Is Journaling A Thing Of The Past
Journaling is becoming a lost art for parents, teachers and kids alike. As years go by, technology continues to rule our every day lives pushing fundamental creative arts to the way side. Sure, creativity has grown with technology but don’t you remember how fun it was to have time set aside to write in your journal.
Most of us started with the journals that had half blank pages where we would draw a picture and use the bottom half to write out a description of our drawing. It was that simple and although younger kids today are still taught the same thing writing in a journal is short lived. Sometimes, we stood up in front of the class and read it out loud. Sometimes, we swapped with other kids to share. Sometimes, we read it out loud from our desks. And sometimes, we just didn’t want to share it. And that was alright too.
We loved it when our friends asked us questions. We loved it when we taught our friends something they didn’t know. We loved it when our teachers were happy with us. And we loved it even more when we got a note sent home praising our writings.
Somewhere along the way things started to change. It is hard to find a household in this day and age that does not have at least one PC or laptop at home, if not both. Children are becoming computer savvy at a very early age and most know some basics before they even step foot into a classroom. By the time they reach middle school most students are encouraged to do a majority of their assignments on the computer. Once in high school handwritten assignments are a thing of the past.
Journaling is like having a key to your imagination, an outlet for your soul and one of the best friends you’ll ever find. You get to find a quiet corner and tell it your most intimate thoughts without fear of judgment. For some, having time set aside for this writing can be the stimulus or therapy needed when they have no other outlet available to them. The friend that will never tell, will never judge and will always understand. It’s a way to help wounds heal and a way to reach kids that are otherwise unreachable.
For others, who thoroughly enjoy reading and writing, they couldn’t imagine going more than a day without an entry. That new bike they wished for is even better then they imagined and couldn’t wait to tell their journal. That boy in the second row smiled at me today.
Writing in a journal can allow us to flourish and develop our skills into a vast avenue of careers as well. It takes a special kind of story teller to make all those movies we can’t wait to see or write that book we can’t put down and have read more than once, cover to cover.
Kids need to be encouraged to be creative and use their imagination even if they think they don’t have any. Especially if they think they don’t have any. Giving someone their first journal can be one of the most rewarding experiences. It may just be the beginning of the greatest adventures ever.
On the Journal Buddies website, you will find information, articles and resources about kids journaling, building and strengthening self-esteem in children and issues that affect pre-teens.
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