15 Best Journals for Kids: Writing Prompts for Gratitude, Growth Mindset & More!

We frequently receive questions in both the Parent Vault Facebook Group, as well as in our Hot Deals Facebook Group, about the best journals for kids. There are many great options and it really depends on your kids’ interests, as well as the area they would like to focus on or “grow” in. For example, do you want them to learn about gratitude? Or perhaps develop a stronger growth mindset? Are they younger or more interested in drawing? Are they passionate about science or nature? Or are you looking for a journaling experience to strengthen the bond between you and your child? You will find journals for ALL of that and more in the epic list below!!!

1. Growth Mindset Journal for Kids

A growth mindset is an approach for kids to think positively about all of their abilities, intelligence and skill sets. It is the difference between thinking “I’m horrible at math” and “if I practice, I will be amazing at math!” In Learn, Grow, Succeed!: A Kids Growth Mindset Journal, your kids will record how they feel, while learning to change the way they think and will be pumped to succeed! It also teaches kids that everyone makes mistakes. The difference is whether you learn and grow from those mistakes (find the lessons) or just get upset. For example, one page is titled “Mistakes are Helpful” and asks your child to answer the following three questions.

• If you lost your homework because you weren’t organized, what lesson would you learn?
• What would you change or do differently next time so that wouldn’t happen again?
• What advice would you give to someone else who made the same mistake as you?

Do you see how powerful getting into a growth mindset is? Frankly, even adults could benefit from a journal like this!!!

2. Leadership Journal for Kids

Do you want to strengthen your child’s leadership skills? I AM A LEADER: A 90-Day Leadership Journal for Kids is perfect for leaders!!! It helps to instill grit, a growth mindset, gratitude and confidence in your child. I absolutely cannot get enough of the writing prompts in this book! Below is an example of what your kids will write about on one page, but every page has a new (and fantastic) area that your child will explore and write about!

• Appreciate the first person you saw when you got up this morning . Write what you appreciate about that person.
• Mornings are an important time of the day and can often impact what the rest of your day will look like. How was your morning today? What’s one thing that you could do differently tomorrow to make your morning even better?
• One amazing thing that happened today was…
• My energy level was…

3. Gratitude Journal for Kids

It is important to me that my children have gratitude and do not feel or act entitled. The 3 Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids: A Journal to Teach Children to Practice Gratitude and Mindfulness asks your child to write down the following three things every day.

• Three things you are thankful for
• Someone who brought you joy
• How you feel about your day

Ultimately, this sense of gratitude will become a habit, which is the goal. Also, this is a great way to help your kids process their emotions, whether their day was amazing, awful or average.

4. Mom and Son Journal

If you have a son, you need Between Mom and Me: A Mother and Son Keepsake Journal. Period. End of story. The book is such a great way to strengthen your relationship and learn things that may not come up otherwise. The way it works is that your son will answer the questions on one page, and then you (the mom or dad) will answer the questions about his replies on the next page. For example, one page asks your son to write his three most amazing accomplishments, plus another goal he hopes to achieve. The following page asks you (the mom or dad) to write what you think about the accomplishments he wrote, as well as the goal he hopes to meet. Check out the example pages on Amazon. You will cherish the experience of doing this and the resulting treasure.

5. Dad and Son Journal

If you are a dad, don’t worry! There’s a version for you that’s exactly the same as the mother/son journal above, but it’s called Between Dad and Me: A Father and Son Keepsake Journal!

6. Mom and Daughter Journal

Don’t worry parents of daughters, I wouldn’t leave you out! Written by the same author as the journals above for parents and sons, this one is a MUST BUY if you have a daughter! This journal is a great way to strengthen your bond, reminisce on fun stories and experiences, family traditions, and find interests that you both share (or don’t share!) You may even learn a thing or two that will surprise you! It is fascinating what comes out sometimes when your child writes versus what they feel comfortable saying verbally.

7. Dad and Daughter Journal

There is a version for fathers and daughters as well (just the the mother/daughter journal above), called Love, Dad and Me: A Father and Daughter Keepsake Journal!

8. Three-Year Journal / Time Capsule

Now, more than ever, we are looking for ways to create a time capsule for our kids to look back at this period. I absolutely LOVE the One Question a Day for Kids: A Three-Year Journal: Create Your Own Personal Time Capsule because it has a writing prompt for your child to answer every day. Each page actually has three sections, so your child will answer that same question every year, for three years. It is SO fun (for both kids and parents) to look back and read entries from previous years and to see how things may have changed (or stayed the same). My 8 year old started hers when she was 5, and finished it last year (after 3 years.) She STILL reads through it and laughs! This is a keepsake that you (and your children) will cherish forever!

