Journal Treat Jar

On the first Sunday of the this year, Sister Roberts gave a talk about keeping journals.  It was really fantastic and inspiring.  Then while in Relief Society, she shared a few more ideas about journaling with your children.  One idea that I just loved, was having a journaling cookie jar.  She explained that when her boys were small, she had a special cookie jar that she kept well stocked with animal crackers.  Each time she and her boys sat down to write in their journals, they would eat a few cookies from the journal jar.  She said her boys LOVED journal time and would beg to write in their journals – mostly so they could get cookies, but also because it was a time that they sat down to do something together as a family.

So I decided to use her idea and try it with my own kids.  So here we have the Journal Treat Jar:

I decided to call it a “treat” jar rather than cookie jar so that I can change out what kind of snacks I put in there to hopefully keep them excited about it.  This is just a $5 canister that I picked up from Wal-mart, a piece of ribbon and a little title card I made on the computer and printed out.

To go along with it, I also made an “idea” jar filled with questions for times that they need an idea to write about.  These I also just made on the computer, printed out and then laminated them to hopefully keep them in condition to be used over and over.  Here is a sampling of some of the questions I put on them:

 

To get us started, I bought a few notebooks and stickers and let them decorate their journals to make it their own.

And then we started writing!  Layton of course doesn’t write anything, instead he draws a picture about whatever subject he chooses.

We only write in them once a week and they are loving the experience.  And I am loving what they are writing.  During our last journal time, Dallin pulled a card from the idea jar and was asked to share a memory about Mama Doris (my grandmother).  This is what he wrote:

I thought it was so cute and I am so glad that we have it recorded to go back and look at it over and over.