With this being Children’s Book Week, we thought it would be the ideal opportunity to explore a few ways in which kids can get involved with the wonderful world of journalling.
Journalling is a fun way to get your child to flex their creativity, reflect on their day and reap the many benefits – in all its forms – that journalling can bring!
Encouraging journalling can also be beneficial for children who aren’t keen on writing or expressing themselves in general. Their notebook can become their confidant, their mentor or their best buddy!
We’ve explored four examples below of ways to start practicing this worthwhile habit with your little ones.
1. Create Memories with a Scrapbook
Scrapbooking is a brilliant exercise for children who think writing is not their thing and can be a perfect bonding exercise to do together. Taking a trip or a vacation can be a great opportunity to start collecting mementos and keepsakes and build up a collection to add to a scrapbook. The beauty of scrapbooking is you don’t have to get hung up on perfection – provide all the materials you want and let your child decorate and customize however they want!
2. Explore Hopes and Fantasies in a Dream Journal
Reflecting is a great skill for a child to learn, and keeping a dream journal can be a fun way to incorporate this useful tool into your child’s routine. Exploring their dreams and fantasies and articulating them on paper can have a positive effect on your child’s writing and self-esteem. Writing in the journal every day is not only an excellent way to incorporate a daily writing habit but will allow your child to recall their dreams and fantasies which can help to develop thoughts, ambitions and perhaps even goals. Above all, it should be a fun and insightful exercise to get to know more about themselves – it may even inspire them to write more in other forms!
3. A Safe Journalling Space
Giving your child a plain notebook and the freedom to express themselves however they choose in it can not only help spark their imagination but will also boost their emotional intelligence. Having a space without judgment in which they can write down the highs and perhaps lows of their day can be a powerful tool. You can encourage them by creating some structure in the journalling process by plugging in questions and prompts that they can work around.
4. Count Blessings at Bedtime
Journalling at bedtime can be a fantastic addition to a nighttime routine. Not only will it help the child to wind down for sleep, but incorporating bedtime blessing prompts will teach kids about the importance of gratitude in everyday life. Prompts such as what they are thankful for, what has made them happy and what they are looking forward to can be great ways to get the ball rolling.
For more information on the journals featured in this post click here.
