Our favourite journals for children (body positivity, travel, growth mindset, etc)

5 Nov 2019

I have very fond memories of writing a secret journal when I was younger. And I have been encouraging my girl to write journals when we travel. That seemed to work well. But, until a few weeks ago, we had yet to make the leap to more traditional journals. After getting her the last one on this list, she got hooked and keeps asking for more.




Below you will find a few of our favourite journals. Most of these have prompts written in English. I always encourage my multilinguals to write in whatever language they want, regardless of what is on the page already. But for the little multilinguals, I have added a French journal (maybe more for girls) at the bottom of the list. Go check them out.

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Big Life journal:

This journal is marketed as a growth mindset journal for kids. Different versions of the journals cater for different age groups from 4 years old until the teenage years. We love the look of it and the content too. The website also contains lots of lovely free posters and notes pages to print out at home. Big Life Journal  can be ordered there and there are US- and EU/UK- based shops.



Happy Self Journal:

Another journal for the 6-12 crowd. Its aim is to create happiness, develop positive habits and nurture enquiring minds. Based in the UK, this one is perfect for those wanting to write less. It encourages doodles too. I like the simple design and fun little illustrations. The Happy Self Journal can be purchased here.





I am a Rebel Girl: a Journal to Start Revolutions:

We got this journal when it came out but I feel like Miss 9 is just about now ready to start using it. She found it funny but was not really interested in using it just yet. So I would say, it is better suited to tweens and teens. But it is an amazing journal and quite different from anything else out there encouraging girls of all ages to jot down their hopes for the future or love notes to favorite body parts. You can get the I am a Rebel Girl journal here.


3-Minute Gratitude Journal:

Again this is a journal that is easy to use as it does not require much writing. It is suitable for younger children and is quick and simple to use. A page a day with a few other prompts and fun pages in-between. You can take a look at the 3-Minute Gratitude Journal here.



Back and forth journal:

I have been searching for one of those for a while now to share with my girl. I would much prefer a non-gendered one (why does everything have to be gendered these days? But hey that is a fight for another day). Maybe I will make my own. But this is a fun way of journaling and opening communication with your kids (and not just for mothers to daughters). Here are a few journals of that type I like.

Image from Between Mom and Me journal

Share Your Smile: Raina's Guide to Telling Your Own Story:

Miss 9 has this one on her wishlist. She loves the books from Raina Telgemeier and is eagerly awaiting this one. This is a little more than a journal Raina explains how she wrote her own story and gives lots of tips for kids to do the same from drawing tips to places to stick photos to writing tips. Take a look here for more here if you have a budding writer.




Wreck this journal

I have just recently discovered this journal. It sounds totally awesome. We have not tried it yet. But it feels like something kids would love. It is not a traditional journal. It feels more like an art journal. "Inside, you'll find prompts for painting, shredding, transforming, and unleashing your creativity." Take a look at the sample pages for a better idea. There are different versions of this journal: colour, duct tape, red, 'everywhere' (which is more like a travel journal), etc. 

Wreck this journal

Question a day journal for kids

This is a really lovely, bright and colourful journal written by a blogging friend. I love the simplicity of the prompts and short free spaces. Some of the questions are: Do you want to get to know yourself a little better? What is your favorite kind of music? How would you use different superpowers? Is there anything that makes you nervous? This would make a wonderful keepsake to look back on a few years later and they make journaling less daunting. You can find this cute little journal here and support a fellow mum at the same time. 




Journal d'une peste à écrire toi-même:

Now, please take this one with a big pinch of salt. It is 100% not politically correct. It is humor. So make sure your kid has reached that stage when they can tell it is not okay to behave like this.
This is also an added on to a very famous French book series. I used to love reading the books and Miss 9 loves them too. The accompanying journal is a fun one with very short writing prompts and lots of doodling spaces. You can find the Journal d'une peste here.



If you are looking for travel journals for kids, head over here, where I have collated over 30 different ideas for journals to purchase or make yourself. 



Have you got a favourite journal? I would love to hear your recommendations.

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5 comments

  1. Hi Annabelle, thanks for this informative article. I am looking to buy the Big Life Journal for my two children (boy 9 and girl 8). I then came across the Happy Self Journal and now I feel stumped as to which one to buy...
    If you could only choose one of the two, which one would it be?
    Thanks Tamryn :)

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  2. Tamryn, It really depends on your child. The Happy Self Journal is more of a tick box kind of journal. There is a lot less writing involved. The Big Life Journal has a lot more writing in it. Personally, I think you get more out of the Big Life one but if you have a reluctant writer, then the first one is better.

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  3. Thank you so much for your feedback! It is much appreciated! Kind regards, Tamryn :)

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  4. Hi, wonderful article thanks for sharing.

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