Regular writing is essential for children to improve grammar, spelling, sentence structure and self-editing skills. Journal writing is an excellent way to have children practice their writing skills, however, many students find writing difficult without the benefit of suggested prompts.
Journal Writing Prompts for Kids
Parents can use the following prompts to help and encourage children to write journals.
- Have children choose an occupation and write about a day in the life of a person in the chosen profession. The possibilities are endless – paramedic, window-washer, carpenter, policeman, veterinarian or waitress.
- Have children write a journal entry as if they were a dollar bill. Have them write a day in the life of a bill or coin, following its journey, as it passes through multiple, hands, machines, pockets and wallets. Perhaps it gets thrown in a fountain or falls in the crack of a sidewalk.
- Ask children to write about what they feel is the biggest problem in the world today. Have them explain the problem clearly and specifically. They must offer concrete solutions to the problem. They can not just write that something should be "stopped", they must have a plan as to how an action could be stopped.
- Ask children to write their journal 20 years in the future. The journal entry date will be the same day and month as the the current date, however, the year is twenty years in the future. Kids will have to imagine and write about their future life. A nine-year-old will be writing as if he or she were 29.
- Have children write about their favorite vacation. They must include as many details as possible. They should share what they smelled, saw, tasted, felt, and heard. Encourage the children to include the five W's too; who, what, where, when and why.
- Fictional holiday – Have children pretend that money is no object and ask them to describe their dream ten-day vacation. They should describe what they do every day and explore the holiday with all their senses.
- Interactive Journal – The journal prompt is the questions posed by the other participant. Children can journal with classmates, a parent or a best friend. They can discuss anything from current events to things that bother them. However, each entry must ask 2 or 3 questions of the other person. In a classroom, each child has their own journal but partners would write in each other's journals every second day.
Summer Journal Writing Tips for Children
It isn't always easy to get kids to write during the summer. Here are some tips that will make journal writing fun and easy. Start by buying a fun journal. A soft cover spiral notebook makes a great summer journal. There are many with fun, novelty covers. Although not preferable, very reluctant writers may need an online journal. Set this up in any word processing program, however, disable the spell check feature. The underlined errors are far too distracting.
Set up a regular journal writing time. Pick a schedule that is realistic, but regular. It could be daily at 4pm, or every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. It is great if an adult is around but not directly observing the writing. Perhaps pay the bills or make the grocery list during journal writing time.
Prompts are super to get students started, however, in the beginning, children might need to be challenged to write a minimum number or lines. Pick an amount that is appropriate, perhaps 6 lines for beginners. Increase the required amount as the writer's abilities improve.
Always have the child re-read their entry. Making a checklist is helpful.
- Does every sentence begin with a capital letter?
- Does every sentence end with a period or some form of punctuation?
- Does the entry make sense?
- Underline 2 words that just might be spelled incorrectly. Check it out with a dictionary or adult.
Journal writing is made easier with suggested topics. Always remember that the primary goal is getting a child to write. Help kids write by offering prompts and let them write freely. Don't hamper the process by over-correcting his or her writing.
To read more about summer activities read: Summer Writing Ideas for Kids – Books, Journals and Games , Great Writing Ideas and Prompts for Kids in the Summer and Kids' Educational Summer Activities – Keep Children Engaged.
Linda Wongkee - Linda is an online and print author. She writes about travel and education, her two passions!!
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