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50 Spirit Day Ideas for Middle School

middle school spirit day themes week ideasWant to kick this year’s school spirit week up a notch? Try one of these 50 spirit day ideas for middle schools that are sure to get students excited and ready to participate. 

  1. Good and Evil - Your students may be A+, but on this day, everyone gets to choose whether they dress as their favorite hero … or villain.
  2. Twin with a Teacher - On this day, students get to choose a teacher to dress alike with. (This could end up being a whole group costume since students far outnumber teachers)
  3. Band Day - Let students get into groups and choose a favorite band to dress as. You’ll be sure to have some laughs at the acts they choose. This could be a current group or a blast from the past.
  4. Dress Like a Parent Day - Have students raid mom and dad’s closet to find an outfit to wear to school. Bonus points if it’s a throwback style.
  5. Class vs. Class Day - For this idea, each class picks a group costume to dress up as — whether they pick the cast of a famous TV show, the different colors of the rainbow or even your school administration.
  6. Preschool Day - Students come to school dressed like they did when they were toddlers. Get teachers to participate!
  7. Earth Day - For a spirit day with a cause, get eco-friendly and have students dress as plants, recycling or anything that relates to being environmentally friendly. You could even take donations. Genius Tip: Try these 50 Earth Day ideas.
  8. Childhood Icon Day - Each student picks a childhood hero — maybe from a favorite movie or TV show — and dresses up as that person.
  9. 80s Movie Day - Let each student pick a favorite 80s movie character to dress up as.
  10. Scrabble Day - Everyone picks a letter to wear for the day — and all day long, students can create words and sentences!
  11. Sport Day - Each student picks a favorite sport and dresses game-ready for the day.
  12. Encouragement Day - To spread some school cheer, have everyone wear a white shirt and bring a marker to school. Throughout the day, students can write encouraging notes on each other’s shirts, and students will leave with a great keepsake.

Recruit spirit week volunteers with a sign up. SAMPLE

  1. Summer Day - If summer seems too far away, bring a little sun into your school by having everyone dress like it’s summer for the day — lifeguards, tourists, campers, etc.
  2. High School Musical Day - Recreate this favorite movie of many childhoods by letting students dress like they’re a Wildcat for a day.
  3. Christmas in ______ - Whatever month it happens to be, it’s never too early or late to show some holiday cheer.
  4. Condiment Day - OK, hear us out. From ketchup to ranch dressing, this day will have students and teachers rolling with laughter.
  5. Couch Potato Day - Everyone wears their sweatpants on this spirit day!
  6. Home Team Day - Does your city or state have a pro or collegiate sports team everyone loves? Have everyone wear their best gear for the day.
  7. Oscar Day - Sure to be a film buff’s favorite day, students can dress as a character, actor/actress or director associated with any Oscar-nominated movie.
  8. Royalty Day - Students can dress as Disney characters or historical figures that “royally” impress them.
  9. Backward Day - Students wear their clothing backward. Bonus points if teachers change up their class furniture for the day.
  10. Principal Day - Everyone dresses like your principal. This can make for some funny photos.
  11. Techie Day - Students can dress as tech icons, like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, or even their favorite apps.
  12. Soda Day - Students dress as their favorite sodas for the day. Just limit the actual sugar intake to no more than one sugary drink!

Sell spirit wear and collect payments with a sign up. SAMPLE

  1. Olympian Day - Especially if it’s near the summer or winter Olympics, students can dress for a country or dress as a favorite athlete.
  2. Pick a Cause Day - Have each student dress as an advocate for a cause they care about or dress to support a cause they are passionate about. Genius Tip: Pair this with an act of service using these 50 community service ideas.
  3. Inspiration Day - Have students dress as well-respected icons in their future career fields.
  4. Favorite Author Day - Students dress as the author of their favorite book and learn more about the author’s life while they’re at it. Genius Tip: Read these 50 classic children's books.
  5. Year 3000 Day - Students dress up in what they think the styles and trends of the future will be.
  6. Bright Day - Students dress as brightly colored as possible — your eyes will hurt just walking around school.
  7. Celebrity Lookalike Day - Students dress as the famous person they most resemble. If you want to have a competition, the most accurate lookalike can receive a prize.

Classroom testing proctor volunteer conference sign up form
  1. Face Painting Day - Everyone comes to school with painted faces. You’ll laugh at all the creative designs students come up with.
  2. Commercial Day - This is a great idea if your spirit week takes places around the Super Bowl. Kids can dress as characters and actors from popular commercials.
  3. Bingo Day - This day is super funny! Everyone comes to schools with a letter and number on their outfit — then you hand out BINGO cards for students to play throughout the school day.
  4. Opposite Day - Students dress the exact opposite of their usual style. For example, if the student wears a lot of black, on this day, wear a lot of colors!
  5. Zoo Day - Students dress as any favorite animal from the zoo.

Plan homecoming committee meetings with a sign up. SAMPLE

  1. Layers Day - This one is sure to get students giggling. Challenge students to see how many layers of clothing they can wear to school. Warning: you might want to turn the AC down for this day (or plan it during the winter).
  2. Patriotic Day - Whether students choose to dress in all-American gear or dress for another country, you can’t go wrong with a patriotic day.
  3. Awkward Family Photo Day - Encourage students to get into groups of “families” and dress as if for a family photo. You’ll be laughing all day long.
  4. Dress Like A Friend Day - On this day, everyone picks a different friend to imitate, including their outfits or mannerisms for a day. Just make sure this is used as an uplifting, fun day.
  5. Detective Day - Everyone dresses like old-timey detectives for a day of sneaky fun. Place “clues” around the school to solve a mystery and teach a lesson.
  6. School Mascot Day - Everyone dresses like your school mascot for the day!
  7. Wig Day - On this goofy day, everyone wears a wig to school.
  8. Camping Day - Everyone will be ready for the great outdoors on this spirit day. This pairs well with a reading marathon day around school breaks.
  9. Middle Day - To honor middle school, everyone dresses as something in the middle — for example, you could dress as the color gray because it’s in the “middle” of black and white.
  10. School Founder Day - If your school is named after a famous historical figure, why not honor that person by having everyone dress as him or her for the day?
  11. Facial Hair Day - You’ll be laughing as you walk around your middle school to see hundreds of bearded or mustachioed pre-teens.
  12. Wacky Hair Day - See who can come to school with the funkiest hairdo. The more product the better!
  13. Pun Day - Encourage students to come to school dressed as a funny pun for a fun-filled spirit day.
  14. Cereal Day - Everyone dresses like a cereal box or cereal mascot.
With just a few of these 50 ideas, your school spirit will be off the charts. You can even plan a whole spirit week! 

Kayla Rutledge is a college student who spends most of her time writing, singing for her church and eating quesadillas.