Picture books aren’t just for children—they hold profound lessons and beautiful insights that resonate with readers of all ages. For caregivers and teachers, these books are especially powerful tools, offering a creative and accessible way to foster emotional exploration and self-reflection. Picture books can serve as a bridge to reflective journaling, unlocking deep thoughts about life, emotions, and personal growth. They provide a unique opportunity to engage both young readers and adults in meaningful discussions, offering simple yet evocative narratives that inspire reflection. In this blog post, we’ll explore several picture books that not only tell compelling stories but also provide rich opportunities for journaling. Each book comes with a summary, a link to a read-aloud YouTube video, and thoughtfully crafted journal prompts to guide readers in exploring their inner world and nurturing personal growth.

Distance or online learning creates the opportunity for teachers to learn new ways to approach students. I have always loved educational technology, and I have to admit, getting excited about learning how to screencast, edit videos, and use technology to meet with students has been good for my student-soul. I created a video tutorial for how to create a journal vision board, put music to the background, and transitions, and you would have thought I was the next coder to grab a hold of a mouse and keyboard. It is a powerful thing to keep learning. And while we must remain open and shift our mindsets to remaining positive during school closures, the most powerful and important tool I have right now in my teacher bag is the student journaling assignment.