Inspiring mindfulness, gratitude and connection in kids and teens.

Journal

for Kids

Welcome!

Stacey Ventimiglia is a wife, girl mom, ice cream lover, and creator of Journal for Kids where she inspires gratitude, mindfulness and connection in families. She lives in Freeport, Maine and enjoys trips to the beach, reading, spending time with her children, and encouraging families through growth mindset practices.

My Story

A few years ago I bought my seven-year-old daughter a simple gratitude journal on Amazon. When I first gave it to her, she wasn’t interested, but every night before bed I took it out and encouraged her to write in it.

I quickly realized that the writing part was challenging for her because she was still learning to spell, so we decided that she would do the talking and I would do the writing.

Before long it became a nightly ritual that we both enjoyed. She would think about her day and tell me what she was grateful for and the highlights of her day.

Some days my husband would do this with her and I found myself asking him what she shared because I enjoyed hearing her thoughts so much

Then we filled the journal.

I didn’t buy her another one right away and our nightly ritual stopped.

In that time her anxiety also increased, she became moody, and life for my sweet girl was challenging to say the least. My daughter is a loving, kind, and empathetic, however, she has struggled as a highly sensitive and anxious child her entire life. Having a positive mindset can be challenging for her as she navigates all the worry monsters who try to control her.

When I realized what an impact our gratitude ritual had had on her I decided to create a gratitude journal of my own.

I know it sounds crazy, but once we started again I could see a change in her mindset within just a few weeks. She was finding something to appreciate each day even when she was struggling. She was happier and saying thank you more.

Two years later I no longer recognize that anxious, scared child! Practicing gratitude and mindfulness has made a huge impact on our family

Sharing this practice has allowed my daughter to share things with us that she may not have otherwise mentioned. She talks about her excitement over something fun she did, her sadness when something happens at school and her gratitude for things like lunch, her family, sunny days and her favorite toys.

❤️❤️❤️

This year my youngest started engaging in our nightly ritual and we end each day reflecting on our day together as a family.

It’s my dream to see thousands of families experience the connection and positive mindset through journaling with their children.

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Testimonials

Stacey’s journals are amazing! My kids identify with the covers and love the bright colors. But it is more than that. When my kids do their journals they seem happier. They are slowing down to really think about how they feel and more importantly process it. That’s not easy for any of us to do in our tech fueled world. Stacey’s journals are especially helpful for us because our middle daugher has anxiety. The journal helps her get her feelings out. It helps our other kids’ get their feelings out when their sister is struggling in her anxiety which affects us all. I am so thankful for these journals and the life long practice that is being instilled in my kids!

-Jen Snyder, Women Winning Online

“I love this gratitude journal for my 5 year old. It’s the perfect way for us to connect during otherwise busy days. It helps him to share parts of his day that he might not have mentioned. I love documenting these little moments we are grateful for so we can look back on it.”

-Barbara

“This was an instant hit for my son and daughter ages 7 and 10. They like “owning” their day and writing it down vs just me asking them and they both do it independent of me asking! I think this is a great journal for any age as parents could write while their child talks if they aren’t old enough to write yet. Makes a great gift as well.”

-Erica

“It arrived today and I LOVE the format!! Easy to read and plenty of space for little people with big letters. My son likes the idea of writing down his daily favorites and thinks the Valleys and Peaks are excellent! Thank you for this!!”

-Monica

“My 8 year old daughter writes in this journal every night and absolutely loves it! The prompts are short and clear and help her think positively about her day before going to sleep. Will absolutely buy again!”

-Myndi

“This is such a sweet and easy touchpoint for a gratitude practice for kids. We started it with our 2 and 4yo for a summer routine. It sits on our dining room table and I ask the prompts and write down their answers at family dinner and it sparks lots of fun reflection on our days.”

-Sarah

Blog

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by Journal for Kids | Nov 17, 2020 | Gratitude

Gratitude is an essential, but often overlooked, component of our mental health. Over the past several years, I have made important shifts in my mindset which include expressing gratitude every day. In doing so I have slowly seen changes to my health and well-being. ...