Kids during middle school are most curious about the world around them. You can use their curiosity as an opportunity to introduce your younger ones to some of the best documentaries available today. While it can be challenging to keep students engaged at school, there are ways you can use documentaries as an effective way to get your child excited about learning at any age. After all, if learning is what we’re here for, then exposing kids to different cultures and ideas is so important. Here are some of the best documentaries for middle schoolers that will inspire them and help them grow in ways they might not have expected.
On the Way to School (2013)
For someone who goes to school every day, this documentary about four schoolchildren living in rural areas in different parts of the world will be fascinating. On the Way to School follows four middle school students as they navigate the challenges of attending school in rural areas of Kenya, Morocco, Argentina, and India. You will be able to use this documentary to open discussions about what school life is like in other parts of the world.
For kids who are just entering middle school, this documentary is a great way to get them excited about the world. Moreover, children who grow up in advanced parts of the world often take their privileges for granted. Therefore, On the Way to School can help schoolers be more appreciative.
Living on One Dollar (2013)
If your child is into sociology and other topics related to sociology, this documentary is a must-watch. Living on One Dollar follows four young friends who decide to live on less than $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. By embarking on such an ordeal, they meant to experience how absolutely poor people with less than a dollar income lived.
There is a lot of value to be found in Living on One Dollar. It might be intimidating going into this documentary to open up conversations about poverty and different cultures, but it is possible. Perhaps by knowing how people live on very little income, children from more affluent parts of the world would appreciate the facilities their parents have provided them.
I Am Eleven (2011)
This is a documentary that is sure to inspire your middle school child. I Am Eleven comprises interviews with a group of 11-year-old children from different countries who are at the age between childhood and teenagehood. These young people face a lot of challenges as they navigate their way through life, and your child will be able to find a lot of inspiration in their struggles.
If your child is struggling with the pressure that comes with being an adolescent, I Am Eleven is a great documentary to sit with them and talk through those issues. There is a lot of value to be found in this documentary and it is a great way to open up conversations about what it means to be an adolescent and how to deal with the pressure that comes with it.
He Named Me Malala (2015)
This is a feature documentary that follows Malala Yousafzai as she struggles to get an education for girls in Pakistan. He Named Me Malala is strong enough to use as a discussion starter about the issues that are faced by women in many parts of the world and yet it is also inspiring enough to be a great film to watch by itself.
This is a film that is sure to engage your child and draw them in on a personal level as they struggle to relate to Malala. This is a great documentary for anyone interested in women’s rights and who wants to get into an in-depth discussion about those issues.
A Beautiful Planet (2016)
This is one of those documentaries that will inspire your child and also open up new discussions about the world around them. A Beautiful Planet is a documentary that explores the various ways that humans are impacting the planet. This is a great documentary for anyone who wants to learn more about environmental issues and ways to reduce humans’ harmful impact on our planet.
A Beautiful Planet is so astonishing that even those who are new to the world of documentaries can enjoy watching it. It is a great documentary to open up new discussions and get your child excited about the world.
Fly Like a Girl (2019)
Women who have dared to dream big are the focus of Fly Like a Girl. From young girls who include female pilots in their toy aeroplanes, to a brave woman who helped guide shuttle missions to the stars, this documentary celebrates the stories of those who refused to accept the limits that were placed upon them by society.
Fly Like a Girl is a great way to open up discussions about gender norms and expectations in a non-threatening way. It explores the way that gender norms and expectations are impacting girls around the world. There are many ways that these expectations can be harmful, and this documentary explores a few of those ways.
The Final Word About Documentaries for Middle Schoolers
There are so many documentaries that are great for middle school students, here, we tried to name some of the best ones. Watching them together with your child can be an amazing experience for both of you while teaching your child important lessons; from human impact on the earth to social and emotional issues that come on our way as we grow up.
If you’re interested in watching more documentaries and movies with your child, try these articles below:
- 15 Amazing Family Documentaries to Watch with your Kid
- Discover the Magic of Movies About Child Development with Your Kid!
- Remembering Cindy Williams: Movies to Watch with Your Teen
- Is The Last of Us new series suitable for a 12-year-old?
Be Careful About What Your Child Watches
Watching documentaries, despite their many benefits comes with certain risks. Some documentaries contain scenes that are too mature or disturbing for the younger audience. Moreover, Children may spend excessive hours watching documentaries. To avoid suffering from screen addictions or the consequences of watching age-inappropriate videos, you can try installing the Safes parental control app on their phone, tablet, or computer.
Using Safes, you can monitor and control the content your child is exposed to on the internet, especially while using social media. You can set screen time limits on each app your child uses. Moreover, you can make your child’s device to pause at a specific time at night, so that they can go to bed on time and without anxiety.
Learn more about Safes’s parental control features on these pages:
- Windows parental controls
- Macbook parental controls
- Parental controls on android
- iPhone parental controls
Safes is available for both Android and iOS devices. Download and install Safes today, and benefit from a 14-day free trial with premium features.
