The Benefits of Journaling
Journaling is one of the best ways to get your child to fall in love with writing. It helps them communicate ideas, reflect on their feelings, process their thoughts, develop a wild imagination, and write while responding to open-ended questions without the structure of a formal essay.
Journal time can be unscripted or a guided prompt. Over time, you will find that journaling benefits your child because it strengthens their ability to recall events and retell a story, helps them use their voice, improves their writing skills, reduces stress, boosts their vocabulary, and allows them to be creative.
It’s never too late to start the process of journaling with your child. Start by allowing them to choose a journal they love, set up a comfortable place at home, and then let the writing begin.
Below, you will find four types of journals:
Educational Journal-This journal is typically used in math and science. It can be used to write the process of solving a math problem or explain the results of a science experiment.
Guided Journals-These journals are used with prompts. You can give the child a prompt and have them write a story. This type of journal is not as formal but allows you to monitor their sentence structure, punctuation, ideas, flow, spelling, and penmanship.
Travel Journal-This journal allows the child to recount the activities of the day or week while on vacation. This is an excellent way for them to document memories and write about exciting facts while on vacation.
Social/Emotional Journal- This is a great way to connect with your child. The child can use the journal to jot down thoughts or feelings, and it can assist a child with working through those feelings.
The best thing about journaling is that there isn’t any pressure. Choose what’s best for your family, and have fun!