The note
How schools teach it now
Schools teach diary writing as informal, first-person (I, we) writing, mostly in the past tense, opening with a date or 'Dear Diary'. The key is feelings and reflection: what happened, how it felt and what the writer thinks about it now, not just a list of events.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
At bedtime, your child tells you three things about their day, and for each one says how they felt and why. Then ask: 'What will you remember about today?' That last answer is the reflective ending a good diary entry needs. Write one down together once a week.
Worked example
Write the start of a diary entry as a child on the first day at a new school.
- Date it and write as 'I' in the past tense: 'Monday 4th September'.
- Start with a feeling, not with waking up: 'I've never been so nervous in my whole life.'
- Mix events with thoughts and feelings, and finish by looking ahead.
Answer: Monday 4th September. I've never been so nervous in my whole life. My new blazer felt stiff, and my stomach did a somersault when I saw the gates...
Common mistakes to watch for
- Listing events ('then I had lunch, then we had maths') with no feelings.
- Slipping into 'he' or 'she' instead of 'I'.
- Forgetting the date or a reflective ending.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “I can really tell how you felt there. What did you think about it afterwards?”
- Rather than
- “Diaries are easy, just write what happened.”