Why Middle School Is So Important for Your Child

Middle school isn’t easy for the parent or child. However, it is vital for becoming a young adult. Explore why middle school is so important for your child to learn why this stage of development is so essential.

Transition Years

Moving from elementary school to high school is like going to different planets. The expectations of students are radically different as their educators go from treating them like children to young adults. That’s why the preparation done in middle school is so critical.

Students don’t have as much freedom as they do in high school, but the expectations and responsibilities will slowly increase over the three years. Then, in eighth grade, much of the curriculum prepares students for their freshman year. Middle school teachers even recommend that rising freshmen take regular, honors, IB, or AP classes depending on the school system.

Think of a middle school as a three-year practice for high school, and the habits your child builds now will have a lasting impact on their academic future.

Learning Study Habits

Your GPA in middle school remains in middle school. Potential colleges won’t ask to see a student’s middle school GPA, but building strong study habits early on is necessary as they get older and the curriculum becomes more challenging.

Even if they seem like they don’t need it, consider helping them with their homework sometimes. Show them your approach to at-home studying so that they can learn strong habits.

It’s not uncommon for your child to excel in middle school with minimal studying. Typically, doing their homework is enough to prepare them for tests and quizzes. However, middle school can prepare students for their future as they move into high school or, eventually, an institute of higher learning.

Students will need to have the skills to learn new concepts and lessons independently. If they make a habit of studying now, even if it seems redundant, they will feel better prepared for the increasingly challenging curriculum in the future.

Social-Emotional Development

The middle school years contain multiple significant markers in a child’s development. From being a teenager to the beginning of puberty, middle school students are different after three years.

Children at this age start disconnecting from their parents. At this time, students hold their friend’s opinions in the highest esteem, making their emotions feel like a volatile roller coaster at times.

Middle schoolers try to discover who they are as individuals, and you can’t expect them to figure it out right away. Understand that the pressures they place on themselves are incredibly high at this time, and as the students learn where they fit in, there are growing pains. They make mistakes, but a supportive environment where they feel safe to grow will make these years a little more bearable for the parent and child.

Now that you have a better understanding of why middle school is so important for your child, you know how to help your child through these challenging and informative years in their lives.

Sincerely,