Review of “The Kids Gratitude Journal and Activity Book Series” by Apryl Monte

Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)

The Kids Gratitude Journal and Activity Book Series is truly one of the most outstanding collections of journals & activity books for children that we have ever seen!

These gratitude journals aim to actively encourage children to be appreciative and helpful citizens/ tenants of the world. They teach kids to be mindful and reflective about themselves and the world around them.

It is spectacular how author Apryl Monte was able to pack so many relevant, helpful, educational, and thought-provoking activities into her books without it being overwhelming or confusing for children. Just the opposite, actually! These books are simple, clear, concise, and specific. For example, children are encourage to write a letter to a loved one telling them how thankful they are for them. They are asked to list three people or things they are thankful for or good things that happened to them that day.

Everything in these journals is bright, colorful, inviting, welcoming, and—above all—POSITIVE! These journals are incredibly positive, calming, and uplifting. No, you don't get bombarded with inspirational, motivational, or even educational quotes. Actually, these books are beautiful in how engaging and interactive they are. They actually invite the student to participate in their own learning and to come to their own conclusions through the Socratic method—the asking and answering of questions to come to a conclusion.

We could presumably see these prompts being fantastic for freewriting assignments at the beginning of a class. Children from as young as maybe fourth grade could write their responses to these prompts. Younger children might be able to do it with adult assistance, perhaps with the child dictating their thoughts like with some preschool assignments.

There are some inspirational quotes to be found as well as positive affirmations. That's quite standard for books of this nature.

Not only do their journals excel in their educational purpose, but they also excel in just being pleasant to go through and look at. Everything seems so well thought out in terms of the aesthetics. Even the lines are wide enough for younger children with less fine motor skills to be able to write in! Clearly, the author must be an experienced educator. Aside from how bright, colorful, and beautiful all the graphics and layout are, every journal is also in theme. For example, the autumn journal features autumn leaves and woodland animals as well as a yellow-orange-brown aesthetic that fits the season. The spring journal features a wide variety of nature scenes such as flowers, friendly bugs, pets, grass, eggs, and the sun. There's also a heavier emphasis on outdoor activities, sports, and games.

The summer journal is very aquatic in its theme, featuring water scenes, flip-flops, beach balls, and sea creatures like whales. The winter journal, as you might expect, places a heavier emphasis on “snowy” or “icy” colors and cool-weather things like snowmen, ice skates, snowboards, scarves, and penguins. Interestingly, the journal not only features Christmas references but also Hanukkah references, making this journal (and the others) quite inclusive. Speaking of inclusivity, this book contains a lot of representation of different groups of people and races.

All in all, we found these gratitude journals for kids to be incredibly impressive!

Check them out on Amazon!