Handwritten JournalPress kit
The only handwriting app that keeps the page instead of the score. Everything on this page may be used for news, reviews and features. Full-resolution screenshots, a 30-second clip and interviews are available on request.
Facts
| Name | Handwritten Journal (home-screen name: Journal) |
|---|---|
| What it is | An iPad journal for children of roughly five to eight. The child says what happened today; the words appear on a ruled page; they write over them in their own hand. Ink is marked letter by letter as they write, stroke order is taught on the spot, and every finished page is kept as a dated journal that exports as a PDF. |
| Platform | iPad, iOS 18 or later. Apple Pencil recommended; finger tracing optional. English. |
| Price | Free. No ads, no account, no subscription. |
| Category | Education |
| Privacy | App Store label Data Not Collected. No network code. On-device speech recognition; no audio recorded. |
| Availability | App Store, autumn 2026 |
| Developer | Matt Vorst, independent developer |
| Contact | hello@handwrittenjournal.app |
Boilerplate
25 words
Handwritten Journal is an iPad app where a child says what happened today and writes it in their own hand. Every page is kept. Nothing leaves the iPad.
50 words
Handwritten Journal turns what a child says about their day into a ruled page they write over in their own hand. Ink is marked letter by letter as they write, stroke order is taught on the spot, and every finished page joins a journal that becomes a book in their handwriting. iPad only, free, and nothing leaves the device.
100 words
Handwritten Journal is an iPad app for children of roughly five to eight who are learning to form their letters. The child says what happened today; the words appear on a ruled page in big, friendly letters; they write over them with a pencil or a finger. Ink inside the letter turns green and ink outside turns red, as they write. A letter drawn out of order is taught before they carry on. When a line is finished the guide disappears and their handwriting stays. Each page joins the journal, newest first, and the whole book exports as a PDF. It is free, with no account, no advertising and no server; speech is recognised on the iPad and no audio is kept.
Downloads
- App iconPNG, 512 × 512. 1024 × 1024 on request.
- Press fact sheetPDF, one page
- One-pager for parentsPDF, one page
- One-pager for schoolsPDF, one page
- One-pager for therapists and specialistsPDF, one page
Screenshots
iPad 13-inch, portrait. Click for the web-size image; 2064 × 2752 originals on request.
Where it sits
| Tracing apps | Kids' diaries | Handwritten Journal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The child's own speech is the content | — | — | Yes |
| Per-letter grading, live | Some | — | Yes |
| Stroke order taught during real writing | In drills | — | Yes |
| The guide becomes the child's ink, in place | — | — | Yes |
| Pages kept as a book | Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Nothing leaves the device | Varies | Varies | Yes |
What it is not
Not a curriculum, not a reading app, not social, not online, not cursive. It does not claim results in any number of weeks. It is a journal with a handwriting engine underneath, and it says so.
“Handwriting practice is dull. Journalling is not. If the sentence a child practises is one they wanted to say, practice stops being practice.” — Matt Vorst