Make a Vacation Journal

When they were younger, my kids always kept a journal of our family vacations. They recorded what we did each day, and highlighted our route on a map I stapled into the journal. Years later these journals still bring back  fond memories.

Ages 5 and up; Download Printable PDF

An entry from my daughter's journal; the text (corrected for spelling errors) reads:

We Saw a moose while we were canoeing. There were lots and lots of blueberries on Blueberry Island. There were long hikes everywhere (from a trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada).

To Construct Your Journal You will Need:

printer paper

construction paper (two sheets of 9 x 12 or one sheet of 12 x18)

photocopied map, if desired

ruler

stapler

pencil

To Make Journal Entries You Will need:

Your journal (of course!)

a Pencil and crayons, markers or colored pencils

a highlighter

stickers, if desired

Adult Construction:

1.      Make the pages of your journal (one page for each day of vacation works well). Use a ruler to draw parallel lines on each piece of printer paper; this is where written entries will go (lines may be spaced further apart for younger children, closer together for older children, or omitted for very young children). Leave the top half of the paper blank for sketches. Note: to save time, you can draw lines on one sheet of paper and photocopy it.

2.      Print or photocopy a map of the place or places you plan to visit.

3.      Place the map and lined paper between two sheets of construction paper.  Staple along the left side. 

Kid Entries:

Now you are ready for vacation! Label the cover of their journal, and decorate with drawings and stickers as desired. Use a highlighter to mark each place you visit on the map, record what happens each day and, of course, have fun!