JOURNAL IDEAS FOR KIDS

 

If you’re like me lately, you might be making an extra effort to help your kids’ writing with some journal ideas. Also if you’re like me, it is a challenge (to say the least) to get them excited about writing.

 

With all the distractions in their world, kids need help when it comes to journal writing.

 

How can we, as parents, help our kids at home with their writing? Why is it so hard for them nowadays? I think we can all agree that the way kids learn today is much different than how we learned in school. I remember sitting in class and writing endless notes while listening to the teacher give a lecture. Oh, the hand cramps! Anyone else remember? So what is so different now? Well, students are using their hands to type on devices rather than using a pencil to write.

 

I think there is an inherent way of interpreting the act of typing versus handwriting. That is, typing is easier than writing by hand. And although they may be right, there is something viscerally different and missing from the act of putting pen to paper. There is a really good article by pens.com called The Benefits of Handwriting vs. Typing that explains this better.  Concepts include more sharpened critical thinking, stronger conceptual understanding, and better memory recall. They even have a beautiful infographic.

 

While typing may be faster and more convenient, research shows handwriting has its own unique advantages.  – Pens.com

 

So how do we reconnect our kids to handwriting?

 

We give them ideas, time, and encouragement.

 

In this unprecedented time, I think one of THE most valuable things we can do right now is recording what we’re all going through! I think we can all agree that this global pandemic will be in all the history books to come. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to read about our thoughts in our current state and age to our children and grandchildren in the future?  One of the most valuable things my mom has are some letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother while he was deployed as a soldier in World War II. Handwritten letters like this are so intimate and make us feel closer to the writer almost instantly.

 

Another great point about journal writing for kids, especially during this time is that it might help our kids process and work through their thoughts and feelings if they can’t verbally express them. In this digital age, I find we tend to stop talking to each other. A combination of busyness and the lure of screens make us more adept at texting and emailing each other out of convenience. We’re becoming a society that is getting less and less used to having a conversation in person.  So kids might start feeling like uncomfortable expressing themselves.

 

Journal writing gives kids a judgment-free space to self-explore and find their creative voice. They can use their journal as a place to dream and set goals. They can also use journal writing to find solutions to internal conflicts and solve problems.
– kiddiematters.com

 

Let’s also make sure we let our kids know that there are no rules with writing in a journal! It’s their very own expression and their thoughts cannot be right or wrong. Getting them on paper though can be very cathartic and freeing for them.

 

I’ve created these easy journal ideas just for kids to help them get going with their writing!

 

Designed in a way so that they can start anywhere, these prompts will get their creative juices flowing. It’s a helpful guide for kids that are “stuck” and not sure how to begin. I know, I have a 10-year-old who does NOT like writing.

 

I hope it helps you and inspires your kids to start writing in a journal!

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