August journal prompts: one for every day

How to use these August journal prompts

August has two moods. Early in the month it still feels like full summer. By the end, backpacks and calendars come out. The daily prompts follow that shift. Parents and students can use the back to school set in the last two weeks, and everyone can use the end of summer set to look back before September starts.

31 August journal prompts: one for each day

Each number matches the date in August. Prompt 12 lines up with the Perseid meteor shower, one of the best of the year.

Days 1 to 7

1. August is here. What do you still want to do before summer ends?Write
2. Describe a late summer afternoon where you live, from the light to the sounds.Write
3. What is the best thing that has happened to you this summer so far?Write
4. Write about a peach, tomato or ear of corn that tasted like pure summer.Write
5. What summer plan did not happen? Are you disappointed or relieved?Write
6. What is something you want to learn this fall?Write
7. Write about a friend who makes ordinary days feel like an adventure.Write

Days 8 to 14

1. What does your body need more of before the busy season starts?Write
2. Describe your favorite pair of summer shoes and where they have been.Write
3. What is one thing you could prepare now to make September easier?Write
4. Write about a time you felt nervous about a new beginning and it turned out fine.Write
5. The Perseid meteor shower peaks around now. Go outside, look up, and write about what you see or wish for.Write
6. What do the dog days of summer feel like for you: sleepy, restless or content?Write
7. Who has been your favorite person to spend time with this summer?Write

Days 15 to 21

1. You are halfway through August. What do you want the rest of the month to hold?Write
2. Write about a sunflower field, garden or farm stand you love.Write
3. What routine fell apart this summer, and do you want it back?Write
4. Describe the first day of school you remember best from your own childhood.Write
5. What is one thing you are ready to start fresh this fall?Write
6. What have you gained this summer that you want to keep all year?Write
7. Write about the last day of a family vacation. How did it feel to head home?Write

Days 22 to 28

1. What is a lesson summer taught you this year?Write
2. List everything you need to feel ready for the new season.Write
3. Write about a time you outgrew a friendship or a place, and what came next.Write
4. What do you want your evenings to look like once the days get shorter?Write
5. Describe the moment you first noticed summer starting to fade.Write
6. What would you tell your younger self on the night before a first day?Write
7. Write about a goal you want to restart in September.Write

Days 29 to 31

1. What are you looking forward to about fall?Write
2. Write a goodbye letter to this summer.Write
3. Look back at August. What was the month's best surprise?Write

Back to school journal prompts

For students, parents and teachers. For more, see journal prompts for teens and journal examples for students.

1. What are you most excited about for the new school year, and what makes you nervous?Write
2. Describe your dream first day of school, from breakfast to the final bell.Write
3. What is one subject you want to get better at, and how will you do it?Write
4. Who do you hope to sit with at lunch, or meet this year?Write
5. What is one goal for this school year that has nothing to do with grades?Write
6. If you are a parent, what do you hope your child feels walking into class?Write
7. If you are a parent, write about a first day of school that made you cry, or almost.Write
8. If you are a teacher, what do you want your students to remember about your class?Write
9. What did you learn last year that you want to keep using?Write
10. Write a pep talk to read on the hardest morning of the school year.Write

End of summer journal prompts

1. What were the three best days of this summer, and what did they have in common?Write
2. What did you do this summer that you have never done before?Write
3. Which summer day would you relive if you could? Describe it.Write
4. How are you different now than you were in June?Write
5. What did summer show you about what you really enjoy?Write
6. What did you plan to do this summer that you will save for next year?Write
7. Write about a person who made this summer better.Write
8. What summer habit would you like to keep into the fall?Write
9. Describe the light, smell and sound of the last warm evening of the year.Write
10. What sound will you miss most when summer is gone: crickets, sprinklers, kids outside, or something else?Write

Late summer slow down prompts

For hot, quiet days before fall gets busy.

1. Spend ten minutes doing nothing in the shade. Then write what went through your mind.Write
2. What could you leave undone this week without anything bad happening?Write
3. Write about a hammock, porch or shady spot you love.Write
4. What does enough look like for you right now: enough work, enough money, enough rest?Write
5. Describe a slow breakfast you would love to have before the season changes.Write
6. What are you rushing toward, and is it worth rushing?Write
7. Who do you want to have one more long summer evening with?Write
8. Write about the garden, yard or park at the end of the growing season.Write
9. What do you want to harvest from your own efforts this year?Write
10. Make a list of everything you are happy to have right now, just as things are.Write

More August journal ideas

• Make a summer in review page with your favorite moments and one line about each.
• Write a list of school supplies, routines and easy meals to plan for September.
• Track the time of sunset each evening and notice it getting earlier.
• Start a gratitude journal habit before the school rush begins.
• Use a journal template to plan your first week of fall.

Tips for journaling in August

• Write as a family. Answer the back to school prompts with your kids at the kitchen table. Everyone gets five minutes.
• Time the end of summer set. Write those prompts in the last week of the month while it is all still fresh.
• Too hot to think? Try one sentence before bed. Our journal prompts before bed are short and calm.
• Keep going in September. When August ends, continue with September journal prompts.

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