Students will explore and express feelings about transitioning to middle school, learn practical coping strategies for managing anxiety, and build a supportive classroom community through guided sharing and reflection.
Transitioning to middle school often brings stress and uncertainty. This lesson normalizes students’ feelings, equips them with coping tools, and fosters peer support to ease anxiety and boost confidence.
Audience
6th Grade Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Students share feelings, learn coping strategies, and reflect using guided activities.
Instruct students to write down their top three coping strategies and how they plan to use them.
Encourage honesty and privacy; remind them this journal is their own.
Step 6
Cool-Down and Closing
3 minutes
Lead the class in a brief deep-breathing exercise (e.g., 3-4 slow breaths).
Remind students of the Calming Corner location and available items.
Offer positive reinforcement and reassure students they have tools to manage anxiety.
Slide Deck
Ready for Middle? Easing Transition Anxiety
6th Grade | 30 Minutes
Building Confidence and Community
Welcome students to the lesson. Introduce yourself and explain that today we’ll talk about feelings around starting middle school and learn tools to manage anxiety.
Warm-Up: Emoji Check-In
• Choose an emoji card that represents how you feel about starting middle school.
• A few volunteers share why they picked their emoji.
• All feelings are valid—thank students for participating.
Explain the emoji cards and reassure there’s no right or wrong choice. Invite volunteers to share why they picked their emoji.
Introduction to Transition Anxiety
• Common feelings: excitement, nervousness, fear, curiosity.
• It’s normal to feel more than one emotion at once.
• Recognizing and naming emotions is the first step to coping.
Briefly describe common transition feelings. Share a quick anecdote or example to normalize. Emphasize that recognizing feelings helps us manage them.
Feelings Sharing Circle
• Sit in a circle and share one word that describes how you feel.
• Give a brief reason for your choice.
• Observe which feelings come up more than once.
Arrange chairs in a circle. Record each student’s word on chart paper. Highlight recurring themes and thank everyone for sharing.
Coping Strategies Brainstorm
• In small groups, review Coping Strategies Handout.
• Brainstorm additional ways to manage feelings.
• Each group shares one new strategy; we’ll add them all to our chart.
Divide the class into groups of 3–4. Distribute the handout. Circulate to support brainstorming. Record each group’s strategy on chart paper.
Personal Reflection Journaling
• Use Transition Journal Template.
• Write down your top three coping strategies.
• Describe how you plan to use each strategy when you feel anxious.
Distribute the journal template. Encourage privacy and honesty. Remind students this is for their eyes only unless they choose to share.
Cool-Down: Deep Breathing
• Let’s take four slow breaths together.
– Inhale through the nose for a count of four.
– Exhale through the mouth for a count of four.
• Remember: the Calming Corner is available whenever you need it.
Guide the class through 3–4 slow, deep breaths. Model each inhale and exhale. Remind students they can repeat this anytime.
Closing & Next Steps
• You’ve learned tools to manage transition anxiety.
• Visit the Calming Corner whenever you need support.
• Keep using your journal and check back on your strategies.
Reinforce that students now have practical tools. Remind them of the Calming Corner and encourage regular journal use. End on an encouraging note.
Describe three emotions you feel about moving from elementary to middle school. For each emotion, explain why you think you feel this way.
2. Choosing Your Coping Strategies
Review the strategies on the Coping Strategies Handout. List your top three strategies and write how you plan to use each one when you feel anxious at school.
3. Remembering Past Successes
Think of a time when you faced a challenge (in school or elsewhere) and successfully managed your feelings. What strategy or resource did you use? How did it help you overcome that situation?
4. Visualizing a Great First Day
Imagine your very first day in middle school going really well. Describe in detail what you see, hear, and feel. How will you know you’ve had a successful day?
5. Encouraging Future You (Optional)
Write a short letter to yourself to read on the first day of middle school. What words of encouragement and advice will you share?
