Kids often need our guidance to express their emotions, so I was so happy when I came across this journal! My daughter is close to turning six and she is just learning how to manage her emotional self, especially when it comes to emotions such as anger, frustration, or sadness. This journal is simple and easy to use, with the author encouraging tiny humans to doodle their day. What a great idea!
My opinion:
More often than not, kids are encouraged to develop educational skills, their emotional growth falling on second place. However, without being tended to, their emotions might build up, affecting their mental health. This journal can serve as an excellent tool of emotional release, and I could instantly notice how my daughter felt better, just by doodling her Sunday. She understood that a day can have both good and bad parts, and there is nothing wrong with this. On the contrary, we used to journal to have a conversation about embracing life as it is. After all, you cannot have sunshine without a bit of rain.
Doodling is a fun way to record both happy times, but also to accept the less pleasant things kids might experience during the day. It can help these tiny humans to process complicated emotions or just to clear their head. My daughter asked me to stay by her side when she doodled, and I could see that it helped her speak of the things that bothered her. She found the courage to address our less-than-perfect moments as parents and I was thankful for the conversation we had. More often than not, we forget that emotions are complicated for everyone, kids in particular.
Encourage your children to use this journal and doodle, even if they are not the world’s greatest artists. What matters is that they are able to release all those feelings bubbling inside! This journal has made a great difference in my daughter’s life, and I am tempted to try it myself, it seems like such a simple way to feel less stressed or anxious. We followed the author’s advice and also tried slow breathing, especially during those moments of anger. A cool tip for you: at the end of the book there is a star that can help your little one practice breathing. There are also resources for mental health, which I believe to be quite useful.
Summary:
Life is rarely perfect and there are plenty of moments when we might feel down. Our children are just as vulnerable, and it is up to teach them about the best ways to process complicated emotions. This journal is an excellent tool for releasing pent-up anger, sadness, and frustration, encouraging tiny humans to doodle, an activity they are quite fond of. In the process of recording their day, they will discover that life is filled with ups and downs, but it is beautiful, nonetheless. I applaud the author for creating a journal that offers such a simple way to process emotions. Happy doodling and remember, life is like a piano, you have both white and black keys, both of which are necessary to make music!
Journal Link:
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