Writing your experiences, thoughts, and feelings down can help deal with traumatic experiences such as childhood cancer and is a recommended resource for kids according to childresearch.net. What about kids that don’t like to write though? I recommend starting off with a book that introduces writing down your feelings such as Dear Me for young kids. This wonderfully illustrated book describes a boy who enjoys writing simple sentences about how he felt about different experiences he has.  This is a great introduction to what journaling is and how it can be a tool to help you feel better. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Princess Diaries are good introductions for older kids or teens.

For kids, getting a fun journal can make all the difference!  For cancer families, it may not be helpful to get kid journals that already have prompts in them that tell them what to write.  Sure, for some, it could be helpful to have directions to just get the feel of writing.  To really get at their specific feelings and emotions regarding their experiences on a cancer journey though, a simple lined sheet paper journal might work better. Lines encourage kids to write down their feelings so perhaps steer away from blank page paper for that reason and leave those for art. Choosing a great journal cover can make all the difference. Choose a favorite character, show, or animal as these will be inviting.  An encouraging phrase may motivate teens.  Don’t forget the smelly markers or mechanical pens they will choose whenever they write in their journals.  These add to a special experience they will want to come back to again and again.