Creative Journals To Inspire Young Kids
by Melissa Taylor
Grab your pencils and pens! These enticing journals spark creativity and develop self-awareness in children. While a few are blank, most include prompts for writing and drawing, including those with beloved book characters. Which will motivate your child to capture their dreams, secrets, memories, and personality on paper?
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Curious Kids Nature Journal
Buy from:Encourage kids to turn off their screens and go outdoors with this interactive nature journal. They can use scientifically accurate illustrations to identify plants and animals, and writing prompts to record their adventures. It’s an excellent pick for young nature lovers!
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Me: A Compendium
Buy from:Designed with bold colors and graphics, these drawing and fill-in writing prompts work for even the youngest of writers to record their favorite things, dreams, and personal details. What makes this journal so special is that it becomes a precious keepsake, revealing a snapshot of your child’s likes and dislikes, interests and passions, from a specific moment in time.
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Explorer's Journal
Buy from:Help kids explore outer space and record their observations with this unique journal. Young writers will design their own space station, list their favorite things about space, draw a self-portrait, and learn interesting facts about space. This journal encourages kids to get curious and learn more about the galaxy and themselves.
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I Am . . .
Buy from:Based on Brad Meltzer’s popular Ordinary People Change the World book series, this journal lets your child be the starring character. First, they’ll draw a self-portrait on the cover. Then, they’ll read and follow the writing prompts interspersed within the iconic cartoon illustrations by Chris Eliopoulos. The questions guide kids to discover and reflect upon their own hero qualities. Kids will ponder things like, “Who are your heroes? What are their traits? How about your own heroic traits and dreams? What are kind things that you do?”
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Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: My Neighborhood Activity Journal
Buy from:Make a difference in your neighborhood with help from this activity-based journal. Growing readers will write, doodle, interview neighbors, and organize a trash cleanup activity. Kids will feel inspired to take action and develop their people skills as they work through this journal.
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Top-Secret, Personal Beeswax: A Journal
Buy from:Here’s a great reading, writing, and drawing journal for fans of Junie B. Jones. Junie fills in some pages, then asks the reader to do the same. Kids get to know Junie and themselves as they read Junie’s entries and write their own. Prompts ask writers to share all about who they are right now — what they look like, who’s in their family, and things they would change if they were the boss in their family.
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Time for You and Me!
Buy from:This mother-daughter journal becomes a timeless keepsake you and your child will cherish. Each week, check in with each other as you record stories, doodles, and thoughts in the journal. With age-appropriate prompts from a licensed family therapist, this journal is the perfect way to stay in touch with your child, even as she becomes more independent.
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Bookworm Journal
Buy from:This clever book log is a great way to encourage kids to read more. Every time you and your child finish a story, fill out a journal entry with the book's title, author, and rating. Then, tear off the perforated corner of each page to see the bookworm “eat” his way through the journal. It also has activity pages, complete with mazes, coloring sheets, and even places to list new vocabulary words. A must-have for any book-loving kid!
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My Uni the Unicorn Diary
Buy from:Uni the Unicorn fans will love filling out this adorable journal starring their favorite unicorn! Kids will write about their wishes, favorite items, and what makes them unique. They’ll find plenty of space to write, draw, and dream inside this sparkly journal.
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My First Gratitude Journal
Buy from:Just as you teach your kids to read and write, so can you teach them to have gratitude. Through the use of simple writing and drawing prompts, My First Gratitude Journal can help kids give thanks for everything good in their lives. Developing this habit can help increase happiness, improve self-esteem, and lower stress levels while the journal provides a sweet keepsake for kids and parents to look back on in the years to come.
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Write On: My Story Journal
Buy from:Get your child’s creative juices flowing with this journal filled with helpful writing tips and nonstop silliness! Filled with quirky writing prompts, kids will love creating stories, poems, comics, song lyrics, and more.
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Q&A a Day for Kids
Buy from:This fun little journal is packed with 365 questions for you and your child to answer. Ranging from "What game do you like to play?" to "What makes you feel brave?" these questions are simple, easy to answer, and really just a great way to start engaging and meaningful conversations with your kids. Our favorite part? Once you finish all the questions, you go right back to the beginning and start again for another year.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2025.