Inspiring Inner Child Journal Prompts

Is the little one inside of you still crying out for love? It sounds like you need these journal prompts for healing your inner child.

Every person’s past is littered with situations that have both shaped and scarred them and formed the person they are today. Our backstory is as unique as our fingerprint, which means we all need to work through our past slightly differently. 

While it may seem like what’s done is done, you can tackle your past in a positive way. No, you can’t take a time machine back to your childhood and undo all your trauma, but you can rewrite your current story in a way that accepts your past without letting it define you.

These writing prompts for inner healing will allow you to identify the root cause of any negative emotions associated with your past and work through those to gain more self-worth. 

Benefits Of Journaling To Heal Your Inner Child

Let’s take a look at the benefits of journaling to heal your inner child.

Self Acceptance 

All negative situations and remarks have a damaging effect on our confidence, and for many people, this damage is permanent and follows them into adulthood.

By healing your inner child, you’ll begin to see the light at the end of a dark tunnel and realize your self-worth. You’ll allow yourself to let go of the past and accept both the child inside and the adult you’ve become.

Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Looking back over the past, you’ll be able to see patterns in your way of dealing with situations and identify your coping mechanisms.

From there, you’ll be able to address unhealthy methods of coping and work through them, in order to replace them with healthier and more beneficial practices.

Avoid Passing On Generational Trauma

Nobody wants to pass on their own trauma to their children. However, if your inner child is still hurting, it becomes difficult to not reflect that in your parenting.

In order to raise your future children in the best way you can, you need to let go of the trauma that surrounds your own childhood. 

How To Use Journal Prompts For Healing Your Inner Child

It can be challenging to unpack your childhood all at once. Regardless of whether you had a pleasant upbringing or not, everyone faces some trauma throughout these pivotal years. 

Step 1: Take it slow, and don’t try to answer all of these writing prompts for healing your inner child at once. Instead, choose a couple at a time and dive deep into your memories to recount the thoughts and feelings you experienced at that time.

Step 2: Give yourself time to sit and think about your childhood. Allow yourself to be with your thoughts and process events from an adult perspective.

Step 3: Bookmark this page to revisit when you’re ready to continue with this list of journal prompts for inner healing.

Daily Journal Prompts For Healing Your Inner Child

Here are 60 journal prompts for healing your inner child, to enable you to move on from your past and look to the future.

1. What’s one thing you wish you could change about your childhood?
2. What single event in your childhood has impacted you into adult life?
3. Which personality traits did you learn as a child, based on your situation?
4. What was your relationship with your parents like as a child? How has that impacted your ability to open up to them as an adult?
5. As a child, did you feel like you could tell your parents anything?
6. What is one secret you kept from your parents?
7. What is the most vivid memory you have from your childhood?
8. If you could give your childhood self one piece of advice, what would it be?
9. Who made you feel loved unconditionally as a child?
10. What is your happiest memory as a child?
11. When were you made to feel unworthy as a child?
12. Were you ever bullied as a child?
13. Who was your idol as a child? Why did they mean so much to you? Looking at them through the eyes of an adult, are they still a worthy role model?
14. When did you feel the most free?
15. What are three activities or hobbies you absolutely loved as a child? Do you still practice them now? If not, why not?
16. Is there anyone you were super close to as a child but aren’t in contact with now? What made you lose your connection?
17. What was your favorite birthday celebration?
18. What were your ambitions as a child?
19. Write about a time when you worked really hard on something and your determination led to success.
20. Write about your favorite school project. What did you like about it?
21. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? If so, write about them.
22. Who were you closest to growing up? Write about a special memory you shared.
23. What is the best gift you were given throughout childhood?
24. Can you pinpoint a moment where you felt that you lost your “childhood innocence?”
25. What are your earliest memories of feeling happy and loved? 
26. What are your earliest memories of feeling anger?
27. What is the worst thing you witnessed as a child?
28. Was there ever a time you felt that you had to act beyond your years in order to deal with a situation?
29. When did you accidentally hurt someone’s feelings? Did you apologize?
30. What was your biggest fear as a child?
31. What are your earliest memories of feeling insecure and rejected?
32. Did any teachers make an impact on your life as a child?
33. When was the first time you lost someone close to you? How did you deal with it?
34. How will you parent your children differently from how you were parented?
35. Do you have any unresolved issues from your childhood? How can you allow yourself to let them go?
36. What was your favorite childhood book?
37. What was your favorite TV show/ movie? What did you love so much about it?
38. What was the best vacation you took during your childhood? What made it so special?
39. What was your favorite food? How often were you allowed to eat it?
40. When was the first time you felt shame?
41. What are your earliest memories of being criticized? How did you feel?
42. Were you in a race to grow up or did you relish childhood? 
43. Do you look back on your childhood with fondness?
44. Were you introverted or extroverted as a child?
45. Who was your first crush?
46. Write down one positive thing about the way you were parented.
47. What was your favorite game to play as a child?
48. How do you feel when you spend time with kids now?
49. Write about a time you were punished for something you did.
50. Write about a time you were wrongly punished for something you didn’t do.
51. What was your favorite subject in school?
52. What values did your family instill in you?
53. What was your relationship like with your siblings? How has your bond changed over the years? 
54. Did you feel like you and your siblings were all treated equally? 
55. Is there a situation that you blamed yourself for as a child, but as an adult can see it wasn’t your fault? 
56. What emotions do you associate with your childhood home?
57. Did you witness a lot of arguing in your home as a child? What was your method of coping with it?
58. How do you mirror your parents’ relationship in your own relationships?
59. Which personality trait would you like to let go of by healing your inner child?
60. What emotions do you hope your own children feel when they look back on their childhood?

Final Thoughts On Journal Prompts For Healing Your Inner Child

It may have been difficult recounting your past with these journal prompts for healing your inner child, but we promise you that the healing has already begun, whether you know it or not. 

If you want to continue working on yourself, check out these posts:

• Affirmations for fear of abandonment
• Journal prompts for forgiveness
• Positive affirmations for trust