Sometimes, you need to simply sit down and write. It's a great way to process your feelings and just get better at expressing yourself. It's not always easy to get started, though. Prompts and journal topics for high school can help you get that pen moving over the paper and start your words flowing on the page.
Inspiring High School Journal Topics to Build Self-Expression
Being able to express yourself in writing is a powerful tool you'll use for the rest of your life. It's all about getting in touch with who you are and what you want to say. These journal prompts for high school writers can help you get started.
- How do you feel about society's expectations for how you express emotion?
- Describe something you did this past summer.
- Choose one of your personality characteristics. How does it help you or get in the way?
- Describe the perfect date.
- What is courage?
- Describe a hero. It can either be someone you know or the qualities of a hero.
- What was your most difficult or most joyous life experience?
- List one of your pet peeves and write about why it annoys you.
- What is your favorite activity? Who do you do it with? Why do you think you enjoy it so?
- Write about a good book you've read recently.
- What is something that you appreciate about your parents?
- What will you do differently if you're ever a parent?
- One problem I face that no one else faces is...
- One stereotype label I would use to describe my social circle is...
- My most unrealistic life goal is...
- The typical high school experience that best describes my personality is...
- Three words I'd use to describe my school are...
Don't edit yourself too much as you write in your journal. Stopping to correct errors or change up your sentences can interfere with the flow of your writing.
Good Journal Topics to Encourage Creativity
All you have to do is look around to see that our society is inundated with electronic toys and gadgets. This can make it harder and harder for kids (or adults) to think outside the box. Sometimes, taking a journey through writing is one way to encourage creative thinking in yourself.
- If graduation requirements dictated one "just for fun" class each year, what classes would you want on the "just for fun" electives list?
- List three innovative ways you could connect with friends when you're grounded.
- What is a creature, setting, or plot you've never seen used in a movie?
- If you hosted a podcast about your life, what would it be called?
- First there were viral memes, then viral videos, what visual medium will go viral next?
- Write a month-long diary from the perspective of another person, character, animal, etc.
- Re-write the ending of a historical event. For example, what if Columbus had never sailed the ocean, or what if he had landed where he intended?
- If you were going to write a book, what would the main character be like?
- What do you think should be invented and why?
- List one major world problem and how you think we should solve it.
- Do you think that there is or ever was life on another planet?
- Do you think that we can ever sustain life on International Space Stations? Why or why not?
- What would happen if it suddenly started raining spaghetti and meatballs?
- Is it important that a President not lie? Why or why not?
- What is the most important issue facing teens your age today? How should they deal with it?
Journal Ideas as a Response to Literature and Film
You can also keep a journal of your impressions, thoughts, and ideas while reading a book or watching a film. This can help you remember what you read and watch, and it's also a record for you for later (you'll be curious about what you thought of today's blockbuster movie in 20 years).
- What happened in a movie you just watched? What did you think about the plot?
- Summarize each chapter in a book you're reading, listing the characters and what the book was about.
- What do you think the author is trying to communicate through the book?
- Which character is most like you? Make sure to explain your answer.
- Choose a situation in the book or film and tell what you would've done differently.
- Re-write the ending.
- If you were to bring one of the main characters to school with you tomorrow, what would they find surprising about your day?
- What problems do the characters have that you also have?
- What is the main conflict in the movie or book?
- Do you like the book or film? Why or why not?
- What is the setting of the book or film? Would you like to live in the setting? Why or why not?
Prompts for Journaling as a Way to Keep Records
Writing in a journal is a really great way to keep track of what's happening in your life right now. Life changes a lot in your teen years, so write down what happens and how you think and feel about it.
- Keep a detailed list of the money you receive and spend, noting specifically what you've spent it on.
- Keep track of what you eat, when you eat it, and how it makes you feel afterward.
- Keep track of the exercise you get. Anything that picks up your heart rate counts!
- Keep a daily journal of how you're feeling. It doesn't have to be long, but it does have to have daily entries.
- Keep a science journal. Choose something to observe (the night sky or a newly planted plant would work) and observe it daily. Note the changes.
- What is the one thing that made your morning successful?
- Describe a teacher who made a big impact on your day yesterday.
- How much time did you spend on your phone today?
- Describe a product you use every day that's marketed to teens.
You don't really need to have an audience for your journal (especially if you're keeping it just for yourself and not for school), but it can be fun to write with the future you in mind. Think about what it will be like to read this journal in 20 years.
Journal Topics for High Schoolers to Use for Healing
Many people decide to journal in order to help themselves through a hard time. High school can be filled with stress and struggles, so journaling can be a way to get through it all.
- What is the biggest challenge you're facing this week?
- Has someone upset you, and you're keeping it inside?
- Did you overreact to something that now seems silly?
- Are you having a hard time fitting in at school?
- Do you want a different group of friends?
- Is there something going on at home that interferes with your schoolwork?
Journal Prompts Involving Time
We live in the time we happen to be born, but we're impacted by events of the past. We're also heading toward a future that could go in lots of different directions. Time and all the ways it can play out can be great inspiration for journal topics for high school.
- Choose a period of history and write a diary of what your day was like from that person's perspective.
- Write a journal entry as if a major historical event didn't happen. For example, what if Abraham Lincoln hadn't given the Emancipation Proclamation? What if Britain had won the Revolutionary War?
- What role do women play throughout history?
- What if Julius Caesar had a social media profile? Describe what it would be like, and share a few of his most recent posts. (You can choose any historical figure.)
- Live tweet any event from the 1900s to modern times.
- Write a letter or memo to a President from the last 50 years explaining what he should've done differently.
- Write a journal entry from the perspective of a historical figure's pet. From Paul Revere's horse to Bo, the Obamas' dog, describe the things you see and feel.
- What current "problem" or "problem behavior" won't be considered so taboo in the future?
- Why is your generation more open-minded and tolerant than previous generations?
- Has the stereotypical "high school experience" changed over the course of time?
Silly Journal Prompts for Just Having Fun
Writing doesn't always have to be serious. In fact, just fooling around and writing random funny things in your journal is a great way to get your creativity flowing. We love how these light-hearted prompts lead to funny journal entries.
- Declare your undying love for your favorite food in the form of a love letter.
- Write a break-up letter to an item of clothing that no longer fits.
- The expression, 'You are what you eat...,' turns out to be true. What have you turned into? Write about your day as your new food item.
- You have the opportunity to receive one superpower. What is it, and what do you do with it?
- Write a letter to your teacher with your best excuse for not doing your homework.
- Your parents suddenly become kids. What rules do you insist they have?
- Find the last photo on your cell phone. Caption it and explain the story behind the photo. You can write anything you want, as long as it's not true.
- Explain to a college why they shouldn't take you.
Many Reasons to Journal
Journaling is often done as a school requirement, but it really doesn't have to be. Use journal topics for high school students to write for yourself, too. Keeping a journal is a great way to keep records and look back on a specific time in your life, and it's good practice for expressing yourself (pretty important for the rest of your life).
