Keeping a journal is a much richer adventure than you might imagine. It's not just about writing. It's about giving your child a space of their own, a refuge where their joys, sorrows, and dreams can come to life without fear of judgment. It's where everyday experiences slowly transform into life lessons and self-confidence flourishes.
Why a Diary is a Treasure for Your Child
A journal is more than just a notebook. For a child between the ages of 6 and 12 , it quickly becomes a silent confidant, a secret garden where they can explore their deepest thoughts. It's a wonderful tool to help them navigate the whirlwind of their emotions, a key stage in their development.
Think about your child coming home from school after a difficult day. Instead of holding it all in, they can draw their anger, write down their frustration, or even scribble their sadness. Just putting their emotions on paper helps them gain perspective and better understand what's going on inside. It's an essential first step in learning to manage their feelings.
This habit, however simple it may be, nourishes several facets of its development:
- Emotional intelligence : He learns to put words or images to what he feels, to identify his emotions.
- Self-confidence : By seeing his thoughts in black and white, he becomes aware of the richness of his inner world and learns to value his own ideas.
- Creativity : The journal is a place of total freedom. You can write, draw, paste... There are no rules, which encourages experimentation and personal expression.
The idea of creating means of expression for children is not new. The incredible success of the children's press is the best proof of this.
A journal provides a safe space where every thought, whether bright or confusing, has its place. Learning to embrace their own emotions helps children build a healthy relationship with themselves and strengthen their self-esteem.
The example of the Journal des Enfants (JDE), a weekly news magazine launched in France in 1984, is very telling. It immediately found its audience among 8-14 year-olds. Barely five years after its launch, in 1989, it already had 100,000 subscribers , a figure that reached 150,000 in 1993. Such success clearly shows the extent to which children need materials designed for them, which help them decipher the world.
Journaling works on the same principle, but on a much more personal scale. The goal isn't to understand the outside world, but to explore their own inner world. By encouraging your child to keep a journal, you're giving them a valuable tool to forge their own voice and turn every experience, good or bad, into an opportunity for growth.
Choosing the right newspaper: the first key step
To get your child excited about journaling, choosing the right notebook is key. It's not about finding the most expensive one, but rather one that will really make them want to open it and share their thoughts. The key is to involve them. Make this choice a moment of parent-child bonding.
Tip for parents: Plan a special trip to the stationery store or a friendly online research session. Let your child touch, flip through, and choose. The idea is to find the notebook that best suits their personality. Some children love journals with a little lock, like a real secret garden. Others, on the other hand, will prefer a simple notebook, a blank canvas that they can decorate from A to Z.
More than just a notebook
There's more to keeping than just the classic diary. Other formats can really help your child express themselves and boost their creativity. Here are some ideas to explore as a family:
- Guided journal : Notebooks like My Book Story are perfect. They ask questions and offer short activities each day. This is ideal for 6- to 9-year-olds who may be a little intimidated by the blank page.
- The Gratitude Journal : A simple yet powerful idea for well-being. Each day, invite your child to write down or draw three small moments of joy. This helps them focus on the positive and develop an optimistic outlook.
- The drawing book : Is your child more comfortable with a pencil than a pen? Perfect! A simple notebook with blank pages can become a place to express their emotions and their great adventures.
What matters is that the medium is seen as a space of freedom. Especially not as an additional duty!
The little extras that unleash creativity
Once you've got your notebook in hand, a few well-chosen tools can turn writing into a game. No need to break the bank, we promise. The key is to make the experience fun and let your imagination run wild.
Craft materials are more than just accessories. They're a new language for children, a way to express emotions that are sometimes too overwhelming to be put into words.
Tip for parents: Together, prepare a "treasure box" or special kit for their journal. You could include:
- Pens of all colors or fineliners.
- Stickers to represent a mood, an event.
- Some stencils with easy shapes (stars, hearts, suns).
- A tube of glue to add treasures: a cinema ticket, a pretty leaf picked up while walking, a photo...
With these tools, his journal becomes a truly personal work, a colorful and unique reflection of his inner world.
Create a ritual around the journal, without ever forcing it
For journaling to become a valued and lasting habit, it must first and foremost be enjoyable. The idea isn't to turn your child into a budding writer, but rather to offer them a haven of well-being. Integrating a children's journal into daily life should be done gently, like a soothing family ritual.
Tip for parents: Forget phrases like "you have to write." Instead, suggest a fun, creative get-together. How about a "creative 15 minutes" after homework, with markers and stickers? Or a "newspaper and hot chocolate" session on the weekend, cozy up on the couch? The key is to create a moment of sharing and well-being, not to fill a page at any cost.
