From Thoughts to Pages :: Why Every Kid Should Start a Journal
My husband and I have two children that are wildly different. My son will talk from the minute he wakes up until the moment he goes to sleep. My daughter is more introverted, while she does talk to us, it’s not nearly as much as my son does. We prompt them both to talk to us all the time, but I know children don’t always verbalize how they are feeling. I wanted to find a way for them to express how they feel. Even if it wasn’t directly to us, it’s important to get those thoughts out. This is how we introduced them to journaling and it’s been an amazing tool for them both in many ways.
Journaling has allowed them to express how their day was and gives them the freedom to put on paper the different emotions they felt that day.
Once they are done writing, I’ll ask if they want to talk about what they wrote. Writing on paper has made it easier for them to talk about why an experience made them feel a certain way. It also makes it easier to get them talking to us once they’ve finished their journal entry.
Journaling has also helped to sharpen their writing skills. Kids don’t write on paper nearly as much as we used to when we were kids. Using a pencil and paper has helped to improve penmanship and helps with grammar, skills that’ll always be useful. My daughter loves to write in cursive so she has enjoyed practicing this skill when she journals.
We do follow a few rules when they journal.
They know that journaling is for them and they are free to write their private thoughts. We tell them that they can share with us if they want, but if they want to keep it private that’s ok. I don’t force them to journal daily, but I do prompt them randomly a few times a week to write in their journal. They are usually happy to do it, and I am hoping that by not forcing them they eventually will love it so much that I won’t have to prompt them.
Pro tip: There are SO many journals out there so be sure to find age appropriate ones. I also found a few that prompt the kids to write because sometimes it’s hard for them to start. I found a few that give them options to circle how they feel; list 3 things they enjoyed that day; or list things that may have upset them. Below are the links to the journals we’ve purchased and enjoyed.
