To journal with children
Following on from last months post Make a little time for you – Journal Prompts I was keen to do something similar again. I’ve come up with 31 Children’s Journal Prompts for you to enjoy.
When F was little I tired various ways of documenting his growth and development but what was more important to me was finding a way to document his hopes, his dreams and a way to learn more about him.
We tried a Question a day journal before journal was the buzz word it is now. The idea was that you asked your child a question each day for a year, you then repeated the book for 2 more years. It meant you could see how their answer’s change over the years. This is the one we tried Question a day and it was great but I’ll be honest, we were pretty rubbish at keeping up with it.
Since then I have dipped in and out of writing a Journal with F and have begun to do the same with the girls as well. It makes for a fun activity that all the children can do together.
Now the holidays are here it seemed like the perfect time to make this a focus for the month of August.
Children’s journal Prompts
- What would you like to do when you’re older?
- What is your favourite thing to do?
- If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
- Who do you want to talk to today?
- What is your favourite film?
- Where is your favourite place to visit?
- Who is your best friend?
- What was the best part of today?
- Did the sunshine today and how did it make you feel?
- What was the best holiday you’ve ever been on?
- What did you do today?
- Did you see anything today that was special?
- Do you feel happy today and why?
- What would you love to learn more about?
- What games did you play today?
- Did you play outside today?
- What made you laugh today?
- What would you like to do today if you could choose?
- What’s the thing you enjoy most about the summer?
- Did you do something to help someone else today?
- What book are you reading today?
- If you had a million pounds, what would you buy?
- What do you think the best thing is about being a child?
- What do you think is the best thing about being a grown up?
- Whose the best teacher and what makes them so special?
- If you could have a super power what would it be?
- What’s the best job in the world?
- What do you think will happen in your future?
- What is the best thing you’ve learnt at school?
- If you could visit anyone today who would it be?
- How do you feel about going back to school?
As before I have created a ‘not very high tech’ printable which you can download here
Journal Prompts for your children
I hope you join in, I’ll be sharing some of the best bits via twitter and Instagram, I’d love to see any of the funny responses your children post.
Is this something you’d consider doing with your children or have you done something similar? I’d love to hear what you think.
Great ideas!
What a fantastic idea! I’ll be trying it with my two (who are aged 10 and 11). I’ll keep you posted on the funniest replies. Thank you for this! 😍
Hope they enjoy it x x x
I would love to do this with my kids, don’t think they will comply though.. might give it a go though now it’s school holidays.
Great idea. Just having a conversation as a family and keeping communication open as they grow older. Plus lovely memories to read on birthdays (say 40!!!)
This is a beautiful idea! A lot of parents don’t usually take the time to do this with their children in order to learn more about them.
I love this idea! My stepdaughter doesn’t live with us so I don’t think we’d be able to do this with her, however it’s something I might do just with myself! As you said it would be interesting to see how the answers change 😊
I have my step daughters every weekend so we are just doing it on a catch up basis 🙂
Very creative and a great idea. My kids are too young to journal, but something I’ll definitely keep in mind for the future. Plus, I can ask some of these verbally to my 4 year old now 🙂
These are a really great resource! When I was training as a teacher one of the things we had to learn was the technique of asking open-ended questions to kids, so they had to give more complex answers than “yes” and “no” to build language skills – and being patient enough to wait for them to formulate the answer! I’m still not perfect at it, and these are a wonderful way to build that skill whilst getting to know your child and building their language skills. Thank you!
Thank you Claire, Its been great to have such open conversations with them x
I’ve been doing something similar to this with my 7-year-old this summer, and it’s been working pretty well. We don’t remember to write something every day, but I have been surprised by some of his answers!
It’s lovely to have that time with them x
This is such an amazing idea. I don’t have children but will definitely be asking some of these with my niece. Thanks for sharing lovely xx
Such a great idea. I don’t have children but will definitely be asking my little niece some of these questions and letting my brother know about this. Thanks for sharing xx
I don’t have children, as you know but this is a really great idea. I need to check out your other journal prompts. I started using prompts this month at the end of my daily journal entry. Just as a way to get me thinking about different things and I’ve been so surprised with the answers that have come up!
It certainly gives you something to think about x x
I love this idea, such a creative thing to do x
Last year my son and I started keeping a notebook that we wrote to one another in each day. It was great fun because we would tell jokes, ask questions, answer questions and just ramble. We did it for the full school year and I look forward to doing one again this year. And, I know it will be a most treasured keepsake too!
What a lovely idea!
I don’t have kids, but I would love to journal with them when I do. I think it’s so important to allow kids to get things off their chest too. This is a really good idea!
Brilliant ideas, mine are keeping a diary for the summer holidays so this might help
This is a great idea and I love the questions! I think I may have to try this with my children!
Enjoy x
This is great to know the lil people..Looking forward for some interesting and funny answers from them!
What great ideas! reminds me of when I used to keep a journal for my parents when I was a kid during the Summer holidays
I loved doing that as a child x
I love the question – what made you laugh today? – it’s so important to focus on the things that make us and our children happy 🙂
It really is important x
My daughter needs to practice her writing, I think this is a great idea to start with her! Thanks for sharing!
I hope she enjoys x
I love these ideas! We are expecting our first and so I’m so excited as I read things like this!! 🙂
Awww Congratulations x x
Okay, this is a really fantastic idea. It can create such a wonderful connection now, and be a great keepsake for later. Great examples, too. This is really well thought out.
Great ideas and fun topics to have kids think about. And journaling is a great way to reflect on these memories in the future!
These are great questions!!!! I find it interesting with my granddaughter, who is five, prefers conversations to anything else. When we are on long drives I used to ask when she was 3, do you want music on, do you want to play with a toy. She would always say, “Nana, can we have a conversation instead”?
My son loves having deep conversations in the car. I was the same with my Mum in the car, even as an adult!
My eldest has just started to speak and I love hearing him chatting and finding out what is going on in his head. I might have to give this a go with him, albeit I slightly simplified version as he’s only 3
These are some great questions for things to talk about with your child. My girl is a chatterbox so I’m sure she’d love for me to ask her some things.
I have a chatterbox too!
This is such a sweet thing to do. I would love to start this with mine, nice to look back on.
It is lovely to sit and read together in a few years x
This is so sweet, what great ideas to do with your kids!
Thank you x
I love this idea! A great way to document things they say that normally get taken for granted 🙂
It makes for a lot of fun conversations x
These are some great questions! I don’t journal, but I do a little interview with each of my boys every year on their birthday.
Oh thats a lovely idea x
These are great ideas! I have never thought about journaling with my kids and this is a great way of getting to know them.
We enjoy it so much x
It is a brilliant Idea. Surely I will keep up a record and maintain it. It will be more interesting to read those after several years.
Enjoy x
I think it is such a neat idea to have a prompt journal for your kids, I have to give this a try
Thank you Miranda, enjoy x
getting to know your children can be really really hard especially when you have work
[…] some wonderful feedback I decided to create one for parents to do with their Children and I know we have had a lot of fun completing this as a […]
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Such a great idea. I may do one for each of my girls.