Summer Journal Prompts For Kids

Use these summer journal prompts for kids to keep your children busy and off of screens this summer while building writing skills. Parenting can be a struggle, but journaling can help in so many ways!

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Journaling is an extremely beneficial habit for children of all ages, and parents too, like a gratitude journal. For kids, developing a journaling habit over the summer during the break from school will keep them busy and off of screens, and have even more benefits that will carry over into the next school year. Add developing a journaling habit to your summer bucket list activities.

Summer journaling also helps kids in transition from one school year to the next. Writing about the previous school year helps preserve memories of special events, friends and teachers. A few prompts about the previous school year are:

• What was your favorite day of the past school year?
• Who was your best friend and what did you like about them?
• What was your favorite class?

Journaling about the school year to come helps students begin to plan the next school year. It also helps them begin to set goals for the year ahead. Journaling about the year to come will also help students work through any anxiety or worries about the next year. This can be especially helpful for children changing schools or foster children. Some prompts for journaling about the year to come are:

• What are you most looking forward to in the next school year?
• What are your goals for your grades?
• What are you most anxious about next year?

Journals

Sometimes kids are less than motivated to put pen to paper when they are not school. When kids are reluctant to write, the perfect journal can be just the motivation they need.

Even pre readers and writers can journal in blank sketch books or in elementary composition notebooks.

The Perfect Pen

Finding the perfect pen to journal with can be fun part of the experience, and can help encourage reluctant journalers. Experimenting with different pens, different colors and even pencils is all part of discovering ones journaling style. These are a few of my favorite pens for journaling:

For younger children the “perfect pen” may be a crayon. For the artistic child, colored pencils or even pastels may be preferred, especially those who prefer the journal with pictures.

Where to Journal in the Summer

The warmer weather of summer provides the perfect opportunity to journal outdoors. The fresh air fuels creativity in kids. You may even considering encouraging nature journaling or keeping a nature notebook for the summer.

Wherever your child decides to journal, make sure they have a comfortable place to sit, and something to bear down on, maybe a lap desk if they choose to sit in the floor.

If your child journals inside, you may consider creating a special journaling nook complete with pens, colored pencils and a along with a journal. If your child likes to sit in the floor, a lap desk and a beanbag chair might work well.

If your child will be journaling outside, create a journaling bag or journaling box to keep all of your his supplies in to grab and go quickly.

Best Times for Summer Journaling

Journaling is an excellent habit to form at any age. Scheduling a particular time of day, before or after a certain activity will help to build the habit. One of my children loves to journal so much that she sometimes journals more than once a day. Whenever the notion or creativity hits is the perfect time.

You can also help create a positive journaling experience by making sure to give little hands some input to warm them up for writing with something like this summer sensory bin.

Journal Prompts

Even if you have all of the fun pens and journals, sometimes kids just need a little help to get started journaling. Not everyone can start from nothing and just write about their day. Children especially need some extra help if they are not used to journaling. Giving them prompts can get them started and guide their journaling efforts.

Prompts can be as simple as a single word that might provoke a thought or emotion, a question that might take some thought to really answer or even the beginning of a sentence that can be completed and then expounded upon.

Sometimes, even unexpected things can get them writing like pictures or even knock knock jokes for kids.

Use the free download below to get your child started journaling this summer.