Journal writing is a great habit for kids to get into. The health benefits are tremendous! Check out this post I wrote about them, which applies to children too. With the youth mental health crisis going on, writing in journals is even more valuable today.
My mom encouraged my siblings and I to write in our journals every Sunday and I have done the same with my children. Some like to write every day and I did during my teen and young adult years too. But starting with once a week is a great habit. It can be a Sunday afternoon ritual or during writing time during your homeschool during the week. My benefits of journal writing post also talk about lots of different types of journals from blogs to newsletters to nature journaling and sketching. So make sure to read it! Perhaps there’s a type of journal that interests you and your children.
Tips For Writing In Journals With Kids
- Let them pick out their special notebook or journal. This lets them take pride in this new personal habit you’re wanting them to establish. Get a good quality one to last their lifetime. You can get a dollar notebook for them to scribble in themselves, but tell them this one is special and to be used only for journal writing time.
- Sit and do it with them.
- Younger kids tell you what to write and you write it.
- If they say, “Monday I went to ballet,” say, “Was it fun? Do you like ballet?” Encourage them to write their feelings about activities, food, etc and not just what they did. Give them other prompts like, “What did you like most about this week?”
- Gradually encourage your child to write more and more by themselves. At first they may just write the date. Then a couple of sentences, then a whole paragraph. Meanwhile you are writing the rest for them.
- Put out fun snacks! This is a must. 🙂 A bowl of dry cereal is our favorite thing to snack on while journal writing. Something like Kix or healthy variations of sweet cereals. Trail mix is good too!
- Keep it short and simple. Having to write for a long time will make them dread it. Have them write about what stands out from the past week. They can just write one thing instead of what they did every day the whole week.
- Be consistent. Do this once a week so that kids don’t get behind and then dread having to sit for hours to catch up.
- Children can draw pictures of things they did and you can write captions of what the picture represents. Such as, “Me and Sally playing dress up at Sally’s house.” Some children would rather draw than write and artistic journals have just as many benefits as writing.
- Let them read past entries and reminisce or laugh about them. My children love to do this.
- Writing in the same place at the same time each week is great. But also consider changing it up and writing outside, on the hammock, at the park, under a big shady tree, etc.
What Journal Writing With Kids Looks Like At My House
Every Sunday after church and lunch we sit at the table and write in our journals together. Doing a task like this with others makes it really fun. Since we’ve just had lunch I often put out a fun treat. In this picture the kids are having S’mores Lucky Charms cereal. It’s fun to write a few sentences and then munch or suck on a piece or two. Sometimes I’ll put out homemade granola bars or cookies or fig bars. Or even just a bowl of mini marshmallows and chocolate chips.
Samuel reads his early journal out load to Anderson. Some days they love to write in journals together on the hammock.
I love the quiet Sunday afternoons and looking around seeing all my children writing in their journals. We all appreciate this reflective, positive time where we’re relaxing, expressing gratitude for the good things of the week, and celebrating the challenges we’ve overcome. It has been very bonding for my family and I hope it is for yours too!
All of my children are excellent journal writers. Even the ones who have been out of the house for 5 years still keep journals as they’ve realized the healthy benefits of doing so. Establishing this habit now will pay off in keeping kids mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. And I almost forgot, it impacts them intellectually too! (Those who journal have higher GPA and IQ.) The benefits are too good to miss out on. Start this simple habit with your children today!