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Journal Prompts for 2nd Graders

12 free PDFsUS Letter or A4No login

Twelve journal pages with friendly prompts about me, feelings, imagination and school, each with a full page of writing lines.

Download the journal prompts worksheets

All about me

Journal pages about yourself, your feelings, your favorite place and what you are thankful for.

Imagine

Pretend prompts about being tiny, being the teacher, inventing something and choosing between two wishes.

Think and remember

Writing about school, the weekend, a problem you solved and your hopes for the year.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these journal prompts worksheets

Journal writing builds the habit of writing every day. There is no right answer and no grade, so children can write freely about what they think, feel and imagine. Regular journal time builds stamina, fluency and ideas for longer pieces.

These journal prompts for 2nd graders come one to a page, with a short prompt at the top and a full page of second grade writing lines. Some pages have a box to draw in. The prompts cover all about me, feelings, gratitude, would you rather, inventions, if I were the teacher, the weekend and a letter to future me.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.1Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

How to use them

  1. Read the prompt aloud and give your child a minute to think.
  2. Set a timer for 10 minutes of writing.
  3. Invite your child to share a sentence they like, but keep journals private if they want.
  4. Collect pages in a folder to make a journal for the year.

Teaching tips

  • Don't correct journal spelling. The goal is getting ideas down.
  • If a child is stuck, ask a question about the prompt and have them write their answer.
  • Use the same prompt at the start and end of the year to see growth.
  • Pages with a drawing box are good for reluctant writers: draw first, then write.

Questions teachers and parents ask

How long should a 2nd grader write in a journal?

About 10 minutes a day is a good start. Many second graders write five to eight sentences in that time.

Should I correct journal writing?

Not usually. Journals are for practicing ideas and fluency. Save corrections for pieces your child will revise and publish.

Are these journal prompts free?

Yes. All twelve pages are free to print on US Letter or A4.