Summer Journal-Build Memories and Brain Skills

It’s hard to believe that the school year is coming upon us again before we know it. If you’re starting to think of things you can do to re-engage your children’s brains before it kicks in, a summer journal is a great option! Spending a few minutes per day writing can help your kids:

• Reflect on their growth, fun memories, and build confidence heading into the school year
• Practice writing, spelling, and reading skills in a low-pressure environment
• Get acclimated to school-like tasks so it doesn’t come as such a shock
• Create a fun keepsake to help them remember their summer adventures and this stage of their lives (or share with teachers, family members, or friends!)

Benefits of Writing By Hand

While videos, photos, and digital ways of recording your child’s thoughts and experiences are valuable, writing by hand is a critical skill. Research shows that writing by hand:

• Activates the brain more than typing. One researcher found on fMRI scans that kids’ “brains light up with adult-level activation. However, when they type, there is very minimal activation.” The areas that are activated are those associated with working memory, reading, and language.
• Improves key literary skills like spelling, word/letter recognition, and visual tracking.
• Helps kids practice segmenting, blending, and spelling skills. Even if not all words are spelled correctly, this practice of trying to figure it out is beneficial!
• Boosts creativity! Writers like Stephen King and JK Rowling report that they prefer writing by hand, and research backs this up. 

Summer Journal Prompts to Start With

If you want your kids to practice writing, some will take off and need little direction. Others may need encouragement to write more than one-word answers and tips for making their answers more detailed and extensive. Journal prompts are a great tool to use to talk through together and springboard off for beneficial writing practice!

Here are some ideas to get the creative writing juices flowing: 

• Think about your favorite day this summer. What made it so special? Be descriptive about what you did and why you liked it.
• Describe a summer thunderstorm, but don’t use the words “thunder” or “lightning.” Use creative descriptions instead!
• Was there something that was really hard for you at the beginning of summer but that you got better at?
• What did you do on rainy days this summer?
• What was your favorite outdoor activity this year?
• Did you ever miss going to school this summer? Why or why not?
• Go outside and write everything you hear, taste, smell, touch, or see for 10 minutes.
• Imagine you are on the beach on your perfect day. Who would be with you and what would happen?
• If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be?
• Imagine that you built a life-sized sand castle. Describe how you would build it, what you’d put inside, and who you’d enlist to help you.
• Pretend that you could swim underwater for as long as you wanted without having to come up for air. Pick a place to “swim,” and describe what you would see! (This could be an abandoned shipwreck, a coral reef, or your local swimming pool.)

What Happens When Writing Is Hard?

If getting your child to write more than a word at a time is a fight, it could be a sign of cognitive skill weaknesses. Writing is complex and requires skills like auditory processing, working memory, executive function, logic, and more in order to happen efficiently. If even one of these areas is weak, it’s going to be more of a struggle than it needs to be.

The first step in identifying weak cognitive skills is to schedule a cognitive skills assessment at our Cedar Rapids location. Call LearningRx Cedar Rapids today, mention this article and receive $100 off the assessment price of $200.