Ten Benefits of Journaling & Ten Journal Ideas for All Ages

A journey is defined as ‘an act of traveling from one place to another’ (according to the Oxford Languages).

My definition of journaling is ‘the act of writing down the events that have happened and the thoughts, feelings, and emotional highs and lows of your personal life’.  Essentially, journaling is about writing down or describing your life’s journey. Because “A Basketful of Joy” is about embracing my personal journey, how each event has led me to where I am now, and the blessings along my journey that have filled my basket – it only makes sense that journaling is one of the first topics I write about here.

Besides bringing healing, journaling can be even more useful to you than just writing down the events in your life. Journals are used for many other things including lists, schedules, goals, gratitude, and personal ideas. It just depends on what you need and how you need it to work for you.

Listed below are many reasons why journaling can be useful to you and why it is great for all ages – young and old alike, as well as all of us in between. Then we will get into many of the various forms of journaling and how they can help you.

Reasons to journal

Helps to get out all the stored up thoughts inside your head and gives you more clarity in life.

An ultimate de-stresser as it gives you a creative outlet all to yourself.

Gives you courage to process the emotional roller coasters of life as if you were talking to a friend.

Is a place to write down encouraging quotes and verses that can bring you more joy.

Writing has been proven as a way to make memories last longer as you can then retain more.

Makes you stronger as a person as you get to know yourself better and see your own growth and progress.

Sparks reachable goals and ideas that are personal to you.

Keeps you focused on what is most important in your life.

A fantastic way of organizing all the million things that are needing to be done each day/week/month.

A physical place that won’t expire where you can write down all those thoughts, list, and goals stored in your phone.

My Journey through Journaling

Journaling has always been important to me as I have discovered it helps me to release all the thoughts that have been crammed into my head throughout the day. When I first started journaling it was as a writing assignment and something I had to do. Mama gave me a notebook that I could decorate and write a few lines in every day. At first, it was hard but then when I realized I was just writing something that had already happened, not making something up, it became easier.

The best part about this was when it became alive to me and I captured some of the most important memories of my life – even at 9 years old. To this day, I love to show my little sister the line that I wrote in my journal the day she was born. That will always be special to me!

Journals have progressed for me over the years, and the amount I wrote in them has varied. But I have at least one monthly planner for every year since. The thrill of opening up every month’s page and seeing all the daily boxes crammed full with memories is something else. I love seeing the margins filled with the titles of the books I read that month or the things I was grateful for. Also seeing a completed to-do list makes you feel so successful even at a young age.

I have had to change things up even more as I got older and life has gotten even busier. For the last 10 years I have written even more every day than I expect anyone else to do. But it is so healing and freeing. I can get out all the events, the stories that I forgot to tell, and the excitement – all in one place where I won’t forget it. I believe it does help me to remember more – just the act of writing it out.

Various Kinds of Journals

Most of us adults have probably had a diary or a simple journal in our teen years – a place to write down all the things that were in our head, somewhere to sort it all out even if it didn’t make any sense. Looking back in those notebooks can be one of the most encouraging feelings as you can see how far you have come. How good it is to now be able to chuckle at the things that seem so little now, but were so huge and important to us then. We can see who helped us and how we changed for the better.

A simple lined journal is probably the easiest thing to get started. You can write whatever you want, however you want, and with what you want. (I do recommend using pens with archival ink, though, as I have discovered the hard way that cheap pens bleed through paper, making it hard to read.) There are endless journals available just about anywhere! Finding one with a design on the front cover, or decorating it yourself is always helpful for remembering what year it is or what subject.

Sketch or Doodle Journal

Some people use blank sketch journals as that is their way of de-stressing and I think it is pretty amazing. If doodles or coloring are your thing, then by all means, go ahead and create. Who knows you may come back years later and use one of those exact designs for something creative and useful! Write whatever you want around your doodles even if it is a poem or a quote. It will help you at least by boosting your mood and making you smile!

Prayer journal

The most healing form of journaling for me is prayer journaling. Waking up every morning and giving my day back to my Savior gives me strength and hope. Knowing that He walks alongside us throughout the day is comforting. He knows what trials we are facing and He is right there going through them with us.

I sometimes write down the verse that inspired or encouraged me that morning and then I pour out whatever is inside my heart. He knows it all and He is listening to all that we have to say. All the highs and lows, we can write them all down there and not worry when others don’t understand – He does. What a blessing to just write whatever we feel in our heart and soul.

Gratitude journal

With all the busyness of life, one of the best things we need to remember is to stay grateful. Writing down what I am grateful for in my everyday life, keeps my head out of the clouds and makes me see things with the right perspective. Simply counting my blessings each and every morning and night gives me courage to keep going and not to give up. Try it and I know you will also feel better.

Bullet Journaling

One creative method of journaling is ‘bullet journaling’. The original idea for this came from Ryder Carroll and you can see his methods and courses here.  This is by far one of the coolest ways to organize yourself while adding your own personal touches. It can be described as a day planner mixed with a diary. It keeps you organized by helping you create list, reminders, and ideas in a very easy, but also detailed way with space for your thoughts and ideas.

This is great for moms, teachers, and even students who have really busy schedules. The variety of these kinds of journals out there is increasing – some having the pages already made so it can be simpler for you to set it up. The stickers that are readily available are endless, and don’t even ask me about my washi tape collection!

