy and how stars help navigation.

11. Start a Newsletter

You can consider writing about and reporting on a topic that interests you. Start a newsletter by creating a plan for a few posts you have in mind. It can be about local news, astronomy, latest tech developments, history, or any other subject. Do your research and start writing. As you practice, you can expand your reader base. Be sure to incorporate feedback into your writing and to experiment with writing styles and tones to see what suits you best.

12. Go Species Spotting

Go to a local spot with birds and wildlife and see how many you can find. Make sure you are supervised and otherwise safe in such surroundings. You can maintain a scrapbook where you add pictures of the species you took and interesting facts that you learned. See if you can notice their behavioral patterns and other peculiarities.

13. Make a Board Game

Many people spend their summer playing outdoors and board games. You can make your own board game. Whether strategy, puzzle, collaborative, or other genre of game, you can make up your own rules. Many resources are available to help you get started on how to create a game. You can use materials you have on hand to make the various pieces. Once ready, you can play it with your friends. This activity builds your creative thinking and designing skills.

14. Host a Mock Trial

Gather your friends once again for a mock trial. You can source a case using online resources. Split up into teams as attorneys and prepare for your case. Study the law as well as precedents to defend your argument. Once the preparation time is over, get a group of adults to be the jury and judge the case. This activity can equip you with debate, communication, and problem-solving skills.

15. Develop a Cookbook

Practice a few recipes, and make up your own. In the summer, you can develop a cookbook. You could source recipes from family and friends and compile the book. Do try them out yourself before finalizing which recipes go into the book. You can host an end-of-summer meal with food you’ve cooked from the cookbook.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

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