Writing and Journaling Challenge - 2026

August 2026 Writing and Journaling Challenge

Make a list of small ways to bless or encourage children and/or teens.

In the next few weeks a lot of children and young people will be headed back to school. This is a good time to think about some little ways to be a blessing to them. In the last decade or so, it has become more and more common for people to do big, grand gesture type things for children - trips to Disney World, cruises, excursions to expensive and exciting places, etc.

I think sometimes that social media and the deadly comparison disease have made people do things that make them feel like their "keeping up" with others, rather than thinking about the things that really matter. Occasional adventures are not necessarily bad, depending on what it is and why you're doing it, but sometimes the simple things are the ones that will have the lasting benefits and blessing in the kids' lives.

I have some memories of going to Disneyland because I was taken there at least twice when we lived in southern California when I was a kid. My grandparents took me once, and my parents took us at least once. But, my best memories with my grandparents aren't that. There are some funny memories there for sure, but my most cherished memories focus on being together and enjoying each other's company - not just in exciting places, but in unlikely places as well, like a gas station, a camp ground, a picnic under a eucalyptus tree beside the road, and dinners around the table together. Laughing together over family jokes or impromptu humor are high on my list of happy memories.

My parents took us on some special excursions too, including Disneyland, the Los Angeles Zoo, a train museum, Niagara Falls, etc. Curiously, though, some of those things I barely remember. I had more fun at a smaller zoo years later. A local park with a train engine we could climb on a play in was much more fun than the museum. My fondest memories were of my mom reading to us at bedtime, reading to my younger siblings myself when I got older, singing together in the car, visiting family, having my dad tells us stories, etc.

So, as you make your list this month, think about the small ways that you can be an encouragement or blessing to kids. Perhaps it's a one time event, perhaps it's something you do regularly that doesn't seem like much, but brings you closer together and brings the comfort and security of quiet, happy times together. In our loud and proud world, the humble blessings of simple family life are precious indeed.

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another...

My List

1. Make a regular time to read out loud to the children while they just listen or color. Older kids might like to do some handwork. Absolutely no phones. Screen free times are so needed for some kiddoes.

2. Teach children simple life skills in a cheerful way. (Examples: bake cookies or some special treat, fold laundry while cracking jokes, clean while singing or listening to funny songs, learn Bible verses together.)

3. Teach the kids to use old items - a dial phone, a hand held mixer, a record player, a garden hose with no nozzle, etc. There are so many things kids have never had to use now that we sometimes forget how much has disappeared from life that was normal when we were little.

4. Have a water balloon fight while the weather is warm. (Not massive toy water guns, just plain water balloons. The idea is small and inexpensive.)

5. Go for nature walks. Learn about the plants, birds, bugs, etc. that you see. You could even start a simple nature journal in a style that suits the child(ren).

6. Paint rocks and leave them in the park for other people to find. I have a friend who did this with her youngest daughter from time to time and they got a tremendous amount of enjoyment out of that.

7. Put encouraging notes and/or Bible verses in lunches or in places where the children will find them during the course of their day. (Not scolding or correcting things, but ones that will cheer and brighten their day.)

8. Listen to a suitable podcast, audio book or radio program while you work together (in the kitchen, folding laundry, etc.). Talk about what you hear and encourage them to form opinions and ideas of their own. They will need some guidance at times, but learning to think for themselves is huge.

My mother did this with me when I was a teen. We listened to "All Things Considered" on National Public Radio (quite possibly not a good idea now). It was not conservative, but they talked about a lot of life and news things going on in the world. We talked together about what we heard in a way that helped me learn to think about what I heard and express my views and thoughts out loud. When my opinions wandered into wrong directions my mom would help me reconsider, but she did a lot of just letting me think and converse for myself in a safe environment. I expect it also gave her the opportunity to talk about subjects of life that don't always come up in neat and tidy conversations, but which she knew I needed to know and start dealing with as I approached adulthood.

9. Pray together every morning.

10. Learn a new song together. (Pick a new one each month if you want to.)

11. Learn a new handcraft together. Make it skill appropriate. My Gramma taught me so many different craft skills, I'm not sure I remember all of them. Those times together are another of my precious memories. The fact that she helped me do some things that were technically beyond my skills level gave me confidence to try other things on my own as well, I think.

12. Write a handwritten letter. The child doesn't have to be far away. One of my most precious letters from my mom was written to me when we lived in the same household. Receiving a real letter in the mail is even more unusual for young people now than it was in the past. You could even enclose a stamp and encourage them to write back if you know it's something that child or young person would enjoy.

13. Teach a kid to cook a whole meal on their own. Keep within the realm of reality appropriate to their age and abilities.

14. Have a real picnic, with a blanket on the grass, along the roadside, at a park, etc. It can even be in the back yard if you like.

Free August journaling card. Click the download icon on the upper left (as of this publishing).

background and graphics by Mary Stephens
vintage graphics: unknown source