9. Positive Thinking & Mindfulness Journal

Science has shown that increasing gratitude also increases happiness, and couldn’t we all use a little bit more gratitude and happiness in our lives? You Got This – A Positive Thinking, Mindfulness and Wellbeing Journal is perfect for kids or even teenagers. The pages have fun graphics (complete with an emoji feeling scale) that keeps kids coming back to fill it out every day. Your kids are asked to do answer things like the following:

• Three amazing things that happened today
• Kindness tracker (how kind were you today?)
• Today I am grateful for…
• Thought tracker (what’s on your mind?)
• What worries do you want to feed to the worry monster?

10. Younger Child Journal

Do you have a younger child or a budding artist? I love that Me: A Compendium: A Fill-in Journal for Kids by Wee Society gives kids journal prompts that can be answered via writing OR drawing. The graphics are simple and fun for kids with lots of blank spaces for kids to fill in! For example, one page asks your child what they like to eat on their sandwich and has two pieces of bread with a large blank space to be filled in by your child. They could draw a turkey sandwich, pb&j, a burger, etc. between the two pieces of bread. Alternatively, they could write about their favorite sandwich and describe the details of what goes on it. There are tons of great prompts like what’s your favorite book? Outfit? Socks? Ice Cream? It makes a cute journal to remember what they were like when they were little!

11. Creative Writing Journal for Kids

Rather than a journal to reflect on your day, is creative writing more your child’s speed? 101 Story Starters for Kids is an awesome book of one page writing prompts! Each page begins with a writing prompt that’s a couple of sentences, and then your child has to finish the story using the lines on the rest of the page. For example, one writing prompt is the following.

“More than anything, Connor wanted to try out for the school play. But there was one giant problem standing in his way. He was terrified of being on stage.”

Your child will then write what happens with Connor on the rest of the page. It is almost like a “choose your own adventure,” but you are really in full control of how the story ends! AWESOME way for your kids to strengthen their writing skills and creativity.

12. Interactive Journal

If your children like interactive materials, and especially if they like destruction, then the Wreck This Journal is perfect! The pages contain interesting instructions to follow, like the following examples.

• “Poke holes in this page using a pencil”
• Throw something at the target on this page. “A pencil, a ball dipped in paint.”
• “Pour, spill, drip, spit, fling different colored drinks here.”
• “Press leaves and other found things”
• “Tear strips of color. (Then try some plaid.)”

13. Journal for Artistic Kids

Do you have a future Picasso in your house? This Drawing Pad Belongs to ______! My Secret Book of Scribblings and Sketches is the perfect sketchbook for kids to use as a journal. The pages are blank, but the reviews are absolutely glowing because of the quality. The sheets are high-quality paper and the cover feels like that of a much pricier journal.

14. Journal for STEM Kids

Filled with inspirational quotes from famous women who left a mark in the world of STEM, your science-loving kids need the I Love Science: A Journal for Self-Discovery and Big Ideas. In addition to prompts and questions to answer, there are beautiful science infographics and drawings to get your child thinking!

15. Journal for Nature-Loving Kids

For our nature lovers, there’s an awesome journal called My Nature Journal. Your child can record the temperature outside and give a weather report, plus track all of the plants and animals that they find while out in nature. It is perfect for drawing sketches and writing new discoveries down!

How to Setup a Homeschool Room for Your Online School Supplies List

You guys and gals send me the best messages (thank you! I LOVE getting to know you!!!) You’ve made it clear that you want help getting organized for whatever this school year may bring, which is why I put together this online school supplies list. Whether you are starting your school year off this fall with distance learning or not, you want to be prepared for if / when our schools go virtual again. Distance learning is not easy. Virtual online school is a challenge for kids, parents, teachers… EVERYONE! Therefore, this week we will continue focusing on how to setup a virtual learning space or homeschool classroom. Here are the posts we have done so far on this topic:

• Online School Supplies List
• 20+ Must-Have Tech Gadgets for Virtual Learning & Homeschool
• DIY Home Gym for Kids
• How to Make a Homework Station for Virtual Learning
• How to Decorate a Homeschool Room on a Budget

Below are all of our previous (free!) virtual camps, in case you missed any:

• Back to School – Fight the Summer Slide!
• “Back to Basics” Life Skills Camp
• DIY Craft Camp
• Cooking Classes for Kids
• Science Experiments for Kids
• Kids Entrepreneurship
• World Traveler (Kids Geography Camp)

Don’t forget to join our Facebook group to see our live classes and to let me know what you think of this online school supplies list! Also, follow us on Pinterest, so you won’t miss a thing! You definitely need to follow Hannah at Inspired Sparks too, because she is posting all kinds of awesome videos to teach kids about science, crafts, and cooking.