Understanding How Journaling Can Improve Your Child's Writing Skill

​Journaling has been used for time immemorial as a way for us to write down about our experiences and feelings. For the lonely, shy, or quiet souls, the pages on a piece of paper are a means of cathartic release, almost as though unleashing inner turmoil into prose. For some it is the only way to vent. Journaling may seem limited to a particularly angst-driven phase in our younger days but the benefits of journaling for writing skill are undeniable. This is especially true for young children who are just beginning to learn the language and develop their skills. This article will take you through some oft-cited benefits of journaling that will make you want to get your children started right away.

It Builds Consistency

For many people, journaling every night or in the morning is something they absolutely cannot live without. Imagine your child journaling every single day without fail – be it a single paragraph or even one line. Now, you may ask how consistency helps improve writing? Well, many famous authors have been known to maintain a writing target. This helps one overcome the idea that writing has to be perfect which is a roadblock for writers of all ages. No matter how well you write, you will have that feeling of satisfaction that you met your targets. As with most things in life, consistency is key.

There are No Wrong Answers

When people attempt a new skill for the first time, their fear of failure makes them almost paralyzed. When you teach your children that in journaling, there are no wrong answers it makes them limitless. They are able to engage in total creativity and freedom. Many times, children cannot creatively express themselves due to practical considerations; has any parent let their child scribble on the walls willy-nilly? I daresay not!  Well, writing is a method wherein they can talk about anything they would like whether this is about their day or a fantasy story that they have invented in their heads. Very soon, you will notice that their writing will have a proper narrative structure and a logical sequence of events, but you can focus on that later.

They can Use their Own Voice

Writing is one activity wherein children can really explore their own voice and examine their thoughts and feelings. This is not so easy with structured activities like mathematics problems or geography maps. Building one’s voice helps them in giving voice to characters in a narrative and helps in perspective-taking too!
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Journaling Prompts Add Structure

Journaling does not always have to be about free writing. Indeed, it can be a good idea to add some structure to your child’s journaling endeavors to help them. What are journaling prompts? They can be about anything. For example, if you took your child out for ice-cream, you could ask them to vividly describe the ice-cream or if you attend Church, you could ask them how the hymns sung that day sounded like. These go a long way in improving vocabulary.