The benefits of creating a travel journal are many. A student travel journal not only is a great way to practice children’s writing skills but also become a place to gather the memories of a trip, whether short or far.

Note: A travel journal should not be confused with a diary.  Diaries are used to record everyday occurrences that happen on a specific day.  A travel journal, on the other hand, is not forced, and includes casual observations, ideas, memories, creativity, and anything else that comes to the writer’s mind.    

Why Keep a Travel Journal?

Improve Self-expression & Creativity

Journaling is a resourceful way to get kids who may have a difficult time expressing themselves an opportunity to write without boundaries.  A travel journal will give them a chance to write about what they think is important to them and share it with others.  Instead of being constrained to a prompt like , “What did you do on your Summer vacation?” a travel journal is a versatile way to incorporate creativity, as well as improving their writing skills.

Practice Spelling & Grammar

The more kids write, the more they will understand what makes a complete sentence and the mechanics that come along with it. They will learn to build paragraphs and how they are used to support topics that they are writing about.

Develop Descriptive Writing Skills

Improving written communication is another use of a travel journal.  Kids can learn to write so that others can “see” what they have seen.  They will learn to incorporate descriptive words to convey to others as well as using pictures, sketches, and other personal information to “show” what they did on their travel journey.

Why Keep a Travel Scrapbook?

Encourage Artistic Expression

A travel journal can become a travel scrapbook. A travel scrapbook can include anything that the creator wants to include such as doodles, poems, sketches, mementos, and photographs. This type of travel journal encourages students to work independently, at their own pace, and improve their learning style and gets them to become invested personally in what they are creating.

Additionally, it may make the travel journal more appealing to a student who isn’t in love with writing. Being able to pair writing with drawings or photos can keep the activity mindful practice for expression and communication without as heavy an emphasis on language.

Explore & Document

Kids who have not traveled beyond their hometowns can use the travel journal or journal scrapbook to document their nature travels.  It can be as simple as going to the neighborhood park or in their own backyards.  As they would on a trip, they can use their senses to observe the surroundings, draw pictures of what they see, and glue pieces of nature into their journals (Remember not to take plants from national parks though – that’s illegal!).

Encouraging kids beyond the academic benefits of journaling teaches them to become independent thinkers who are able to ask questions and connect with their peers. They discover the world around them and document it through the adventures they have, the people they’ve met, and the places they have seen.

Do you have any special memories from your travel journals that you would like to share? Leave a comment.

Author: Pam Crum, Lead Teacher at A Grade Ahead