How To Make A Gratitude Journal

We've noticed recently that we've begun to appreciate little things that we usually wouldn't pay much attention to; ice cream-coloured sunsets, the smell of a BBQ wafting through the window, small smiles from strangers who let you pass on the street. While it's easy for us to enjoy these moments, children may be struggling, as it's often harder for them to see the bigger picture beyond the here and now. With that being said, a brilliant way to get kids to reflect positively on the present is to start up a gratitude journal.

If you don't know how to begin, we've come up with some top tips and prompt ideas to make the process super easy. We've set it up as a gratitude journal for kids but adults can definitely get involved too! It's really important now more than ever to focus on the good in the world, so use our printables below to get started on your gratitude journey. Simply print as many prompt pages as days you want to journal and you're off!

We've made things extra simple with our gratitude journal sheets that you can download below - print out as many as you like and use them as inspiration for your daily entries. We think A5 is the perfect size for this type of journal but A4 works just as well. Use a ring binder, stapler or paper clips to secure your sheets together and decorate them with stickers or felt tips to make things extra special. If you already have a spare notebook or don't have a printer at home, you can take inspiration from our prompts and copy them into your own journal sheets!

Consistency is key! They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, so making sure you write in your journal at the same time every day is a great way to keep the project going. Maybe do it when you wake up, just before you go to sleep or during quiet family time. Keep it relaxed and calm and let yourself just be in the moment.

Try using around three consistent prompts and three different ones per day. This will keep you more engaged, less likely to write the same thing over and over and generally encourage you to be more in the moment. Also, we love including blank space on each page so that you can write more freely about the day, like a traditional diary entry. Write about how you're feeling and just check in with yourself.

Your journal doesn't have to be filled up with just words! Draw pictures, print photos, stick things inside from the day that you were grateful for. That could be anything from a chocolate wrapper to a piece of colouring you did that you're really proud of.

Regroup every week or so with the whole family to see how you're all doing. Making journals together is a great way to stay connected to each other while you're reconnecting with yourself. Ask each other if the project has been helping you appreciate the small things more, if it's made you calmer in this chaotic situation, and most importantly, if it's been fun.

It's completely up to you how you fill your journal, but we've got a few prompt ideas that'll help you get started. Some of them require you to think about the day you've just had and others are more general ideas about the past and future. Write down your answer and remember to elaborate; dive into why you're thankful, how things make you feel, and really use it as a way to reflect. We love that not this is not only a good activity for lockdown, but it's also going to be great to look back on in the future, especially for children.

1. One thing that made me laugh today
2. One thing I'm especially grateful for today
3. Something I learnt today
4. One time I was kind today
5. My favourite film
6. One time someone was kind to me today
7. My favourite room in the house
8. My ultimate dream
9. One smell I love
10. My favourite song
11. One taste I love
12. My favourite memory with a friend
13. One thing I love about myself
14. My favourite quote
15. Something I'm looking forward to
16. A song lyric I love
17. What I am most proud of
18. Someone I can always rely on
19. My favourite thing about where I live
20. My favourite thing about my mum/dad/sibling
21. Someone who helps me
22. My favourite part of my daily routine
23. Something I am grateful I can still do
24. Somewhere I love to visit
25. Where I see my life in five years

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If you'd like to print out multiple sheets of the second page for your daily entries, then click below!