Encourage Your Kids to Write with These Inspiring Journal Prompts

Inspire your kids to write down their feelings!

Every kid lives through countless unique experiences––whether it’s meeting new classmates, trying new food, or finding an exciting book at the library. They have a lot to express! But how will they remember all the fun they had years down the road? The solution is a journal. 

Journaling encourages kids to regularly write down thoughts, daily events, feelings, and creative work. Some journal writers also like to add drawings, stickers, or other images to their entries.

The first family vacation, their “best birthday ever,” or the day they welcomed a younger sibling—children see these moments from their own unique perspectives. Writing things down after significant events helps kids record their thoughts and feelings at the moment, creating a time capsule of experiences they’ll enjoy paging through for years to come. 

Check out these 15 amazing journal writing prompts for kids, and introduce the habit of journaling in your household. 

Benefits of Journaling for Kids

Besides letting children express their feelings, a daily journal helps kids improve their hand and finger strength, contributing to better handwriting. Journaling also helps kids expand their vocabulary and practice grammar rules. These small steps and practice make a big difference in children’s schoolwork.

But most importantly, keeping a journal allows kids to process their own emotions and perceptions. Children get a private space to write things down, draw pictures, and make sense of things.

Encouraging your children to keep a journal is a great way to help them unlock hidden creativity and understand their emotions. And best of all, you only need a few things to get started: a pen and paper, a quiet space, and a few fun journal prompts for kids. Let their imaginations run wild!

Explore the Art of Journaling

So your kids have decided to give journaling a try. That’s great—but how do they begin? Help them kick-start the writing process with the following tips: 

• Let them choose the location: Some kids like to journal while sprawled out on their beds. Others want to sit outside under a shady tree. Some can journal anywhere as long as they have their favorite music playing! Your job is to help your kids find an environment where they feel comfortable expressing their feelings (like a tranquil homework station). Give your kids the freedom to find the perfect “writer’s retreat.” 
• Help them choose the materials: Journaling is a creative endeavor, so it’s different for each kid. While one child may fill page after page with words, another may want to express themselves through doodles, stickers, or comic book panels—and that’s okay! Let them explore their journaling style, then look for the perfect writing tools and other creative materials to support it.  
• Offer guided prompts: Sometimes, kids have a lot going on in their heads. They may have many things they want to say, but they aren’t sure where to begin. Help them overcome writer’s block by guiding them with some simple prompts. Good journal prompts include questions about their lives, short story ideas, or pictures they might want to draw. Anything that inspires the journaling process is a great choice!

15 Journal Writing Prompts for Kids

If your kids are having a hard time deciding where to begin and looking for inspiration, here are some tried-and-tested ideas to help them get started. 

Reflective Journal Prompts

Encourage your kids to reflect on their thoughts and feelings by giving them journal prompts such as these: 

1. Who is your favorite person on the planet, and what is your favorite thing about that person?
2. Write about a time you felt thrilled. What happened? What made you feel happy?
3. What is your favorite part of the school day? Why?
4. What color do you like best? How does it make you feel?
5. Where is your favorite place? Why do you like it so much?

Creative Journal Prompts

Journaling is an excellent way for kids to exercise their creative muscles. Whether they are writing a story, drawing a picture, or making a mixed-media collage, a little imaginative spark helps them build some pretty cool things. Ignite that spark with fun story starters and creative writing prompts like these:

6. Write a story about finding a giant purple egg in a park.
7. If your favorite kind of animal took over the world, what rules would they make?
8. You’re an astronaut who has just discovered a new planet. Describe what happens when you step out of your spacecraft and onto its surface.
9. Pretend to be your favorite cartoon character. Now write a story from their perspective with the title “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.”  
10. Grab a friend or family member and write a story together! Start by writing the first sentence, then pass it to your partner to write the second sentence and so on until you have a complete story. (This prompt is great for siblings who need to practice working side by side.)

Future-Focused Journal Prompts

Whether they’re looking forward to a special occasion, nervous about an upcoming change, or wondering what life will be like when they’re older, kids are often inquisitive about the future. You can take advantage of that to create some thought-provoking prompts like these:

11. What job do you want to do when you grow up? Why?
12. What are you most looking forward to this year? Why?
13. What do you think the best part of being an adult is?
14.  Finish this sentence: I can achieve anything I want to because _____________________.
15.  How can you help the world now and as you get older?

Let Your Kids Do the Talking

Your children’s minds are filled with thoughts and ideas. To instill the habit of journaling in them, encourage them to spend at least half an hour every day on journaling––whether during the day or at night before going to bed. And allow them to choose their way of journaling. What they write matters less than that they write something—the biggest key is to make journaling a daily ritual.

While they write, head to the Little Passports website and sign up for one of our subscription boxes—they’re sure to provide fun experiences for your kids (and give them, even more, to write about). A budding chef will love our Kitchen Adventures subscription box and discover world cuisines, while an explorer-to-be is bound to enjoy our World Edition subscription box, which will teach them about different countries through exciting stories, hands-on activities, and souvenirs.