How to Create a Journal Jar

how to create a journal jar

Journaling is a fun and beneficial activity that children and adults alike can benefit from. You can grow as a person, explore your likes and dislikes and put things in your life into better perspective. For many generations, people have been using journals to explore themselves and the world around them.

Here are some benefits of keeping a journal:

  • It can help you reduce stress
  • It can make you more creative
  • It helps you find inspiration
  • It helps you let go of the past
  • It can help you grow as a person/parent/spouse/friend/etc
  • It helps you understand things in your world

One problem that some people have with keeping a journal lies in knowing what to write about. While many people keep a journal in a “dear diary” style (and there’s nothing wrong with this), it can get stagnant over time. You may just feel like you’re logging your days rather than growing or learning from your journals.

You can create your own journal jar, and you’ll never feel stumped for what to write about. This is why journal prompts can be a big help. You might even find new ideas you would never have considered otherwise, and this is what helps you grow and develop as a person, through your personal journal.

To create a journal jar, you will need:

  1. A jar (I like Mason jars, but you can use any jar, can, or canister that allows you to place things inside). This jar I got at the container store on my trip to Charlotte last year.
  2. Items for decorating your jar. I used washi tape and a kids necklace. (optional)
  3. Ideas for journal prompts (Look for a printable soon)
  4. A dry erase marker to label your journal jar.

Now, there are so many ideas for creating journal jars out there that it would be difficult to cover it all in one post so what I’m going to do is tell you how I do mine. I start with a medium to a large sized jar. Then, I gather journal prompts from the Internet and my creative mind. ( Look for a post about that soon. )

journal jar

Once you have filled your jar with many journal prompts, you might decide to decorate your jar.

journal jar

I covered the flat part of the jar with washi tape and then hot glued a necklace that you can buy at the dollar store around the rim/lid of the jar. But  I sometimes use colored ribbon or other items to decorate around the top of the jar to give it a bit more flair.

Then each day when you are ready to write in your journal, just reach into your jar and pull out a prompt. I like to set a timer for about 30 minutes (you can adjust to how much time you have to write) and then just free write on my chosen topic until time is up. I love going back later and reading about the things I wrote because of my journal jar.

Now that you know some of the reasons journaling is beneficial to you, it’s time to get started (if you haven’t already). Have fun!

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8 Comments

  1. That is adorable!! What a fun thing to do with the family for things you appreciate, and then read some at the dinner table! 🙂 #HomeMattersParty

  2. Melissa, this is such a great idea! I think it would be wonderful to do with my kids this summer! They can all make their own jars and decorate their journals. Thank you for sharing!! #HomeMattersParty

  3. Sometimes I need a little inspiration for my journal writing activities. These are great ideas! Thanks for sharing them on the #HomeMattersParty

  4. Love how you decorated your journal Melissa. And Kim’s idea about using this for kids to decorate their own journal jar is awesome! #HomeMattersParty

  5. This is such a great idea! I need to get back to journaling. It definitely is a good stress reliever. I love your new blog header! #HomeMattersParty

  6. Thanks Michelle. The new header has been a long time coming. And I absolutely love it.

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