Journaling has many physical and health related benefits and can be used throughout a life time. Some benefits specific to early childhood are:
Fine motor skills
Language skills
Understanding a timeline
Story creation, re-telling
Emotional understanding (outlined in this article)
How to start journaling with your preschooler
The idea is that you ask your child, "What color was your day?" and then the child chooses a color. Using the writing/scribbling medium of choice, he uses the color to write/scribble on the journal page.
As they write/scribble, ask your child to describe to you why the day was blue (for example). In this manner, the child is learning how to narrate their own story, develop self-reflection, and give voice to their thoughts and emotions.
You can even record your child's thoughts, either by jotting them down in your own journal, or with an audio recording. (A video recording will be too distracting for most children.) If your write your child's thoughts, I suggest doing so on a separate paper so your child's scribbles and drawing stands on their own.
Emotional Understanding through Color
A great children's picture book to help explain this concept is Dr. Seuss' My Many Colored Days. The book compares moods and days to different colors and actions of animals. For example, "Then comes a Yellow Day and I am a busy, buzzy bee." Or, "On Purple Days I'm sad, I groan, I drag my tail."
Key Points
Don’t force it, let the child explore
Make it part of a routine
Use different writing utensils
Talk with your child while journaling
How to keep journaling with your grade schooler
Encouraging children to use a journal regularly as part of a daily routine or lesson plan, will empower them with a life-long tool. However, you will need to keep up with the growing interests of your child. Encourage your child to journal about events in their life and how they feel about them. This is different than keeping a diary of secrets!
Key Points
Create opportunities for your child to journal about
(nature walks, trips, themes, topics)
Cue your child to journal about life events
(something fun at school today, something not fun at school today)
Make it a fun part of a routine with cool journals
Use different writing utensils or art materials (more like scrapbooking)
The overall focus is for the child to 'relive' life events and reflect on how the events made the child feel. This can be done through writing a narrative or a poem or even drawing a picture. Invoke all of the senses, what did you see, hear, smell, think or do?
How to keep journaling as a young adult
As a girl, I can remember my first diary with a little lock and key. I do not remember what I wrote in the little diary, but I remember thinking that tiny tin lock and key wasn't strong enough for the secrets I had to keep! I wish I knew then what I know now about journaling...
It isn't about keeping secrets!
Reason 1: Journaling improves learning, memory and performance
78% of respondents who have or do journal, engage in a specific style called “Reflection Writing”.
Reason 2: Journaling helps me set goals and achieve them
Fully 77% of those who reported journaling chose this as one of the benefits.
Reason 3: Journaling helps me stay focused
88% of people who journal cited “Staying Focused” as a noticeable benefit to journaling.
Reason 4: Journaling helps manage stress and process emotions
74% of people who do or have journaled saw emotional venting as a benefit – and the science backs up their experience.
Reason 5: Journaling helps with self discovery
77% of people who journal say it helps them with “Self Discovery,” and understanding their values, beliefs and feelings about their life.
Reason 6: Journaling supports creative inspiration and ideation
59% of people who journal said that it improved their ability to think creatively and get “inspired.”
Reason 7: Journaling improves memory
59% of people who journal said it improved their memory and the science readily agrees with them.
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