Journal prompts for kids, by age

How to use these writing prompts with kids

Kids write more when it feels like play, not homework. Let them pick the prompt, write in their own words, and draw if they want to.

1. Let them chooseRead three prompts out loud and let your child pick one. Choice makes them want to write.
2. Talk firstChat about the question for a minute. Saying ideas out loud makes writing easier.
3. Draw and writeFor ages 5 to 7, a picture and one sentence is a great answer. Older kids can aim for a paragraph.
4. Do not correct spellingJournals are for ideas. Save spelling practice for another time so writing stays fun.
5. Ask before readingA journal belongs to the child. Ask if they want to share before you read it.

Journal prompts for kids ages 5 to 7: all about me

Short, simple questions about their own world. Many kids this age will draw first and add a word or two.

1. What is your favorite animal? Draw it and write one thing it can do.Write
2. What did you eat for breakfast today? Was it yummy?Write
3. Who is in your family? Draw everyone and write their names.Write
4. What is your favorite color? What things are that color?Write
5. What makes you happy? Write or draw three things.Write
6. What is your favorite toy, and how do you play with it?Write
7. What do you like to do outside?Write
8. What is something you can do now that you could not do last year?Write
9. Who is your best friend, and what do you like to play together?Write
10. What makes you feel scared? What helps you feel safe?Write
11. What is your favorite book? Who is in it?Write
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?Write

Silly writing prompts for kids ages 5 to 7

1. If your pet or a favorite animal could talk, what would it say?Write
2. If you were as tiny as an ant, where would you go?Write
3. What would you do if it rained candy?Write
4. Make up a new animal. What is its name, and what does it eat?Write
5. If you could fly, where would you fly first?Write
6. What would a dragon keep in its backpack?Write
7. If your bed could go anywhere, where would it take you tonight?Write
8. Draw a house made of food. What is the roof made of?Write
9. What would you say to a friendly alien?Write
10. If you had a magic hat, what would come out of it?Write
11. What would you do if you were the teacher for one day?Write
12. What would happen if dogs went to school?Write

Journal questions for kids ages 8 to 10: feelings and friends

Kids this age can start writing about how they feel and why. Keep it light and let them skip any question they do not want to answer.

1. What was the best part of your day, and who was there?Write
2. Write about a time you felt really proud of yourself.Write
3. What does a good friend do? Do you do those things too?Write
4. What makes you feel grumpy? What helps you feel better?Write
5. Write about a time you helped someone. How did it feel?Write
6. Was there a time you felt left out? What would have helped?Write
7. What is something kind you could do for someone tomorrow?Write
8. Who is a grown-up you can always talk to? Why do you trust them?Write
9. What is your favorite thing about your school?Write
10. Write about a time you made a mistake and fixed it.Write
11. What makes you feel calm when you are upset?Write
12. What three small things made you smile today?Write

Creative writing prompts for kids ages 8 to 10

1. You find a door in your backyard that was never there before. What is behind it?Write
2. Invent a new holiday. What is it called, and how do people celebrate?Write
3. If you could swap lives with any animal for a day, which one would you choose?Write
4. Write the first page of a story about a lost robot.Write
5. Design your dream treehouse. What rooms does it have?Write
6. If you could invent a machine to do one chore, what would it do?Write
7. You wake up and you are as big as a giant. What happens next?Write
8. Write a letter to yourself when you are 20.Write
9. What would the perfect school lunch be?Write
10. If you could have dinner with any character from a book or movie, who would it be?Write
11. Make up a new sport. What are the rules?Write
12. If you found a treasure map, where would the X be?Write

Journal prompts for kids ages 11 to 13: growing up

Tweens are ready for deeper questions. When they get a bit older, our journal prompts for teens pick up where these leave off.

1. What is something about you that has changed in the last year?Write
2. What do you like most about being your age? What is hard about it?Write
3. What is something you wish adults understood about kids your age?Write
4. Write about a friendship that is going well, and why.Write
5. What is a goal you have for this school year?Write
6. How do you handle it when friends disagree with you?Write
7. What would you like to be braver about?Write
8. What helps you when you feel stressed about school?Write
9. Who is someone you think is really cool, and what do they do that you like?Write
10. What does being a good person mean to you?Write
11. What is one rule at home you think is fair, and one you think is not? Why?Write
12. What do you want to be really good at by the time you are 15?Write

Big idea prompts for kids ages 11 to 13

1. If you could fix one problem in the world, what would you pick?Write
2. What do you think your town will look like in 50 years?Write
3. Is it ever okay to tell a small lie to be kind? Why or why not?Write
4. If you could interview anyone from history, who would it be and what would you ask?Write
5. What is the most interesting thing you learned this month?Write
6. If you were in charge of your school for a week, what would you change?Write
7. What would you put in a time capsule to open when you are 30?Write
8. What is a book or show that made you think differently?Write
9. If you could start a club, what would it be about?Write
10. Should kids your age have phones? Write both sides.Write
11. What job sounds fun, and what would a day in that job look like?Write

Tips for parents and teachers

• Keep it short. Five to ten minutes is plenty for most kids. Stop while it is still fun.
• Write with them. Kids copy what they see. Answer the same prompt in your own journal.
• Make a cozy spot. A special notebook, colored pens and a regular time, like after dinner, help it become a habit.
• Use a template. Our diary template for kids gives young writers a simple page with spaces to fill in.
• Praise ideas, not neatness. Say what you liked about their story or thought.
• Try other kinds of journals. A diary for kids, a gratitude journal or Bible journal questions for kids give variety.

For older kids who want to type, our free online diary works in any browser with no sign up. Pages stay on that device only.

Questions people ask