In this fast paced world of technology, good writing skills are becoming a lost art. Emails and online chatting consists of jargon and lots of abbreviations for longer words. How many of you,when writing a note to someone, find yourself wanting to put a sideways smiley face? It’s even worse for the kids!
Journaling is a fun way to get kids writing. You can get as creative as you want. If you homeschool you can include it as part of your English curriculum. Kids can journal their thoughts, feelings and how their day went. Journals can be included in a nature study by making a nature journal. Include not only your thoughts but drawings and photos of things you find as you explore such as insects, flowers, cloud formations or animals.
There are so many themes and topics you can use a journal for – here are some ideas for you:
Make a Reading Journal
Start a journal on the books you read – write down the title, author and genre. Then include a synopsis of the plot and why you liked or disliked the book.
Make a Travel or Vacation Journal
This one would include all the things you did and saw. You can glue in tickets to events you attended, photos, etc. Travel brochures are a great resource for pictures to cut out and add to your vacation journal.
Try a Movie Journal
A movie journal would be similar to a book journal. You might include the director’s name and the names of the prominent actors. Paste in scenes from the movie.
Plan a Special Project Journal
If you are in 4-H or Boy Scouts and are planning on doing a special project such as raising a calf, a journal can help you keep track of the project. It is also a great resource to look back upon and see where you can improve if you decide to do a similar project later.
One of the first things you can do to get started journaling is to make your own covered journal. This will allow you to personalize the journal and make it special. You can also make your own journal by printing out decorated stationery pages you find online. These can be placed in a three ring notebook. You could also hole punch them and create your own decorative cover. These two types of journal make it easy for you to add pages to them later. This fun and colorful dragon stationery for kids is the perfect thing to get you started.
Journaling allows expressive writing practice as well as the basic grammar skills. It also teaches kids to put their thoughts on paper in a cohesive manner.
