Self-expression is hard, and it's even harder for children who are still developing a strong enough grasp on language to explain the nuances of their thoughts and emotions. This is why children should practice journal-writing every day. Journaling helps children develop their linguistic capabilities through writing, aiding in how they express themselves and engage with the world.
Whether you're a child or an adult, journaling provides an emotional outlet and gives you a chance to explore different creative writing methods.
How Journals Foster Self-Expression
When your child keeps a journal, they are practicing a form of expression as they document their thoughts and feelings. As they write, they turn their feelings from abstract thoughts to concrete words that define more clearly how they feel. This helps children recognize these feelings when they appear again, and it helps them contextualize their feelings so they don't get blown out of proportion. This can also help bolster your child's emotional well-being by providing a space to process their thoughts.
The Benefits of Keeping a Journal
Keeping a journal has far-reaching benefits that go beyond even the emotional. Writing about your thoughts can change your mindset, putting you in the right frame of mind to achieve your dreams. Studies have shown that people who write down their goals are more likely to accomplish them than those who don't, and people who write about and how the events of their life relate to their values are more likely to be more happy and energized overall. It's believed that the act of committing words to paper makes them more real, creating an obligation that needs to be fulfilled and making the goal more actionable.
The Benefits of Writing Every Day
Everyday writing practice can have far-reaching benefits from your child, extending from their ability to express themselves to their success in school and the workforce. When your child has a strong grasp on writing, they can communicate better with their peers and are likely to do better on writing assignments. In the workforce, where emails, reports, and presentations are relevant in most fields, strong writing skills are a necessity that can set them apart from the rest. By starting your child young with the growth of their writing skills, you can help ensure that the ability to write comes easily to them.
Daily journal-writing is a simple but powerful tool that can spark your child's emotional and intellectual growth through language. Get your child started writing today and you may just spark within them a love of writing that sets them ahead for the rest of their lives.