The easiest way to do this is often to lead by example. If your child sees you taking a few minutes to write or draw in your own notebook, they'll understand that it's a normal and calming activity for everyone, not just a "kid thing." This moment, even if it's not shared directly, strengthens bonds and shows the importance of caring for your inner garden.
Finding the right rhythm, together
The best time to write is the one that fits most naturally into your family routine. There's no golden rule, just what works for you and your child. Talk to them to find the slot that works best for them.
Where to start? To give you some ideas, here are some ritual ideas that you can adapt depending on the time of day. They can help you find what will resonate most with your child.
Journal Ritual Ideas to Strengthen Family Bonds
This table offers concrete examples to help you integrate the journal into your child's routine in a fun and beneficial way for their emotional development.
| Time of day | Type of ritual | Main objective for the child |
|---|---|---|
| The morning | Draw your night dream or day mood with a color. | Start the day gently and mindfully. |
| After school | Emotional "empty bag": draw or write what marked the day. | Release accumulated tension and emotions. |
| Before bedtime | The "3 joys" of the day: note down 3 positive things or a small point of pride. | Cultivate gratitude, strengthen self-esteem and prepare for peaceful sleep. |
The most important thing is to adapt these suggestions to your own pace. Talk to your child and ask when they'd like to take this little time for themselves. By giving them a choice, you empower them to take ownership of this new habit, which is the best way to make it stick over time.
Besides, this image clearly shows one thing: newspapers that encourage drawing and visual creativity are often used more regularly by children. This is an interesting avenue!
Accompany the habit with kindness
Your attitude is the key to this whole process. Show that you're interested in their well-being, but never be nosy or pushy about the contents of their diary.
Trust is the foundation of this practice. The journal should remain their secret garden. Your role as a parent is to create a secure framework around this activity, not to supervise it.
Tip for parents: Ask open-ended questions that don't require revealing the content: "Did you enjoy this little time with your notebook?" or "This drawing looks colorful, did you have fun?"
If your child decides to share a page with you, it's a real gift. Welcome them with enthusiasm and without judgment. Celebrate their creativity and courage to share their thoughts. This is how a child's journal goes from a simple notebook to a source of pride and a true tool for growth.
Creative ideas to fill your journal
To keep your child's journal from gathering dust on a shelf, there's a secret: treat it like a playground. The goal isn't to write a novel, but to transform its pages into a vibrant and personal space for expression. The famous writer's block can quickly become discouraging, so the key is to mix things up!
Forget the classic "Dear Diary..." phrase and instead offer playful little prompts that spark their imagination. These creative prompts can really make a difference and make the children's journaling experience much more fun, especially for younger children.
Tips for overcoming writer's block
On days when inspiration is lacking, having a few ideas at hand is a valuable resource. The idea is to offer ideas that connect children to their emotions and daily life in a simple and practical way.
Here are some suggestions, to be adapted of course according to your child's age and desires:
- Inner Weather : "What if you drew the weather in your heart today? Is it bright sunshine, a slightly cloudy sky, a light rain, or a big storm?" It's a very visual and gentle way to put images to your emotions.
- The 3 Smiles List : "Every evening, you can list or draw three little things that made you smile today. A kind word, a great game at recess, a hug..." It's very simple, but very effective for cultivating gratitude and self-esteem.
- The Pride Box : "Draw or write something you're proud of today. It could be completing a difficult exercise, helping a friend, or daring to try something new."
Remember that your journal is a space of complete freedom. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to fill it. Every doodle, every word, and every collage is a valid and important expression of your inner world.
Moreover, the attraction to youth media is not new. The history of children's press in France clearly shows this. In 1954, the sector was booming with around 153 different periodical publications. Together, these magazines reached an annual circulation of 234 million copies , or nearly 4.5 million each week! To learn more about this fascinating period, you can consult the analysis of the Bulletin des bibliothèques de France .
Going beyond writing
Journaling should definitely not be limited to words. For many children, especially between the ages of 6 and 9, drawing, collage, or manipulation are much more natural and spontaneous means of expression.
Tip for parents: Suggest that they turn their journal into a memory book or personal scrapbook.
Ideas for a multi-media journal:
- Treasure Collage : Treasure movie tickets, fun candy wrappers, train tickets, or a pretty autumn leaf you picked up while out and about. A page can be dedicated to these little keepsakes, with a sentence or two to remember the moment.
- The mind map of emotions : When an emotion is very strong (great joy, great anger), he can write the word in the center of a page and draw or write around it what comes to mind in connection with this feeling.
- The creative Chinese portrait : "If I were an animal, I would be...", "If I were a color...", "If I were a song...". He can respond with a drawing, a photo cut out of a magazine or a few words.
These activities not only help develop their creativity, but also help your child learn more about themselves. By varying the approaches, you keep them interested and show them that their children's journal can grow and evolve with them.
