Kids Filofax Style Planner Flip-Through

A Purple Themed Filofax Style Planner For Kids

What better way to treat a younger member of the family than with the gift of a Filofax style planner and lots of goodies? In this post we'll look at this pretty planner I bought for my niece, and also explore why scrapbooking and journaling can help children to express how they are feeling in healthy ways during the coronavirus lockdown.

I consider my niece to still be a kid, but the fact that her new favourite colour is purple instead of pink suggests that she may be edging into teenhood. She is 12 years old, but still quite young at heart and in mind. Aside from the colour purple, she is also obsessed with cats. So I thought I would treat her to a little lockdown gift, as she has been struggling a little with the isolation.

Oh, who am I kidding, this was a total indulgence in my own Filofax addiction. It was a blatant excuse for a guilt-free planner haul, and yes I experienced weeks of joy ordering purple and cat-themed goodies to fill this adorable lilac planner. Honestly, this project had nothing to do with my niece, we all know the truth, but let's not tell her that, eh? Ahem! Now that I have got that off my chest, let's carry on with the post, shall we?

A Fun Filofax For Kids (Who Remembers The Funfax?)

When I was putting together this little thing of beauty, I had no idea how my niece would use it. I'm not sure what a 12-year-old would need a planner for, especially during a pandemic lockdown when she has no school and no life. So my only plan of action was to fill it with cuteness.

Who remembers Funfaxes? When I was about my niece's age, maybe a little younger, I can't remember, there were these things that resembled Filofaxes, but they were for kids. I always wanted one, but I never had the pleasure of owning a Funfax. Did you? If you are old enough to remember them, leave a comment under this post!

Conveniently, my niece's new favourite colour - purple - isn't difficult to work with. Firstly, I found this bargain Filofax style planner on eBay for under a tenner, brand new, and such a beautiful lilac colour, it was spot on! When it arrived I was very pleased with the quality too, the rings are nice and firm and the material felt like leather, even though it wasn't.

Initially, I thought it was pocket-sized because the eBay description was a little misleading, so I got a bit of a surprise when it arrived in the post. I had already ordered pocket-sized inserts too, so that was a waste. But after seeing the personal size I decided that she would enjoy the extra space, and it was still small enough not to feel overwhelming for her.

Planner Set Up For Kids

I purchased lilac Filofax paper inserts to match the planner and went for the blank paper because I know that my niece loves to draw. I also got some fun purple pompom paperclips for a "tween" vibe, and a big pink bow with a rose gold clip for a bit of girly class and style.

My next mission was to fill the planner with cute cats in order to inspire my niece to make her own inserts. So out came the Pets At Home magazines, and I cut out the cutest kitties to stick in. I made secret pockets, inspiring page layouts, removable flowery tabs, and a cat-themed folder for purple sparkly heart stickers.

I then used my new Paperang Thermal Printer to print off bespoke stickers, using anime/manga pictures of girls with cats that I found on Pinterest, because I know that my niece loves to read anime/manga comics. This would help to make the planner feel more personal to her straight away.

By the time I had finished creating this purple explosion of creativity, I had that familiar feeling. It was the same feeling I got when I purchased a Filofax for my sister many years ago. You remember it don't you? It was bright red, and when it arrived in the post I fell totally in love! It was the time I bought my sister a Filofax and kept it! Yeah, well those were the feelings I was getting towards this precious little lilac planner. 

I did, however, manage to part with my creation, and give the lilac planner to my niece. She was thrilled. Now all I have to do is make sure that she doesn't lose interest in it. Not everyone is a die-hard Filofax addict, after all. 

How To Encourage Children To Express Their Emotions In A Healthy Way

I think that scrapbooking and journaling is such a rewarding and therapeutic hobby for adults, and kids can also benefit from this creative activity. The thing with young humans is that they have shorter attention spans and can sometimes lack motivation or direction. This doesn't mean that you can't get them into using a scrapbook or journal to record their thoughts and feelings in a fun and creative way.

Now is the perfect time to provide children with an opportunity to express themselves, as being stuck at home with siblings or by themselves if they are an only child, and not being able to see their friends is tough. Children don't always know how to express how they feel, so it can be more difficult for them to deal with their feelings during this time. Those feelings may come out in different ways. Maybe a child becomes more introverted, or starts to act out?

How To Help Children To Process Their Feelings Through Creative Activities

My niece was struggling with her feelings, and so her mum told her to go to her room and put all of her feelings down onto paper. She suggested her to write a poem or a letter.

After a little while, my niece came downstairs to show her mum what she has written. It was a beautiful heartfelt letter, and surprisingly reflective and empathetic.

In another exercise, she wrote a surprising poem that expressed her resentment toward the coronavirus.


I am hoping that they will dig out a book that I bought for my niece's birthday a couple of years ago to encourage her natural talent and interest in writing poetry. Unfortunately at the time she was a little young for the book, but perhaps now she would find it useful and inspiring. It's a great book for helping kids to express themselves with words.

You can click on the image to flip through the book on the Amazon website. My affiliate link will also earn me a little bit of revenue if you decide to make a purchase while you are over there.

Writing down her thoughts in a creative way helped my niece to express and understand her feelings, and afterwards she felt much better. She also felt more connected to her mum after they had read the letter and poem together and talked about it. I think it's important to connect properly with kids right now, as being away from school, friends and teachers can make them feel lonely.

I really wanted to encourage my niece to continue expressing herself in this way. I have always loved to write in journals and draw in sketchbooks and collect things in scrapbooks, and my niece is super creative too.

How To Inspire Kids To Use A Journal Or Scrapbook

Every child and every family is different, and you may not find my tips useful or relevant. So I thought that I would just share what I am doing with my niece, and if it inspires you, then - hurrah!

• Be creative together - Whether your child wants to write thoughts or poetry in a journal, draw pictures in a sketchbook, or stick things down in a scrapbook, there is nothing better than doing it together. My sister uses a planner and collects stickers. She also loves to draw, and so this is something that they can sit down to do at the same time. Spending quality time doing things together can help to motivate and direct younger children Despite being separate because of the coronavirus lockdown, we have found a way for my niece and me to spend productive time together. Once a week I do one of her homeschooling lessons with her using Skype so that we can see each other and discuss the topics together. We always do her English homework so that the task is creative and fun. It's a bit like having a teacher or doing work with her classmates.

• Set a regular time - Sometimes, making journaling or creativity a habit can help to create consistency. In order to encourage my niece to enjoy her new purple planner regularly, I have decided to put together some "Happy Mail" for my niece once a week. I will drop it off at her house so that she can enjoy new stickers and goodies to use in her new planner. This will help to keep the activity fresh and exciting. If you want to do something similar for your kids you could find a suitable subscription box to sign up to so that they can enjoy receiving something in the mail every week, fortnight, or month.

• Provide a fun, easy, and creative prompts list - As you probably know, a journal or planner can be intimidating when you are not used to using one. Sometimes you simply have no idea what to write, draw, or stick in! A prompts list is a great way to spark creativity and inspire children to lose their inhibitions and enjoy themselves. Some prompts might include writing a journal entry, poem, or drawing a picture about their day. Drawing meals can be a fun way to journal. What about providing the first sentence for your child to continue? For example, "If I could have a pet cat..."

Planner Silent Flip through

I've also filmed a flip through of the planner, check it out...

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE !

Thank you for reading my blog. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below if you enjoyed reading my post. Tell me what you thought of my lilac, cat-themed Filofax style planner...


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