‘One day they will return to their diaries, and reminisce fondly of times well spent’
For children, keeping a diary has a far greater impact than one might be led to believe. While the obvious benefits of diary writing for kids include their being able to communicate their thoughts and feelings better, it also serves as a unique kind of ‘meditation’ for them.
In this blog post, we present you with not only the benefits of writing a diary for kids, but also some cool diary writing ideas. Diary Writing for Kids encompasses the all-important practice of ‘journaling’ from their earliest years, and as such, should be encouraged to the fullest.
Ready to begin? Let’s start with a look at the benefits of writing a diary for kids.
Table of Contents
- Diary Writing for Kids: The Benefits of Writing a Diary for Kids
- How to Write a Diary for Kids: Top 10 Diary Writing Tips for Kids
Diary Writing for Kids: The Benefits of Writing a Diary for Kids
That modest diary, even though it might seem like a simple notebook, is nothing short of a ‘treasure trove’, especially for eager young kids who are exploring their creativity!
Presenting the benefits of writing a diary, that will show you the grand ‘role’ diaries play, in your child’s perception of the world around them.
- Harnessing Better Written Communication Skills
- It will Improve their Handwriting
- Aids in Critical Thinking
- Choosing the Diary
- Creating a Diary Entry for the Day
- Introduce them to Books written in the form of a Diary
- Give them a Topic to write an Essay on
- Have them Mark the Date and Time whenever they write
- Tell them to write In Detail
- Have them write only in the ‘First Person’, making use of ‘I-statements’
- Ask them to jot down their Everyday Thoughts
- Using the Right Grammar and Spelling
- Let them carry it on their Travels
The process of ‘diary writing’ or ‘journaling’, is something that will hold your child in good stead long after they have completed their education. It will help them hone those written communication skills that are important for their academics, even outside the school environment.
With the likes of computers, writing has become a ‘lost art’. By writing in a diary, children will be able to polish their handwriting skills.
Note: Handwriting is an ‘essential skill’, that actually makes for a percentage of marks in those SATs!
One of the best reasons for children to keep a diary is it helps them develop their critical thinking skills. When they write in their diary at night, their mind is de-cluttered and as such, can reflect on any problems they might have faced in the day, in a rational manner.
How to Write a Diary for Kids: Top 10 Diary Writing Tips for Kids
If you’re looking for some cool diary writing ideas, you can rest assured you’ve come to the right place!
Presenting some cool diary writing tips, to make the process of diary writing a more pleasurable experience for your little one.
Be it a notebook with a bright colour, or a leather-bound diary like many adults use, you want your child to select the diary they are going to be writing in, by themselves. That will only enhance their sense of enthusiasm in maintaining a diary.
Encourage them to begin their diary with something like ‘Dear Diary, today I…’ , telling them to talk about their day. That will help get their words flowing in that diary, on a regular basis.
Having them read popular books like ‘The Diary of a Wimpy Kid’, is a great way to get them to understand the ‘format’ of writing in a diary.
Writing an essay is one of the best ways to stimulate the imagination of your child. What better place to have them pen that essay, than within the pages of their diaries!
Whenever they make a diary entry, children should make it a point to write the date and time at the beginning. This will help them create a chronological record of the events they jot down on paper.
If your child is writing that they are ‘angry’ or ‘sad’, it is good because they are learning to express themselves without inhibitions. However, you want to take it a tad further, and encourage them to write ‘why’ they are feeling those feelings of anger or sadness.
The process of writing in the first person can be extremely cathartic for your child. Encourage them to write down statements like ‘I had a bad day today’, instead of ‘Today was a bad day’.
Diaries don’t simply have to be about what your child ‘does’ on a particular day. Get them to pen down their everyday thoughts like ‘This is what I’m expecting from my parents on my birthday’ and ‘These are the cartoons I love watching the most’.
If they are going to be writing in their diary on a regular basis, why not get them to write as ‘correctly’ as possible?
Note: The most important thing about your child keeping a diary is encouraging their ‘self-expression’, so don’t place too much focus on that spelling and grammar!
If your child is going to be travelling, there is no reason that diary should not be travelling with them! It will be a great way to get them to record the events of their vacation, or even, school trip!
We at Kangaroo Kids believe that maintaining a diary makes for a ‘safe space’, where children can express their innermost thoughts and feelings without the fear of judgment. Take your child to the stationery shop today, and have them select a diary to kickstart their diary writing journey. It will be one of the best things you ever did for them!