Start with just a simple dotted journal, some stickers, and your favorite washi tape. Get some good colorful pens and markers, stencils if you desire, and a ruler. Then with help from Pinterest and YouTube, you can set up your own bullet journal in a matter of minutes. Pick out the best pages that fit your own needs and help you out the most. Don’t get too overwhelmed, and take it from me – don’t do too much at once! As you get more comfortable with your journal, you can always set up new pages. The whole point is to get organized and have some fun! Make sure you leave a page for brainstorming!

There are even bullet journal page templates online that are easy to print off and put in a notebook, if that works better for you. These are helpful for those of us who like things to look neat and are not as confident in our first-time designs. It is also great if you are in a time crunch and need things to be cute but not messy. It truly is amazing the new ideas and resources coming out for this type of journaling!

Some of my favorite bullet journal pages besides a monthly and weekly calendar are goal pages, book lists, password logs, gratitude list, brain declutter, wish list, a vision board, or even an inspirational quote page!

Also, a bullet journal can include all of the journal ideas I listed above. If this is a book you are going to pull out every day, why not make a page for your gratitude list, a daily doodle page, and even a personal page for your daily prayers. The best thing about bullet journaling is that it is designed to work for you. You get to design and use it whatever way you want to and enjoy having one place to collect the most important memories, thoughts, and prayers that motivate and encourage you. Check out my board on Pinterest to find more bullet journal ideas and be inspired!

Scrapbook Journals

Scrapbooking has been around for decades and honestly is one of the most creative ways of preserving memories. I think bullet journaling has kept scrapbooking around because of their similarities, and with the really awesome supplies that can be found at basically any craft store.

With the rise of phone cameras and digital cameras before that, getting photos printed has become more of a chore to some, so this is a good way to remember to send in your photos to get printed, or buy a mini Bluetooth printer so you can pick whatever picture you want to print from your phone. When starting a scrapbook be sure to get acid-free paper and some good tape.

Digital scrapbooking was something I did for a while, and I am shocked at how many programs there are designed for just this. The amount of predesigned pages makes it quite exciting and very easy to do. This would be a fun thing to create if you were going to make a quick book about a family vacation or if you wanted to share a memory with family and friends.

Video Journals

As writing down things can take a lot of time, there are other ways as well. I know a few in my family who take videos throughout the day, little snippets of the events and happenings that make up each 24 hours. I know this is quite obvious because most of us have our phone cameras out when exciting things are happening, but actually organizing your videos into a useful daily video log is quite fun.

I have heard of companies that you can send your video clips to and they make them into a longer video with added music, making these core memories last a lifetime. Reels are another way of doing this on your own. Many others make vlogs and share them as well. Just briefly narrating your day with the selected pictures and videos that go along with it are a fun way if don’t have the time every day to write down all the exciting happenings.

Journaling for kids

Journaling can be a healing and very helpful activity for kids. It helps them get out any thoughts in their heads that can be harder to speak out aloud. It also is a wonderful way of getting them to write out memories that they will enjoy to read about years down the road. The way a child writes with their own perspective is very creative and enlightening.

Special Note Journals

Mom and dads can create a special personal journal to share with each of their children. This notebook can be just for them to write encouraging notes to their child and hear what he or she is wanting to say. Finding it on their pillow at night or next to them each morning can be just what a child needs and creates a special bond between parent and child.

Vacation or Adventure Journals

A vacation journal is a fun way for every child to write down the memories that happened on a specific trip. I know that I would have forgotten some of those little moments if it had not been for a place to write them down. Everyone files different memories because we all see from a different perspective. Reading those moments in a few years makes for an exciting conversation as everyone’s memories blend together!

Summer Journals

Summer journals are becoming more of a trend right now with kids! They get to use stickers, washi tape, stamps, and any other creative craft supplies they want to create a physical summer memory book. This makes them take ownership on a project and journaling becomes fun and not a chore. Just think of all the things they can write about – from the roller coaster rides to a fun day they had on the beach, kids will love looking through these for years!

A simple composition notebook, stickers, tape, stamps, glue, and paper – can be all your kids need to make journaling exciting as well as encourage writing and penmanship practice, without feeling like an assignment. It also gives them an hour of creative fun at the beginning of the season to make something of their own. With just ten to twenty minute a day they can add to it anything they like, all season long.

You can also find many beautiful printables online that make things a bit simpler for your little ones and yourself. A coloring page, a drawing page, some writing prompts, and any other activities, can make this actually be one of your child’s favorite things to do this summer. Check out my Pinterest board here for all the cool summer journal ideas as well as the list of page suggestions below:

Kids summer journal page ideas:

• Daily journal page
• Favorite activities
• Activity wish list
• An exciting story they can write
• Drawings they created
• Recipe for a favorite food they helped make
• Favorite excerpt from a book they are reading
• A tic tac toe game or similar games they can play with someone
• Summer book list
• A page for family members to sign with a funny quote or riddle
• And so much more!!

These are just a few of the many journals that are great for kids and adults. Other ideas are travel journals, Bible journals, nature journals, food journals, and the list goes on! May you enjoy all the journal ideas there are and find the one that best fits your needs.

I hope this inspired you to start a journal and get your kiddos creating alongside you. There are so many endless ideas to help you get organized and relaxed as you use your natural creativity. Feel free to explore more of my Pinterest board and follow for any more ideas I may add.

Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed.
The Lord works everything together to accomplish his purpose.
Proverbs 16:3-4a TPT