https://www.journee.club/blog Ideas for getting children into reading, keeping imagination alive and screens in their place, from the team that writes Journee's story letters. en-gb Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.journee.club/blog/books-for-10-year-olds https://www.journee.club/blog/books-for-10-year-olds Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Books for 10 year olds who are ready for bigger stories: ten real favourites, adventure, mystery and heart, and why each one suits a growing reader at ten. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/books-for-6-year-olds https://www.journee.club/blog/books-for-6-year-olds Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Books for 6 year olds that are a pleasure to share: ten real favourites, from first chapter books to read-alouds, and why each one suits a new reader at six. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/books-for-8-year-olds https://www.journee.club/blog/books-for-8-year-olds Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Books for 8 year olds who are reading on their own: ten real favourites, funny, spooky and brave, and why each one suits a confident young reader at eight. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/personalised-books-for-kids-honest-guide https://www.journee.club/blog/personalised-books-for-kids-honest-guide Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Personalised books for kids compared fairly: Wonderbly, Librio, Hooray Heroes and Dinkleboo, what each makes, what to look for, and how letters differ. Gifts https://www.journee.club/blog/christmas-gifts-that-arent-screens https://www.journee.club/blog/christmas-gifts-that-arent-screens Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Christmas gifts for children that aren't screens: a reading torch, post that keeps coming, a letter from you, a box for building, and a story all year. Gifts https://www.journee.club/blog/on-our-bookshelf-october https://www.journee.club/blog/on-our-bookshelf-october Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT On our bookshelf this month, a book for grown-ups: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, on why it is so hard to pay attention, and what it says about children and play. Bookshelf https://www.journee.club/blog/how-to-encourage-imagination-in-children https://www.journee.club/blog/how-to-encourage-imagination-in-children Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Encouraging imagination in children is mostly leaving room: open-ended play, a little boredom, stories that leave the pictures to them, and a real choice. Imagination https://www.journee.club/blog/gift-for-a-child-who-has-everything https://www.journee.club/blog/gift-for-a-child-who-has-everything Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Stuck on a gift for a child who has everything? Ideas that aren't more toys: something that keeps arriving, something they do, something with their name on. Gifts https://www.journee.club/blog/its-not-just-the-children https://www.journee.club/blog/its-not-just-the-children Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Attention spans and phones are not only a children's problem. What the research says about grown-ups' phone habits, what children copy, and signs of change. Screen-free https://www.journee.club/blog/help-a-reluctant-reader https://www.journee.club/blog/help-a-reluctant-reader Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your child won't read for fun? What helps a reluctant reader at home: their own choice, stories that pull them on, reading aloud, audiobooks, less pressure. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/reading-for-fun-is-back-up https://www.journee.club/blog/reading-for-fun-is-back-up Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Children's reading for pleasure rose in 2026 for the first time in years. The National Literacy Trust's figures, what goes with enjoyment, and what to try now. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/gifts-for-grandchildren-far-away https://www.journee.club/blog/gifts-for-grandchildren-far-away Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Gifts for grandchildren far away: things that keep you in their week rather than one parcel, from a shared book on a video call to a story with you in it. Gifts https://www.journee.club/blog/bedtime-questions-that-start-a-story https://www.journee.club/blog/bedtime-questions-that-start-a-story Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Twelve bedtime questions that start a story, and how to keep one going: say yes and add one thing, let them decide the next bit, stop on a cliffhanger. Imagination https://www.journee.club/blog/why-a-story-in-chapters-beats-a-binge https://www.journee.club/blog/why-a-story-in-chapters-beats-a-binge Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why we send a story one letter at a time: the wait is part of the story, a cliffhanger works in the days after, and a child who is wondering is imagining. Behind the Scenes https://www.journee.club/blog/how-a-journee-letter-is-made https://www.journee.club/blog/how-a-journee-letter-is-made Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT People write the world, the story and the cast. We use AI for a single job. Most letters are read by a person before they are posted. The whole route, honestly. Behind the Scenes https://www.journee.club/blog/why-post-not-email https://www.journee.club/blog/why-post-not-email Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT We could send the story to your inbox in a second. We put it in an envelope and wait a few days instead. Here is why the wait is the point, and what it costs. Screen-free https://www.journee.club/blog/the-great-paper-u-turn https://www.journee.club/blog/the-great-paper-u-turn Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Screens in schools: Norway, Denmark and Sweden put a tablet on every desk and now pay to bring printed books back. What happened, and what it means at home. Screen-free https://www.journee.club/blog/the-ps-trick-at-bedtime https://www.journee.club/blog/the-ps-trick-at-bedtime Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every letter ends with a choice. Here is how a few families use it to turn one letter into a week of talking, and how to tell us what they picked. How-To https://www.journee.club/blog/on-our-bookshelf-september https://www.journee.club/blog/on-our-bookshelf-september Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT On our bookshelf this month: The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, a story told in five nights since 1968, and the best chapter-a-night read-aloud we know for a family. Bookshelf https://www.journee.club/blog/reading-aloud-to-children-who-can-read https://www.journee.club/blog/reading-aloud-to-children-who-can-read Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why keep reading aloud once your child can read alone? What the surveys show about when it stops, and how to keep a chapter a night going at seven and beyond. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/why-boredom-is-good-for-children https://www.journee.club/blog/why-boredom-is-good-for-children Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why boredom is good for children: what happens after twenty minutes of complaint, why a screen in every gap removes it, and what to do instead (mostly nothing). Imagination https://www.journee.club/blog/what-to-write-in-a-letter-to-a-child https://www.journee.club/blog/what-to-write-in-a-letter-to-a-child Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT What to write in a letter to a child: an opening only you could write, a question that needs an answer, a secret, a doodle, a P.S., and why to post it. How-To https://www.journee.club/blog/are-journee-letters-suitable-for-children-with-dyslexia-or-other-learnings-needs https://www.journee.club/blog/are-journee-letters-suitable-for-children-with-dyslexia-or-other-learnings-needs Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Moritz grew up with dyslexia: what got him reading, what helps a dyslexic child enjoy a story, and what we can change in a Journee letter for learning needs. Reading https://www.journee.club/blog/real-letters-imagination-in-digital-age https://www.journee.club/blog/real-letters-imagination-in-digital-age Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Why a real letter, written for one child and waiting on the doormat, does something for their imagination that endless content cannot, and how to use one. Screen-free