Fun Way to Get Started on Art Journals & Laugh Journal Prompts
{fill your cup} Weekly Journal Prompts
Scroll all the way to the bottom for the writing prompts. You can take just 10 – 30 minutes on these prompts. Read through and respond to what strikes you, or simply take the journal topic and go in your own direction – this is about what you need.
This week we start six weeks of including Art Journal Prompts as well – include the kids! My kids and I are exploring art journaling with CWK sponsor Artterro. This is a great time to experiment as we're all beginners – we'd love to have you join our play!
The first prompt for Kids and their Grown Ups is: Laugh!
What you'll need for this prompt:
- A sketchbook or paper for each participant
- Your choice of basic art supplies – crayons, watercolors, markers
- A sense of humor
Preparation:
Round up your art supplies and lay out a vinyl table cloth if desired. Have washcloths ready for clean up.
Goofy Glasses for painting in: optional, but highly recommended.
Getting Started:
Before heading to the art table, get everyone laughing.
Ideas:
- Ask the kids to teach you their best dance moves. Try teaching them to do the running man.
- Play “Baby if you Love me Smile.” Whoever is “it” has to say to someone “Baby if you love me smile.” and try to get that person to grin without touching them. That person has to say “Baby I love you, but I just can't smile.” without smiling. If they smile, they're it. (Sidenote: Good thing I'd chosen laugh for a prompt, as that's all I could do when my first attempts at this game fell completely flat. Later though, while we were painting it made everyone giggle to try playing again.)
- Have a silliest face contest.
- Play Ha! – everyone lays down with their heads on someones stomach (a circle if you can manage it and starts our saying “Ha! Ha! Ha!” until everyone is laughing for real.
On my journal page I painted balloons and wrote down the annoyances I just need to lighten up about on them.
Art Journal:
The whole point of starting with the word Laugh is to get us all in a light-hearted mood about art journaling with the kids. No complex supplies or instructions – just starting out on a fun note.
Prompts:
Note: If your kids are just thrilled to paint or draw and have no desire to follow a prompt, no worries – enjoy the time and work on your own journal. This isn't about getting everyone to do the same thing, it's about connecting over art with your kids.
- Can you make a picture that makes me laugh?
- What does laughing look like in your belly?
- Can you draw a funny picture of me? How would I look with a mustache?
Art Fun:
I demonstrated how you can draw with a crayon and then paint over it with watercolor and the crayon works as a resist.
I showed them that we could paint on the page, wait for it to dry and then write on top.
For you – write, paint, draw or collage about the questions below…or follow the kid prompts above!
“Lighten up Lissy!” years and years later I can still hear my dad's voice saying this to me when I was a child.
If there's one thing I'm good at, it's taking myself and the world a bit too seriously. It spills into my parenting as well – so often humor and goofiness would smooth over a situation with my kids, but I forget and get all wrapped up in the right way to deal with it and forget to loosen up.
- When was the last time you laughed until you cried? What makes you laugh like that?
- What is a goofy way you could break the tension next time the kids are getting on your nerves? Could you start the laughter going before taking care of correction if you feel discipline is needed as well?
- What in your life feels serious or frustrating right now that will make a funny story later?
- Do you ever use laughter to hide from nervousness, fear or sadness? How much of this is useful and when do you need to feel the uncomfortable emotion under the laugh?
This Fall the {fill your cup} journal prompts are sponsored by Artterro. These wonderful art journal kits are a great way for you and your kids to try out Art journaling. Why not use the weekly {fill your cup} prompt in an art journal?
Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.