A journal, I tell children I work with, is a place where you can write anything you want. It is your space to be you. As a child, writing helped me to process bullying I experienced and to expand my creativity. I wrote poems, descriptions of how I was feeling, and commentary on writers who I loved.

Today, I journal regularly. I remind myself that my writing each day doesn’t have to be long to be meaningful. The important thing is that I have an unfiltered place to write about who I am and what I am feeling.

All children and adults can benefit from a journal’s safe creative space. During the lesson in the Respect Program where we create journals, I bring notebooks, markers and stickers. The stickers have a variety of themes: space, sports, fairies, nature, affirmations, and anything else I can find. Then the children get to decorate them. The joy of seeing their eyes light up when they are done is amazing.

Happy journaling to you and the children in your life!