The Barnardo’s Big Active Journal is a colourful and engaging wellbeing journal designed for primary school children to help them reflect on their feelings, thoughts, and daily experiences. With a mix of writing prompts, drawing spaces, mindfulness activities, and movement challenges, it supports children in understanding themselves, managing emotions, and building confidence.
This journal is part of Barnardo’s Big Active programme and encourages children to look after their body, mind, and heart through regular self-care and positive reflection. It is ideal for use in schools, homes, youth support sessions, or emotional wellbeing programmes.
What’s Inside This Children’s Wellbeing Journal?
Creative self-expression activities – Prompts to draw how they feel, describe themselves, and name what they are proud of
Feelings reflection pages – Space to write or draw about times they felt happy, sad, scared, or angry, using simple ‘I feel…’ sentences
Daily wellbeing check-ins – Questions like “What was something good that happened today?” or “What can I do to make tomorrow better?”
Kindness and gratitude – Lists of people who make them smile, ways to show kindness to others, and how to be kind to themselves
Self-care challenges – Encourages movement and activity through fun ideas like skipping, dancing, yoga, and mindfulness
Breathing techniques – Easy-to-follow exercises like balloon breathing, tummy breathing, and bumblebee breathing to help with calming down
Positive affirmations – Activities that help children say positive things about themselves and build confidence
Future thinking and self-encouragement – Prompts to write a letter to their future self and reflect on personal growth
How Can the Journal Be Used?
In primary classrooms – Supports emotional literacy, PSHE, and daily wellbeing routines
At home with families – Encourages regular conversations about feelings, confidence, and goals
In therapy or wellbeing groups – A gentle tool to help children process emotions, practise self-care, and build resilience
With children who experience anxiety or low mood – Particularly helpful for those who benefit from structured reflection and visual prompts
As part of emotional regulation activities – Can be paired with calming tools, circle time, or individual support plans
This wellbeing diary for children helps build the foundations of emotional awareness, positive thinking, and self-care in a fun and accessible way. It gives kids the tools to understand their feelings and develop healthy habits for a happier, more confident life.
