Journaling benefits people of all ages, but it can especially help children, who are learning how to express themselves as they go through life. Every day, your child will have new experiences, and writing them down can make them easier to process. This isn’t the only benefit to journaling. By writing every day, your child will naturally see improvement in their reading and writing skills. Here are a few of the main ways journaling can help your child thrive.
Provides an Outlet
Everyone needs an outlet. The problems children and teens have may seem small to adults who have gone through them already, but they weren’t small at the time. While your child may tell you about some of what they’re going through, it’s unlikely that they’re telling you everything. Through daily journaling, your child can have a healthy outlet to write things down and process their feelings about what they’re going through. This can be especially helpful as your child experiences things like heartbreak, loss and not getting their way for the first time. This will also help them develop their reading and writing skills.
Builds Writing Skills
Reading and writing are valuable skills that can always be improved. Children who write on a daily basis make small improvements every day, which adds up over time. This won’t only affect their reading and writing skills; it could also help with penmanship, something that’s a struggle for many children. Whether your child is writing based on prompts or venting about their day, daily journal writing provides academic benefits. One of these benefits is the power of observation.
Improves Observation Abilities
The world is a big place, especially for children, whose worlds are expanded constantly as they learn and grow. However, some children find it difficult to tune in to what’s going on around them. Journaling can help with that. The more children write about their own lives, the more they’ll find themselves thinking about others and their perspectives. When journaling becomes a daily habit, they may need to rack their brains occasionally to think about what’s new in their lives. This helps them develop another important skill: creativity.
Promotes Creativity
No matter what your child writes about in their journal, whether it’s facts or fiction, daily writing will involve some level of creativity. Once they get into the habit of writing new entries every day, they’ll find it easier to come up with new ideas. Creative writing may not become their favorite subject, but it will be a valuable skill to use in life. While they’re building their academic skills, the increase in creativity will help make life more fun.
At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.