50 Best Journal Prompts For Teens For Mental Health And Healing

This list of journal prompts for teens will help you find the best ways to get unstuck when you are looking for journaling topics. 50 great ideas!

Writing Prompts For Teens

Being a teenager can be tough. You are not a little kid, you are in control of many things in your life, and yet you have people telling you where to be and what to do most of the time. The teenage years can simultaneously be some of the best and the worst.

Whether you feel like you’re having the perfect day every day or struggling with difficult emotions, this list of writing prompts will come in handy. Be the main character in your own story and look at journaling as a form of personal expression. There are no right or wrong answers here – only answers that will help you get to know yourself a little bit better.

Benefits of Journaling

Learning self reflection can be the hardest thing one does when working on their mental health, but it is also one of the most beneficial. There are important things – a difficult situation, a family member who impacts you daily, a good friend who you actually hate, etc. – that you can’t say out loud. Saying it feels too real, too revealing. Which is where journaling can come in.

Writing something that is just for you is a great way to develop and encourage personal growth. Whether you want to label it a gratitude journal, a daily journal, a diary, or anything else, having a safe space where you can express your true thoughts and feelings is a benefit to young people and older people alike.

What Are Journal Prompts?

Journaling prompts are creative writing prompts that are meant to inspire a stream of consciousness about a range of topics. They are a great tool to inspire new ideas and one of the best ways to help yourself get into a journaling habit when you’ve embarked on a journey of self discovery.

These specific journal writing prompts are geared towards middle school students, high school students, and young adults, but they could easily be inspiring to anyone of any age.

When one is stuck on a journal entry and trying to write on a regular basis, this list of questions is the best thing to get a teen journaling. The answers can apply to more than one situation or more than one person, so most of the questions can be answered over and over.

For additional ideas, you can check out these lists of:

When Should I Use These Creative Journal Prompts?

Whether you are staring at a blank page in your journal or feel like you need some new inspiration, these prompts are good things to have handy. Whether you’ve committed to a whole year of writing or are doing it for a short time (like during summer vacation), we all run out of journal topics and creative ideas to write about.

The first time you draw a blank, these ideas will give you some new ways to think about things. Whether it is a random word that catches your attention or a specific theme that instigates a feeling, go with it. Acknowledging your feelings and seeing how you relate to others will help you develop your emotional intelligence.

How To Choose A Journal

The journal you choose should be something you enjoy writing in. You may see it first thing in the morning, so choose something that makes you feel connected and reflects your personal style.

Parents who are choosing a journal for their child – a young girl may not like pink and not every teenager likes black, so please make a good choice that reflects your child’s personality. Better yet, allow them to choose a journal themselves. This will be their vehicle for creative thinking and personal development, so it should be something they want to write in.

There are many different styles of journals, so consider that as well. If you want something that is more like a notebook or a diary with completely blank pages, go for one of those.

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If you would prefer something with inspirational quotes as well as room for journal entries, pick one of those.

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The good news is that these days, there is a journal for everyone. You should be able to find varieties on Amazon, at Promptly Journals, Walmart, Target, at your local bookstore, or stationery store.

List Of Journal Prompts For Teens

1. Do you feel connected to your parents/guardians? What makes you feel connected or disconnected?

2. What do you wish your parents/guardians would do differently?

3. Do you feel that your parents/guardians love you? How do they show you they love you?

4. Do you feel that your parents/guardians like you? How do they show you that they like you?

5. How do you want to be like your mom? How do you not want to be like your mom?

6. How do you want to be like your dad? How do you not want to be like your dad?

7. What other family member/caretaker has impacted your life and how?

8. What is your happiest memory with each of your parents/guardians?

9. What is your favorite childhood memory with one of your siblings? Why was it great?

10. Are you close to your sibling(s)? How do you know that you are or are not close? How does that make you feel?

11. What is a great trip that you took with or without your family? Why was it great?

12. Who makes you feel heard and why?

13. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Do you still want to do that and why or why not?

14. What are you really good at and how does that make you feel about yourself?

15. What are you really proud of and why?

16. What do you wish people would know about you without you having to tell them?

17. What is your most difficult memory and why was it such a hard time?

18. Do you enjoy school? Why and why not?

19. Is there a teacher you don’t like? What makes you dislike them?

20. Do you have a favorite teacher? What makes them your favorite?

21. Who is your favorite person and why?

22. Is your family religious? How does that make you feel and why?

23. About what do you wish people would “back off” of you and why?

24. Do you feel like your parents/guardians trust you and why?

25. Do you feel like your friends trust you and why?

26. Why do you think your parents/guardians do or don’t give you space to make mistakes?

27. Do you feel like your parents/guardians are there for you when it counts and why/how?

28. Who is someone you look up to and why?

29. Who is your favorite singer/band and why are they your favorite?

30. What is your favorite song and why does it resonate with you?

31. What is your favorite book and why?

32. Do you like yourself? Why and why not?

33. What could you do so that you might like yourself more?

34. What has someone said to you in the past that plays on a loop in your head? How does it make you feel?

35. Do you like your birth name? Why or why not?

36. Who is your best friend? What about them makes them special to you?

37. What are your favorite and least favorite things about social media and who you’ve connected with?

38. What are your favorite video games and why?

39. What is the best advice you would give somebody? Why did you choose that advice?

40. Who provides a safe space for you physically, emotionally, and/or mentally? What makes them a safe space?

41. Where are your favorite places to be? Why those places?

42. What is your favorite color and why?

43. Do you look forward to a new school year? Why or why not?

44. What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

45. What were your favorite toys or favorite things as a child? Why did they mean so much to you?

46. What mistake have you made that you won’t make again next time? Why will you do it differently?

47. What are some of your favorite movies? Why are they special to you?

48. Describe the kind of day that would make you happy. What is it about this day that evokes happiness?

49. If you were on a deserted island and could bring two people and two items, who and what would they be? Why are those your choices?

50. What do you wish you could tell your younger self?

This list of writing prompts is just a beginning. Create your own fun list of your favorite food, favorite season of the year, favorite tv show, favorite fictional character, famous actor, or your best concert in addition to the deeper questions above.

Remember, there is no wrong way to delve into this writing process. It is okay to have favorite journal prompts and specific topics that you keep coming back to. You may continue to have different ideas about your past or future self, so allow yourself to go with it.

Learning the little things and the big things about yourself will lead you to positive change and growth in your life. Best of luck in your process.