Journaling Prompts for Kids: Making Mental Health Less Scary This Halloween

Halloween can be a spooky time, filled with costumes, cobwebs, and creepy stories. But for children, mental health can sometimes feel even scarier than ghosts or monsters. Talking about feelings like anxiety, sadness, or anger can be difficult, especially when kids don’t yet have the words to explain what they’re experiencing.

Writing or drawing can help children express emotions in a safe, creative way. By framing mental health as Halloween journaling prompts for kids, we can make big feelings less frightening and easier to talk about.

Why Journaling Helps Kids’ Mental Health

Journaling isn’t just for adults. It can be a powerful tool for children, too, particularly when it comes to building emotional literacy and resilience. Here’s why:

• Naming feelings reduces fear. When kids can put words or pictures to emotions, those feelings feel less overwhelming.

• Writing slows racing thoughts. Just like adults, children benefit from pausing to reflect instead of spiralling into worry.

• Journaling creates a safe space. A notebook or guided journal becomes a judgment-free zone where kids can explore thoughts privately.

• It builds problem-solving skills. By writing about challenges and solutions, children learn they can face difficulties with confidence.

• It encourages creativity and imagination. Especially with prompts linked to monsters, magic, or costumes, kids get to process emotions through play.

Research shows that expressive writing lowers stress hormones and improves well-being, even in young people. For children who may struggle to talk about mental health, journaling becomes a bridge to communication.

Why Halloween is the Perfect Time to Talk About Feelings

Halloween is about play, imagination, and facing fears safely. Kids dress up as monsters or ghosts, watch spooky stories, and laugh at things that might otherwise be scary. This makes it the perfect backdrop for introducing mental health journaling activities such as:

• Monsters become metaphors. Worries, sadness, or anger can be drawn as creatures instead of being bottled up inside.

• Costumes make it fun. Children can “dress up” their feelings on the page.

• Magic brings comfort. Spells, charms, and potions become ways to describe coping strategies like deep breathing or asking for help.
  

By linking journaling to something already exciting, Halloween, you make it less intimidating and more engaging.

Fun & Spooky Halloween Journaling Prompts for Kids

Here are some creative prompts to help children express emotions in a Halloween theme. These can be adapted for writing, drawing, or even acting out in play.

Prompts for Younger Children (ages 5–8)

• If your worries were a monster, what would it look like? Draw or describe it. Is it big, small, loud, or quiet?

• If sadness wore a Halloween costume, what would it be? A ghost, a shadow, or something else?

• What makes you feel safe, like a superhero? Draw yourself in a costume with all your strongest powers.

• Imagine your journal is a treasure chest. What magical things would you hide inside to help you feel calm?

• If your favourite toy came alive on Halloween, how would it help you chase away scary thoughts?
  

Prompts for Older Kids & Pre-teens (ages 9–12)

• What helps you defeat your worry monster? Write about the superpowers (like deep breaths, talking to a friend, or journaling) that make you feel stronger.

• What’s one thing that feels like a “trick” (hard or scary) and one thing that feels like a “treat” (happy or fun) in your life right now?

• Imagine a magic spell that makes you calm and happy. What words would you say? What colours or shapes would you draw?

• If your journal could talk, what kind of friendly monster would live inside it to keep your secrets safe?

• Write a short story about a Halloween night where you meet your “anxiety monster” and make friends with it instead of running away.
  

Prompts for Teens

• Write about a time you felt nervous but faced your fear anyway. What helped you do it?

• If anger were a Halloween villain, what would its powers be? How can you beat it with your own powers?

• What would your “inner superhero” costume look like? What qualities or strengths would it represent?

• Imagine writing a letter to your future self, giving advice for when life feels scary. What would you say?

• Create a “spell book” page filled with your best coping strategies, things that calm you down or lift your mood.

Tips for Parents and Teachers

Journaling works best when kids feel supported. Here are some practical ways adults can help:

• Provide the right tools. Fun stationery, coloured pens, or journals with prompts make it inviting.

• Create a routine. Set aside 10–15 minutes after school or before bed as “journal time.”

• Model the habit. If children see parents or teachers journaling, they’ll be more likely to join in.

• Respect privacy. Journals should be a safe space, let kids decide what they share.

• Make it playful. Encourage drawing, doodles, or stickers alongside words.
  

For families looking for structured support, the Discovery Journal Beginner Journal is designed to help older kids and teens. With guided prompts and accessible layouts, it introduces emotional well-being activities in a way that feels safe and creative. The Discovery Journal can be a great option for children, especially those who are neurodiverse. A specially designed version includes sensory trigger sections, accessible fonts, and simplified page layouts to support kids with reading or writing difficulties. This thoughtful design makes journaling easier, more engaging, and truly inclusive, helping every child build confidence in expressing their feelings.

Combining Journaling with Other Mental Health Activities

While journaling is powerful, it’s even more effective when paired with other supportive practices:

• Mindfulness exercises. Teach kids grounding games like “5-4-3-2-1 senses” when they feel anxious.

• Movement. Encourage a dance break or outdoor walk before journaling to release energy.

• Art therapy activities. Drawing monsters, shadows, or superheroes works as a visual form of journaling.

• Storytelling. Have children turn their monster drawings into short stories about courage and overcoming fear.
  

These methods together help children see mental health not as something scary, but as something they can understand and manage.

Halloween is all about facing fears playfully, and journaling helps children do the same with their emotions. By turning worries into monsters they can draw, describe, or even laugh at, kids learn that feelings don’t have to be scary. They can be understood, managed, and even celebrated.

Whether your child writes, draws, or tells stories, journaling offers a fun, safe, and powerful way to explore mental health. And with tools like the Discovery Journal, children can begin building lifelong habits of resilience, reflection, and emotional well-being.

So this Halloween, while the costumes and cobwebs may come and go, journaling can stay behind as a gift that keeps helping kids long after the spooky season ends.

Have a look at some of our other spooky articles!