How Journalling Can Help Teens Find Their Voice
The teenage years are exciting, confusing, and sometimes overwhelming. Between school, friendships, family, and the pressures of growing up, it’s easy for teens to feel pulled in many directions at once. One simple tool that can help is journalling.
Far more than just “dear diary,” journalling gives teenagers a safe space to untangle their thoughts, make sense of their feelings, and explore who they are becoming.
Some Benefits of Journalling for Teens
A safe outlet for emotions:
Writing things down can be a release. Instead of bottling up frustrations or worries, teens can put them on paper – often reducing stress and anxiety.
Building self-awareness:
Journalling helps teenagers reflect on their experiences and recognise patterns in how they feel and respond. This can be invaluable as they develop confidence and resilience.
Encouraging creativity:
A journal doesn’t have to be filled with neat prose. Teens can doodle, sketch, paste in tickets or photos, write poetry, or try song lyrics. It’s their space to experiment.
Goal setting and problem solving:
Writing about challenges can make them feel more manageable. Many teens find that setting small goals in their journals helps them move forward with confidence.
Getting Started
Journalling should never feel like homework. Encourage your teenager to:
Choose a notebook they like (plain, fancy, or even digital)
Write for themselves, not for anyone else – privacy is key
Start small: a sentence a day, a gratitude list, or a quick doodle
Use prompts when they feel stuck. Scroll down for a list of prompts they could use (perhaps you could print the list and they can keep it in their journal to use if necessary).
How Parents and Teachers Can Provide Support
The most important thing you can do is encourage without prying. Respecting a teen’s privacy is vital if journalling is to feel like a safe space. A quiet nudge, a gifted notebook, or the offer of some fun prompts is often enough.
Helpful Resources
At Small Publishing, we believe that self-expression is central to growing up well. That’s why many of our books and resources focus on helping children and teens develop their creativity and resilience. You’ll also find printable writing prompts and journalling pages at Activity Village to help teens get started.
A Lifelong Habit
Journalling can be a source of calm, comfort, and creativity in the teenage years – and it’s a habit that often carries into adulthood. Giving your teen the tools and encouragement to start could be a gift that lasts for life.
A private journal is a safe way for teens to process the world around them.
30 Journalling Prompts for Teens
Today I felt happiest when…
One thing that worries me right now is…
A place where I feel calm and safe is…
If I could spend a whole day doing anything, I would…
Three things I like about myself are…
A challenge I’ve faced recently and how I handled it…
A person I admire and why…
If I could give advice to my younger self, it would be…
One thing I want to get better at is…
A memory that always makes me smile…
Something I wish adults understood about teens…
Five things I’m grateful for today…
A song that really speaks to me and why…
What friendship means to me…
A time I surprised myself…
Something I’m proud of, big or small…
If I could change one thing about the world, it would be…
My perfect weekend would look like…
A lesson I’ve learned the hard way…
Something I’m looking forward to is…
A dream I have for the future…
A time I felt really understood was…
What makes me feel confident is…
A small thing that makes me happy every time…
One way I can be kinder to myself is…
A book, film, or TV character I relate to and why…
If I could talk to my future self, I would ask…
What I do when I need to calm down…
A strength other people see in me…
Something I want to remember about this year is…