Children experience many different emotions as they grow and mature, and as parents it’s our responsibility to help them manage their feelings and find healthy coping strategies when things get a little difficult. Journaling has many benefits for kids, and is an excellent way for them to make sense of and express their emotions in a safe way. Here a prep school in Buckingham explores some of the many reasons journaling is great for children.
Understanding challenging feelings
Through journaling children learn to understand and express how they’re feeling. They might find it easier to write about any difficulties they’re facing than express them verbally. A journal provides a safe space for them to explore their emotions and work through them, which helps them get to know themselves a bit better. This will in turn boost their self-esteem and confidence, which often comes from being happy with who we are.
Stimulating creativity
Journaling gives children an opportunity to practise their storytelling skills. If they write about something that’s happened to them during the day, they’ll learn to create a narrative and use descriptive language to tell the story – and then explore their thoughts and feelings about it. This creativity can then be applied to other areas of their life, as well as their school studies.
Making writing interesting
Getting the chance to write whatever they want in their diary, without any rules or limitations, can help change the perspective of children who don’t usually like writing. They’ll start to see it as something fun and a way to express themselves fully. In school, children are often bound by conventions and having to learn particular styles of writing during their English lessons, but with journaling they can develop their own voice and preferred storytelling method.
Improving reading and writing skills
Writing in a diary regularly helps improve children’s handwriting, reading and comprehension skills. They’ll use new words they didn’t even know they knew to describe something that’s happened to them or how an event has made them feel. They’ll also get the chance to practise their grammar and spelling, and reading back over their journal entries will help with comprehension as they make sense of what they’ve written. Journaling might also encourage children to read more widely so they can emulate their favourite writers’ styles and incorporate new language into their writing.
Taking your child shopping for a new journal will make it something fun and exciting for them to look forward to.
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