Summer is the ideal season to slow down, enjoy the sunshine, and reflect on the memories you’re making every day. Summer journaling is not only a wonderful way to document your adventures, but it also helps you savor those fleeting moments, whether you’re embarking on exciting vacations or enjoying cozy staycations at home.
Here’s your guide to setting up an inviting and memorable journal that you and your family will cherish for years to come!
Why You Should Keep a Summer Journal
To be honest, I’ve tried scrapbooking, but with four kids, I just can’t keep up. So, I’ve been journaling to slow down and hold on to special moments a little longer. I’m able to capture things in rich detail, and maybe my children can read about it when they get older. They, in turn, will have a part of me to always have with them.
But that’s not the only reason you should keep a summer journal. Summer flies by quickly, and most people often go on vacations or attend more local events. Writing about daily adventures and simple joys promotes gratitude and reflection. It helps everyone recognize and appreciate the little things, enhancing happiness and emotional well-being.
Getting Started
There’s no right way to journal, whether you are new to journaling or have been writing for a while. If you want to learn more, you can read about How to Start a Journal to help you figure out what may work best for you.
Step 1: Choose a Journal: You can choose an entirely new journal for the summer or use one you’ve already have. I use a Hobonichi Techo Cousin planner for more structure, but a blank notebook for bullet or junk journaling works, too.
Step 2: Pack Your Supplies: Create a travel-friendly kit by filling a tote bag with pens, stickers, washi tape, and a glue stick. Also, I use an HP Sprocket to quickly print photos from my phone and add them to my pages.
Step 3: Make It a Habit: You can set aside 5–10 minutes a day to journal or jot things down when you can. Keep your journal somewhere visible so it’s always within reach.
Travel Journal
Travel journals are specifically designed for your adventures to make documenting on-the-go effortless. These journals often feature compact sizes, sturdy covers, pockets for mementos, and prompts to inspire your entries. They’re perfect for jotting down quick thoughts, sketching scenic views, or storing ticket stubs and postcards.
Benefits of keeping a travel journal
- Enhances Memory: Writing down experiences solidifies your memories, helping you vividly recall trips years later.
- Encourages Creativity: Capture your journeys through sketches, poems, or storytelling, fostering your creative side.
- Personal Keepsake: A well-documented journal becomes a treasured souvenir that you can revisit or share with family and friends.
- Easily Portable: Travel journals are compact and light, making it easy to tuck into a bag or pocket.
Essential Travel Journal Accessories
Pair your journal with these accessories to boost your journaling experience:
- Compact Pen Set: Carry colorful or waterproof pens for easy writing anywhere.
- Washi Tape or Stickers: Add pops of color or fun decorations to personalize your entries.
- Portable Photo Printer: Instantly print and paste pictures directly into your journal.
- Mini Scissors & Glue Stick: Perfect for adding ticket stubs, postcards, or other memorabilia.
- Travel Pouch or Case: Keeps your journal safe, tidy, and easily accessible.
Embrace Imperfection
Missed journaling days will inevitably happen, and that’s okay! Summer journaling should never feel like an obligation or chore. Instead, embrace flexibility and remind yourself and your family that journaling is about joy, reflection, and fun. It’s perfectly fine to skip a day and jump back in when you’re ready.
And for those using a structured journal like me, I use white out and stickers to place over the missed days and add other fun stuff on there like quotes or a photo collage. Remember, no planner is perfect.
Fun Ways to Engage in Summer Journaling
My kids are more motivated to journal when I do it with them. I encourage them to browse my notebook, but I also let them know that theirs doesn’t have to look like mine.
Personalize Your Journals
Express yourself by decorating your journals. Use fun summer journal stickers, markers, glitter, and stamps, encouraging creativity from the start.
My daughter loves cute stickers–anything sparkly makes her happy. My son loves adding Minecraft® stickers to his notebooks, and he also loves drawing out his ideas. A personalized journal becomes a treasure they’ll want to use often. I also created a custom cover with fun washi tape.
Add Keepsakes and Mementos
Collect and include keepsakes such as postcards, tickets, pressed flowers, or small souvenirs from your summer adventures. I’m teaching my daughter how to press flowers into her notebooks since she loves picking them on our nature walks.
Adding these tangible memories brings journal pages to life, making journaling interactive and memorable.
Creative Journaling Challenges
Keep things exciting with imaginative journaling challenges. Suggest prompts like drawing your favorite ice cream flavor, writing a short story about an imaginary adventure, or listing your “Top 10 Best Moments” from a recent vacation or activity. These challenges nurture creativity, writing skills, and reflection in a playful way.
Summer Journaling Prompts
These engaging prompts ensure that everyone has something fun and meaningful to journal about each day:
- What was the funniest moment of your day?
- Describe your perfect summer day.
- Write a short poem or rhyme about your favorite summer snack.
- What new skill or activity have you learned this summer?
Highlighting Your Summer Journaling Ideas
Summer Bucket List Tracker
Create dedicated pages for tracking your summer journal bucket list. Check off each activity as you accomplish it. Add photos, notes, and dates to commemorate these special moments. Here are some examples:
- Backyard movie night
- Local farmer’s market
- Family picnic by the lake
- DIY Bird feeder
- Local ice cream shop
- Splashing at the beach
Vacation Pages
Document trips and outings in detail with vacation recap pages. This detailed documentation captures the essence of each adventure and becomes a cherished keepsake.
- Daily highlights log
- Sketch or doodle scenes
- Ticket or souvenir page
- Photo collage pages
- Quote collection
- Sensory snapshots
- Food diary
Staycation Stories
Not every memorable moment requires traveling far away. I work from home, but on my off days, I just want to relax indoors sometimes.
Celebrate your staycation adventures with dedicated pages capturing simple yet meaningful activities, such as baking, family game nights, or outdoor movie screenings under the stars. These memories, close to home, are often the sweetest.
- Daily reflection pages
- Activity tracker
- Gratitude pages
- Creative space pages: drawings, quotes, crafts, junk journals, etc
Summer Journaling Gratitude
Of course, we cannot forget about daily gratitude journaling. Regularly include pages dedicated to appreciation and reflection, encouraging your family to write about what made them happy, what they learned, and what they’re grateful for each day. This practice builds mindfulness and helps everyone recognize the joy in everyday moments.
End the Summer with a Journaling Party
One of my favorite ways to wrap up the season is with a journal party. My friends and I love to gather for a casual potluck, bringing our favorite craft supplies and decorating our journals or planners together while chatting. It’s less about structured writing and more about enjoying each other’s company while doing something we all love—adding stickers, doodling, or simply updating our pages as we reflect on the summer.
When journaling with my kids, I like to give them fun prompts to spark their creativity. After we write, we take time to share and talk about what we each wrote. It turns into a meaningful conversation and gives us a chance to connect on a deeper level.
That’s the beauty of journaling–it’s an amazing way to bond with others as much as it is for developing a deeper relationship with yourself. This simple activity has the potential to become a shared tradition—one that strengthens bonds while celebrating growth, creativity, and meaningful keepsakes. I encourage you to make time to journal all your adventures this summer, no matter how busy you are, and share this experience with those you love!