My 4 children had kept a journal for as long as I can remember. They would take it along with them in backbacks or hand-held for when inspirations would strike while on the bus and tube or in the car. It was initially meant to encourage them to write more but it became more than that—a depository of not only their thoughts and observations but also their creativity and imagination. Pages and pages filled with drawings of paper-based, Minecraft-like video games; new rocket and aeroplane designs; caricatures and comic strips; and architectural feats. I’m tickled to remember now there was once a signed contract between 2 brothers where one agreed to be the other’s slave for a period of time!
To this day at the age of 21, my daughter still keeps a daily journal and I have the other 20+ journals she wrote stored at home.
I have recommended to all my students to keep a journal to encourage writing and creativity. Recently, many families asked me about how to motivate and instill a habit of studying without having to nag the child incessantly. I know the feeling. No parent wants to do that.
They want A Golden Child.
Well, short of being born that way, how do we instill a sense of ambition and self-discipline in children? By letting them set their own goals and get the satisfaction from self-actualization.
I recommend this 1% Better Every Day Journal to all my students to help them set their own study and personal goals. I like it because it’s simple to use with a clean format that doesn’t require a lot of writing each day— just a few words to record what you’ve accomplished and feeling of how the day went. This appeals to kids because it doesn’t seem like work. More importantly for parents, the Journal encourages kids to set their own weekly targets and work daily to achieve them. By focusing on 1% improvement a day, the whole exam prep process isn’t as overwhelming.
No Parent Zone!