The newspaper, a bridge to peaceful family dialogue
Your child's journal is their secret garden. A space all their own, essential to their development. But against all odds, this little notebook can also become an incredible tool for strengthening your family bonds. How? By creating a climate of trust such that they'll feel free to share a glimpse of their world with you one day.
The golden rule is simple and non-negotiable: never read your diary without your explicit permission . Establish this rule together, from the beginning. It's the cornerstone of trust.
By respecting their space, you're sending a powerful message: "I trust you, I respect who you are and how you feel." That trust is infinitely more valuable than any information you could steal from them. It's what will keep them coming to you when they need it.
Knowing how to react with heart and without judgment
The day your child decides to read you a passage or show you a drawing, see it as a huge gift. It's a door they're opening to their inner world, and your reaction is absolutely crucial.
If what he's sharing is difficult—a heartbreak, a fear, an argument at school—your first role isn't to find a quick fix. It's to really listen and validate his feelings.
Empathetic listening is simply acknowledging your child's emotion without judging or minimizing it. Phrases like, "I can see that really made you sad," or "That must have been so frustrating for you," are much more powerful than, "Don't worry, it'll be okay."
Your child isn't looking for a savior, but a listening ear that understands what they're going through. This listening strengthens their sense of security and shows them that all their emotions have the right to exist.
Create openings for discussion
A child's journal can become a natural springboard for deeper conversations. The idea isn't to question them about what they're writing, but to use the "journal" as a gentle pretext to engage in dialogue.
Advice for parents: Here are some ideas for starting the conversation gently:
- "I saw you spending time on your notebook, it seems like a good friend to you."
- "You know, sometimes when something is weighing on me, writing it down helps a lot. Does drawing or writing also help you?"
- “If one day you want to talk about something you have written, even if it seems difficult, know that I am here to listen to you, without asking questions and without judging.”
These gentle approaches show that you are available and open. The journal ceases to be a fortress and becomes a potential bridge between his world and yours.
By adopting this stance of respect, listening, and unconditional support, you're doing much more than encouraging them to write. You're building a stronger family bond, based on mutual trust. And that's the greatest treasure.
The questions you ask yourself (and it’s quite normal!)
Launching your child into the adventure of keeping a diary inevitably raises some questions. This is completely natural. Here are answers to the most common questions parents ask, to help you guide your child with peace of mind and confidence.
What if my child doesn't like writing at all?
This is probably the number one concern, and the answer is simple: a children's newspaper is not a school essay. The idea is to help them express themselves, not to force them to write.
Advice for parents: If the pen puts him off, bring out the creative artillery:
- Drawing: This is often the most direct way for a child to portray joy, fear or anger.
- Collage: Images cut out of a magazine, photos, pieces of colored paper... Anything goes to tell a story without words.
- Stickers: A smiling smiley, a sad-looking animal, a star... Sometimes, a simple sticker is enough to sum up the day.
- Doodling: Never underestimate the power of a good scribble to let off steam and release frustration!
The important thing is to value their approach. Show them that their collage is great, that their drawing tells something important. It's by feeling encouraged, not judged, that they'll make this notebook their own.
Remember that intention trumps technique. A simple drawing can be far richer in emotion than a long text. The goal is to give him a release, not to put pressure on his artistic or writing skills.
How often should he use it?
The worst thing you can do is impose a rhythm. "You haven't written in your journal today?" is the phrase to banish! If the notebook becomes a chore, it's a lost cause. The goal is to create a pleasure reflex, not a constraint.
Parent tip: Let your child find their own rhythm. A ten-minute collage session once a week, done with enthusiasm, is a thousand times better than a daily battle. There will be weeks when they fill pages and others when the notebook stays closed. This is their rhythm, and it's the right one.
By the way, a quick aside on the context: in France, with a slight drop in births in recent years ( 753,000 babies born in 2019), it is all the more relevant to offer children tools that support them over time, in a personal way. If these trends interest you, you can take a look at the INSEE figures .
Do I have the right to read what he writes?
The answer is as simple as it is firm: no. Unless, and only unless, he suggests it to you himself. The newspaper is his secret garden. For it to work, he must feel in a bubble of absolute trust.
This rule should be clear from the start. Simply tell him: "This notebook is yours. It's your personal space, and I will never read it without your permission."
If one day he comes to show you a page, consider it a real gift. It's a huge mark of trust. Accept what he shares with you with kindness, without judgment, and thank him. The relationship you build at that moment is far more precious than any secret you might discover in secret.
Give your child a companion as they explore their inner world. The My Book Story notebook is designed to guide children ages 6 to 12 through creative and caring activities, one page at a time. Discover the My Book Story notebook and begin the adventure today.