With 86 billion neurons (or cells) in your brain, we crave new experiences and the ability to exercise curiosity consistently.
The brain does not engage with creativity in a singular way, instead the use of creativity and imagination forces many parts of the brain to work together — combining both our abilities to observe and to react / respond to those observations.
What happens when we use our imagination?
When we use our imagination — for things such as expressive writing, drawing, or even recalling situations — it engages the prefrontal cortex, which is also the same area of the brain used for rational decision-making.
Even more fascinating is the crossover between creativity and meditation! The prefrontal cortex is the same space activated during long periods of meditation; enhancing focus, presence, and memory.
Allowing your kids to use Journali alongside their daily routine can instill a new habit of engaging the creative space for their brain.
According to the Hebbian Theory, neurons that fire together wire together, meaning that the experiences we have at the same time can become connected. For example, if you always go to get an ice cream on a sunny day, eventually you will start to desire ice cream whenever the sun is out.
This insight to the brain can assist us in forming new habits — like introducing the act of writing into your day whenever you feel a wave of intense emotions come over you. Over time the neurons that fire together, will wire together, and when you feel caught in the wave of emotion you will turn to writing as an outlet for reflection and perspective to help understand what you’re experiencing.
Writing engages the parts of your brain that are responsible for motor skills, memory, and problem solving, along with increasing the neuroplasticity of the brain.
What is neuroplasticity?
“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the capacity to be shaped, molded, or altered; neuroplasticity, then, is the ability for the brain to adapt or change over time, by creating new neurons and building new networks.” — Psychology Today
Growing the neuroplasticity of the brain results in an expansive mindset that is capable of finding solutions and in-turn sets you up as a visionary for innovation.
To top it all off, writing is an active form of learning that can help you retain information for longer than simply reading or listening to someone speak. Writing by hand increases memory retention by engaging movement with thought and articulation.
And best of all, there is no time limit on the expressive act of writing; which can help children of all types — including those with learning difficulties — connect to the voice inside that is so easily drowned out in a world full of distractions.
Training our brain requires consistency, the more we treat our brains like muscles and push them to their limits, the more they will grow. What better way to jumpstart your child’s growth than with daily journal prompts for kids?
Overall, journaling can help organize thoughts while increasing brain power and self-awareness.
Need a journal for kids? Look no further! Ready…Set…Journali!
This article was written by Sav Lucia, and originally published on Journali.com. Read it here.
