Did you all survive NSD? Did you stay within budget? I planned to spend nothing and that didn’t happen but I kept my spending to under $30 so I was pretty proud of myself.
For today’s Journal Pad I’ve decided to give you some journaling topic ideas. I hope you find these helpful.
TOPIC IDEAS
100 Things: Make a list of things you love (10 activities, 10 restaurants, 10 people, 10 foods, 10 games, 6 drinks, 4 desserts, etc.)
AAM: Start an album for your children that is all about you (family tree, memories of growing up, jobs you had, cars you drove, schools you went to, courses you took, how you met your husband, etc.)
Age Related: You at 5, 28 at 28 etc.
Alphabet: Pick a word that begins with the letter of the week and journal about it. A is for Awkward, B is for Bubbles, etc.
Bad Haircuts: Haven’t we all suffered through these? Why not make fun of our self and scrap it.
Birth Stories: All babies have unique birth stories that kids LOVE to hear. Why not document it and put it in an album for your little one. Describe the contractions, the trip to the hospital, Dad’s function, how their name was chosen, etc.
Book Lists: What books have you read this year? Which were your favorites, which didn’t you like?
Celebrity Crushes: Oh come on, these are fun. You don’t have to print them and put them in the album, just have a little fun online. Who do you really like? Why do you like them? Do they remind you of someone? Are they similar or dissimilar to your spouse?
Character Traits: Title your layout with a best or worst character trait and describe it.
Color: Scrap about your favorite color, listing all the things that are that color and why you love it.
Dear Past Me/Dear Future Me: Do you wish you could warn you old self about certain events or give some good advice? Describe them. Write the letter.
Do Overs: Describe an event that you would desperately like to Do Over. What would you have done differently? How would this have changed your life?
Evolution of You: Prepare a layout for the kids about how you’ve evolved or how they’ve evolved. Provide several pictures and lots of journaling.
Facebook Status: I’ve seen some fun layouts summarizing their various Facebook updates throughout the year
Fads: Silly Bands, Pokemon, Pinterest, etc.
Fantasy: If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why?
Favorites: Provide a list of favorite shows, music, sayings, food, photos, people, etc. These could be per month, per year, per child, etc.
Fears: What are you most scared of? Describe it and explain.
Firsts: Scrap about your first dance, first crush, first job, first apartment, first tooth, first words, etc.
Funny Sayings: I always love stumbling across layouts that document funny sayings their kids have. Try to remember to jot funny sayings down and combine several to make a cute keepsake.
Goals: Why not put down in writing your current goals. It’s harder to back out of them when you have written documentation. At the end of the year, you could prepare an assessment layout where you explain which goals you’ve met and which you have not.
Good, Bad, Ugly: Describe the good, bad, and the ugly of something – your house, your kids, your husband, your pets
Grade Summary: What happened in Grade 1? What was memorable, why? Who was their teacher, who were friends, who were enemies? What did they learn? What awards were won?
Highlights: Why not list the highlights of the last decade? What stands out to you. What were the good memories and what were the bad?
Hobbies: Journal about a current hobby and why you or your child likes it
Hometown: Take your camera with you and take pictures of various landmarks and special places around your home town. Document the things you like and don’t. Chances are you might move from this location and it’s nice to have a detailed memory for the children.
I Can’t Live Without: What are your must haves – coffee, iPad, chocolate, cell phone … why do you love these items – what would happen if you were without them?
Interview the Kids: Ask the kids questions such as what they’d do if they were in charge, who are there best friends and why, to plan a menu for a day, the jobs they want to try, their favorite memories of the family, etc.
Lessons Learned: We all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. Why not describe the events leading up to a lesson learned.
Letters: Write letter to people who have hurt you, who you want to forgive, who you want forgiveness from, etc. You don’t need to send them but it sure is therapeutic to write them.
Look Back: Provide your child with a summary of what happened the day they were born or provide a look back from today to a time in the past describing the similarities and differences
Month/Year in Review: You could provide a summary of what happened each month of the year.
Motherhood: Write about how motherhood is compared to what you though it would be like. Provide funny stories for the kids about pitfalls of your parenting – what you learned on their older sibling, etc.
Past, Present, Future: I love comparison layouts. Why not pick a subject and describe it in terms of time. It could be your house, your personality, your appearance, your goals, etc.
Pet Peeves: What really ticks you off. Why does it tick you off?
Routines: Give a detailed summary of one of your days, one of your weekends, or one of your weeks
Songlist: Provide a list of songs on your favorite playlist
Style Review: Take some pictures of the clothes you often wear and describe your style.
Things you’re Grateful for: It always makes me feel good to write a list of things I’m grateful for – why not scrap it?
Traditions: Lots of families have several traditions. Why not write them down and keep them for the children so the traditions can be passed on for many generations to come.
When I was Your Age: Journal about how you and your child are the same or different at the same age ( if you don’t remember, ask your mom or dad for input)
Your Happy Place: Describe a perfect day or a perfect moment. What makes you happy?
Happy Journaling Everyone! Take care.
Tiki
Amee says
Thank you so much for giving us some wonderful ideas!!!
:)