Nature Journaling for Kids
For an individual, journaling is the act of regularly writing down personal thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reflections. For some, it’s a daily activity, generally done in the evening when the day has concluded. Others may make it a weekly or monthly activity, while some keep a journal with them at all times, jotting thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reflections as they occur in real-time. Diarizing is a versatile practice that can be highly tailored to focus on specific interests, goals, or areas of personal development rather than just documenting things that have happened – and the response to them – over a given period. One can narrow the focus to particular topics and concepts, with a journal serving as a specialized tool for enhancing creativity, tracking progress, or deepening knowledge in a specific area. While anyone can journal about anything, one area that wellness-conscious people choose to focus on as the world becomes more digitized by the day – is nature.
Nature journaling has surged in popularity as a mindful, creative practice that combines sketching and note-taking to record observations of the natural world. Parents and educators who would like to see their kids become better connected to Mother Nature are encouraged to introduce them to the concept. Below is a look a why it’s important, along with tips to elevating engagement and increasing odds of the practice becoming a regular part of their lives.
Benefits and Best Practices for Children Journaling their Observations of the Natural World
I. Benefits of Nature Journaling for Kids
a) Adolescent Mental Well-being and Mindfulness
Statistics Canada reports that Canadian children and youth are experiencing a significant rise in mental health issues, with recommendations for clinician intervention for about 20% of those aged 4-17. Key issues include rising anxiety, emotional distress, and feelings of depression. Research confirms that nature journaling can significantly improve mental well-being and mindfulness by combining immersion in nature with creative documentation. Doing so can directly reduce stress, lower heart rate, and enhance focus on the task at hand instead of negative feelings and emotions. The activity cultivates mindfulness by slowing down the mind through sensory observation – recording sights, sounds, and feelings – which fosters a non-judgmental awareness of the natural world where children are allowed to exist “in the moment”.
b) Cognitive Growth and Development
Nature journaling significantly improves cognitive growth by fostering deeper observation, critical thinking, and a stronger connection to the natural world. It engages multiple brain pathways simultaneously. Natural environments engage a child’s visual system through a combination of rapid saccadic eye movements, varied spatial frequencies, and high-contrast edges that are observed organically (and then recorded) in a forest, field, or beach, et cetera. Meanwhile, the kinesthetic system – the sensation of bodily movement and position – is engaged in nature through direct, multi-sensory physical interaction with dynamic, non-static environments that engage the body’s sense of movement, touch, and spatial awareness. Lastly, the semantic system is engaged by transforming passive observation into active, meaningful documentation, integrating sensory input with language, art, and memory, thereby anchoring observations in a specific context.
c) Strengthens Connection to the Environment
Nature journaling strengthens a child’s connection to the environment by promoting deep observation, slowing down the pace of engagement, and encouraging emotional, scientific, and creative recording of the natural world. It acts as a “mindfulness” practice that reduces stress, boosts ecological literacy, builds a “sense of place,” and promotes stewardship by manifesting a personal bond with nature.
d) Creativity and Skill Building
Nature journaling enhances a child’s creativity by fostering deep observation, curiosity, and a “wonder” mindset, which helps break through creative blocks that they may experience when overwhelmed by educational, familial, and social pressures. By combining sketching, writing, and even math (counting what they come across, etc.) a child is allowed to connect disparate ideas and experience a boost in mental flexibility.
II. Tips to Successful Nature Journaling
a) Journal on Paper
As discussed in the introduction, nature journaling has experienced a surge in popularity as people seek refuge from digital transformation. While journaling on one’s smartphone or tablet (there are apps for that) offers convenience, it can lead to distraction as various beeps, dings, pings, and other audio-visual push-notifications arrive to pull someone out of their focused state towards social media or other distraction. Journaling on paper (recycled and recyclable, of course), on the other hand, keeps a child focused on the task of documenting and engaging further in their outdoor experiences. That being said, it is a good idea to maintain a “backup” of their nature journal so that the record of past thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reflections is not lost during a household move or some other event that may cause a journal to be lost or misplaced. Journal entries can be scanned and digitized for safe keeping and fast future reference.
b) Combine Writing with Sketching, Scrapbooking, Painting
Journal entries can and should be more than writing. By adding sketching, painting, and scrapbooking (gathering natural things that can be dried/condensed to be flat) as options for recording observations of the natural world, a child will develop a deeper understanding of nature through enhanced memory retention. These practices also foster a deeper emotional connection to the environment. Additionally, layering arts and crafts into nature journaling acts as a meditative practice that reduces stress and increases appreciation for the great outdoors.
c) Make it Daily
Considering the listed benefits of nature journaling in the first section of this article, it makes good sense for a child to journal about their outdoor experiences on a daily basis, even if only to observe a walk home from school. Who couldn’t use a daily boost to their creative, cognitive, behavioral, and mental wellbeing? Furthermore, daily nature journaling is recommended over weekly or occasional practice because it transforms a fleeting hobby into an important foundational habit that supercharges observation and deepens access to the above-stated benefits. By making journaling a daily routine, a child moves beyond surface-level observations to notice subtle, fleeting changes in nature and patterns that would otherwise be missed. And if for some reason a child hasn’t been outside yet, on any given day (due to bad weather, etc.), committing to a daily journal entry will encourage them to get outdoors, even if just for a brief moment.
We hope everything above was helpful in getting your children/students more engaged in nature through journaling. Meanwhile, please note that the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation inspires and promotes healthy living and learning for kids across Canada. You can help us help the next generation by pledging your support too! View more on how you can get involved.