Unlocking Confidence and Creativity with Sixth-Grade Journal Prompts

50 Journal Prompts For 6th Graders

What if journaling could unlock a more confident and motivated version of yourself? Today, we uncover the unexpected power of journaling through the lens of prompts designed for sixth graders from the Lestallion website. We explore how simple questions, like recounting a moment of pride, can significantly enhance cognitive function and self-efficacy, as backed by Penderbaker and Smith's research. These prompts transport us back to a state of childlike wonder and introspection that many of us have lost along the way.

But it’s not all nostalgia and self-reflection. We also examine the whimsical prompts that challenge us to imagine ourselves as superheroes or to envision a world where animals can talk. These creative exercises reveal our core values and ask us to reconsider our relationship with nature and society. Whether you're uncovering your sense of justice or the importance of personal relationships, these sixth-grade journal prompts offer profound insights and unexpected wisdom for adults. Tune in to see how these seemingly simple exercises can lead to meaningful self-discovery.

LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.

For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
https://lestallion.com/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
So today we're diving into something kind of
unexpected, I think.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
It's the power of journaling, but, with a twist,
we're using prompts that aredesigned for sixth graders.
Interesting yeah so our sourceis this website, Lestallion.
They're all about journalingand they have this blog post
called 50 Journal Prompts forSixth Graders.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
And it's really interesting because even as an
adult, looking at these prompts,they're pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, I think it's interesting how these prompts.
They seem simple.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Right.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
But they kind of force you to return to this like
fundamental self-reflection.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
That I think we tend to lose sight of as we get older
.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Like you don't really think about that when you're an
adult, but yeah, you kind oflose that like yeah.
Like childlike wonder and likeintrospection.
Yeah, for instance, one of theprompts that asks write about a
time you felt really proud ofyourself, like I wouldn't think
of that as like a really deepquestion, but yeah, maybe it is.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, and you know there's.
There's a growing amount ofresearch that actually points to
the psychological benefits ofeven like these short journaling
sessions.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Really.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, and there was this study by Penderbaker and
Smith.
Okay, it was called ExpressiveWriting and Working Memory.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
And they actually found that when people reflected
on positive experiences, itactually improved their working
memory.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah.
So it kind of suggests thislink between acknowledging
accomplishments, even small ones, and like better cognitive
function.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
That's really interesting.
So you're saying that, likeconsciously recalling those
moments of like, pride orwhatever that could actually
have an impact on like how ourbrains work?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Exactly, and it ties into this concept of
self-efficacy, which isbasically like the belief in our
own ability to succeed, and sothe idea is that by, like,
regularly engaging with theseprompts and reflecting on these
moments of pride, yeah, it canactually strengthen those neural
pathways in our brain that areassociated with confidence and

(02:05):
motivation.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
That's really cool.
So it's like we can actuallyrewire our brains.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
In a way yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
To be more confident and motivated.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Exactly, and I think that's.
It's a really cool idea.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah, and it's not all about, like you know,
looking back on our successesand stuff.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Right.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Lestallion also throws in these like curveball
prompts that are kind of justseem like whimsical and fun at
first glance.
Like one was imagine you are asuperhero for a day, okay, which
is a fun thought, but like whatare we really supposed to get
out of that?

Speaker 2 (02:35):
as like grownups, yeah, I mean, I think the point
isn't really to imagine likeputting on a cape and fighting
villains or anything like that.
It's more about uncovering yourvalues.
Oh, putting on a cape andfighting villains or anything
like that.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
It's more about uncovering your values.
Oh, okay.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Like if you could strip away all the limitations
of everyday life.
You know, yeah, what wouldreally matter to you, what would
you prioritize if you had thepower to make a real difference
in the world?

Speaker 1 (02:58):
So it's more about self-discovery than, like,
exactly Fantastical powers.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, like if your first instinct is to use your
superpowers to like rightsocietal wrongs or something
right that says a lot about yoursense of justice and your
desire for positive change.
But if you'd be more likely tofocus on, like, helping your
family and friends, okay, thenthat kind of highlights the
importance of thoserelationships in your community
that's so interesting how theselike prompts that are meant for,
like sixth graders can be solike insightful.

(03:28):
They really make you think theydo.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Another one that I thought was interesting was
right about a day when animalscould talk.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Oh, it's a good one.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
It's like kind of a funny thought.
But I feel like it could leadto some interesting places.
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
I feel like it could lead to some interesting places.
Yeah, definitely.
I think we tend to view ourrelationship with nature through
this like very human-centriclens.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
And that prompt forces you to step outside of
that perspective for a second.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
And think like how would our?

Speaker 1 (04:05):
interactions with animals change.
If they could actually liketell us what they were thinking
and feeling, right like, if theycould actually tell us what
they wanted and what they needed, exactly that would completely
change things I think so itwould probably make us really
reevaluate like how we treatanimals in the environment for
sure.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah, it's a powerful thought experiment it is.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
I mean, it's easy to get caught up in these like
thought experiments and stuff,but like, realistically, how
much time can we actuallydedicate to journaling?

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, that's a good point.
I mean, I think it's reallyabout you know it's got to work
with your life, right?

Speaker 1 (04:36):
Right.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's not about, like you know, filling up notebooks
or anything like that.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Right.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
It's just about that like intentional reflection.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yeah, just taking a little bit of time for yourself.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Exactly.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
To process things.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, and I know Lestallion, they sell these like
really beautiful journals.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
But honestly, like it doesn't really matter what
you're writing in Right it?

Speaker 1 (05:03):
honestly it doesn't really matter what you're
writing in.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Right, it's the process that matters.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
So it's really about just getting it out of your head
and onto paper.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Exactly Just that act of writing can be so powerful.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Huh, yeah, I never really thought about it like
that, but it makes sense.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, it's about connecting with that part of
yourself Mm-hmm, you know it'slike curious and likes to think
about stuff.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Which can be hard when you're busy with life and
everything.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Definitely.
Yeah, it's easy to kind of losesight of that.
Well, this has been a reallycool deep dive.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, it has.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Like.
Who knew that sixth gradejournal prompts could be so
insightful?

Speaker 2 (05:37):
Right.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Like I kind of want to try some of these myself.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, I think we should.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
And like on that note , here's something to think
about, Like okay.
Lestallion focused on sixthgrade but, like, how do you
think these prompts would changefor different ages?

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh, that's interesting.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
Like what, would you tell your younger self we're
like what, would you ask yourfuture self.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, that's something to think about, I
guess.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
It is.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
All right everyone.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, that's all.