May Journal Prompts

When scrapbooking May pages, the obvious place to get ideas for your journaling is from the photos you took in May. We are in the final full month of Spring kicking off with May Day then Mother’s Day and ending with Memorial Day. As you look at your photos/events from May what stories are emerging?

In this post I’ll share some journaling prompts with you for May photos. You may be current or you may be working with photos from the 1960’s … it’s ok, just jump in where you’re at. I’ll be posting journal prompts every month this year so eventually we will have the whole year covered with journaling ideas.

Besides photos, another place to get journaling ideas is from the current Sticker Packs and Variety Mat Packs you are using. Some of my May Journal Prompts are from my photos and some are from Creative Memories Homestead Sticker Pack and Homestead Laser Cut Embellishments Pack.

May Journal Prompts

Here are some journaling prompts to help you tell your stories from the photos you took in May (any year). Of course we all have different events and life circumstances but if you are stuck and not sure what to write about in your journal or in your scrapbook albums, I hope these prompts help jumpstart your journaling!

May Day…this fun holiday dates back so far no one knows the true origin. Romans held a festival in honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers. In England, the Maypole became popular to welcome summer. A pole was erected with flowers on top and ribbons hanging down upon which the children would grab a ribbon and dance around the Maypole. This sort of frivolity was frowned upon by the Puritans who settled in New England. Today in America it has taken on the form of children gathering flowers into make-shift paper baskets (our preschool used folded paper plates with a ribbon handle for this) and hanging them anonymously on someone’s door on May 1st. Do you celebrate May Day? If so, write about that tradition…take a photo of or document the surprise you found or the surprises you delivered.
Mother’s Day…good or bad, one thing we all have in common is we came from a Mother. How do you celebrate this day? What traditions do you have? This was my first Mother’s Day without my earthly momma. I was determined to be grateful for my children and not dwell on my sadness of missing my mom on this day. I have had some very sad Mother’s Days after experiencing the loss of a pregnancy. Or some very happy Mother’s Day like the one where my college age daughter surprised me by coming home that morning with a bouquet of flowers! One thing I like to do is take a photo of myself with my kids on Mother’s Day. THIS YEAR I FORGOT TO DO THAT! Oh well….I was still able to make a page with the few photos that were taken that day. I added a large Quote sticker in the corner of the page: “The most important work you will ever do is within the walls of your home.”
Life…what’s happening in your life? In May, I had a scare with my eye. I suddenly had trouble seeing out of one eye so the next day I went into the eye doctor and ended up having emergency laser surgery for a torn retina! That was not on my to do list for May. Sometimes life is like that…it will throw us a curve ball. Your scrapbooks aren’t always the highlight reel of your life. It’s ok to share the challenges or not so fun moments as well. On this page I wrote about the experience and how scared I was but also how Blessed and grateful I am for modern technology that can fix things like this! You can use laser cut embellishment titles to prompt your journaling. That’s what I did with “Life” — I wrote “That’s Life. Life has it’s ups and downs…..what a surprise when….” and then I told the story.
Life is Better When You’re Laughing…this is another laser cut embellishment that can prompt some fun stories! What was cracking you up in May? You know, those deep belly laughs that make your sides hurt? When was the last time you laughed like that? Why? or Why Not? In my 2020 Pandemic Journal I added a page spread just of funny memes that were being circulated at the time. It brought some levity to my journaling and also highlighted some of the fears and absurdity of finding ourselves in the middle of a global pandemic. Today find something funny to add to your album, journal or planner.
Memorial Day…Decoration Day as it used to be called or Memorial Day is a time to honor those who gave their lives while on duty serving our country. This holiday originated two years after the Civil War when the women of Mississippi honored the graves of both the Confederate and Union soldiers by covering their graves with flowers. People all over America were moved by this and in 1868 Decoration Day came to be the last day in May. Decoration Day officially became a federal holiday as we know it today as Memorial Day in 1971. Each of my family albums has at least a page of this somber event (except the last two years because of the pandemic canceling the event). I take photos of the veterans as they give their 21-gun salute to the memories of their lost shipmates or soldier friends. What does this day mean to you? Is there someone in your family who died in service that you would like to honor on this day? Document that for future generations.
Yay!…what brought you joy in May? Was there anything else you celebrated in May? My daughter adopted not one but TWO puppies and I became their grandma! What joyful photos for my album. I used a circle theme for the pages and used circle stickers for some words spread throughout the page as well as my journaling onto circular cardstock. You can see the video here of 10 Tips for Simple, Fun and Meaningful Journaling in your Scrapbook Photo Album, Journal or Planner! May is also the time for dance recitals and Spring sports to wrap up. Be sure and print your photos if you are doing your child’s school albums.

Journaling Tips: 10 Tips for Fun, Simple and Meaningful Journaling in your Scrapbook Photo Album, Journal or Planner!

I hope these journal prompts and ideas are helpful to you as you write in your scrapbooks, planners and journals. (For April journaling prompts, check out April Journal Prompts). If you would like weekly encouragement with your writing, join my Wednesday Writers Club on Instagram or Facebook!

For simple, fast page ideas for May, check out May Page Layouts and Tips to speed up your scrapbooking

Thank you for being part of a Dash of Story community. I appreciate you and it’s so nice to be on this memory keeping journey together. DL