There are lots of people who kept journals as kids, which they used to pour all their thoughts and feelings into. You may have even had journals or diaries that had a lock and key, so you could lock them up and be sure that no one could read what you’d written. Journaling for kids is still beneficial today, so here’s why you should encourage your kids to give it a try.
1. Create An Emotional Outlet
Journals have always been an emotional outlet for many people, and especially for kids. As they grow up, they have to deal with so many feelings, so having a journal is highly beneficial to them. They can use it to write about everything they feel, without worrying about others seeing it. You need to ensure that it does remain private, and resist the urge to read it. You can help them feel more secure by buying a journal with a lock and key that only they have.
2. Improve Writing Skills
Any practice your child gets at writing is going to be helpful. The more they write, the more they practice putting their thoughts to paper and organizing them. When they have a journal, they can improve their skills. You can help them do this by providing journaling prompts. For example, ask them to write about the family pet, or about their favorite toy. When they do this, they’ll get more practice in and improve in their writing.
3. Bond With Family
A journal doesn’t have to be something a child does on their own. They can create journals with others, to create something new and unique. For example, if you go on vacation you can create a journal together as a family, collecting items and sticking them in to create a scrapbook. It not only helps you bond, but you’ll be able to help your child learn to work with others.
4. Make Writing More Interesting
There are plenty of children who don’t writing all that interesting. They think it’s just something that they have to do at school, and so they don’t have an interest in doing it at home. You can make writing more appealing by showing them how to journal. When they journal, they’re writing about whatever they want to talk about, rather than what they have to do at school. They may find that they actually rather enjoy it.
5. See Things From A Different Perspective
When a child writes a journal, they’re often talking about their day and the experiences that they’ve had. That’s helping them see these topics from another perspective. That’s a highly useful skill to have in later life. They’ll need to be able to do this in argumentative essays, or in the workplace when they’re older.
6. Enhance Communication Skills
As a child, it’s sometimes very difficult to express your feelings. You need a way to help them communicate their thoughts in a healthy way. For many children, just having somewhere to write down their thoughts will be enough to help them organize and communicate them better. If they really have trouble communicating their thoughts, they can use the journal with a trusted adult. Passing the journal back and forth between them is a good way to talk and communicate.
These are just a few benefits that children can get from journaling. Encourage your child to start writing, whether it’s a journal for feelings, or a scrapbook that the whole family will work on. They’ll get a lot out of it, and start to improve their writing skills.
Emily Henry is a writer for sites such as Top Canadian Writers and Student Writing Services. She’s also a health writer for Write My Essay, among other sites.