The 10 Best Journals for Kids
This wiki has been updated 28 times since it was first published in March of 2018. Giving children a place to write down their thoughts on a regular basis has many benefits. It can help them to communicate better, improve their writing and drawing skills, and learn how to deal with complicated feelings. These journals offer kids a forum for expressing themselves, and we've included some options that incorporate questions and prompts that are sure to provide inspiration. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Q&A a Day
2. Big Life Journal
3. Me: A Compendium
Editor's Notes
September 24, 2019:
Just like many adults find writing in a daily journal to be therapeutic and helpful, a diary can assist children with growth and self-discovery – and they can be just plain fun, with many including colorful designs, pictures, and padlocks.
The Lakeshore Draw & Write is a new addition to our selection that’s geared toward kids in the primary grades. It provides a large drawing box on the front of each page, with the remainder of that page and the back being filled with wide-ruled lines (equipped with dotted lines in the middle) that will help little ones with printing and penmanship. It comes with spiral binding that keeps it lying flat nicely when it’s opened, so it’ll be comfortable for use by lefties and righties alike. It’s thin in size (featuring 60 pages) and features a durable, laminated cover, so it won’t be difficult to bring back and forth to school every day as needed.
Retaining its top spot is the Q&A a Day, which is a creative way to foster self-discovery, critical thinking, and maybe even inspire a lifelong love of journaling. Children will answer the same question on a given day of the year for three years in a row. These include, “When do you feel left out?” and, “Do you get an allowance? How do you feel about it?” This is a sturdy, well-designed keepsake that kids (and their parents) will enjoy looking back on for many years to come.
Leaving our selection today, to make way for another selection that’s geared more closely toward kids, is the “One-Minute Gratitude Journal.”
4. Peter Pauper Press Travel Diary
5. Wreck This Journal
6. Lakeshore Draw & Write
7. Tri Performance A5
8. Peaceable Kingdom Lock & Key
9. Maleden Notebook
10. Hot Focus Peace Secret Diary
Karen Bennett lives in Chicago with her family, and when she’s not writing, she can usually be found practicing yoga or cheering on her kids at soccer games. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s in English, and her writing has been published in various local newspapers, as well as “The Cheat Sheet,” “Illinois Legal Times,” and “USA Today.” She has also written search engine news page headlines and worked as a product manager for a digital marketing company. Her expertise is in literature, nonfiction, textbooks, home products, kids' games and toys, hardware, teaching accessories, and art materials.