At the beginning of the school year, I ask each parent to provide a composition book for their child. I label the covers with their names and photos.
I keep their journals in a basket that sits on a shelf in our reading corner all year. When we rotate our small groups each day, one group sits at the journaling table. However, the journals are available for the 3's to use at any time. They are quite proud of their books and take good care of them.
I introduced their journals by drawing a circle on one of the pages and providing markers. They could do whatever they wanted with it.
Then, I provided circle stickers. Some placed them in a circle shape, others placed them inside the circle. I added some other shapes, too, such as a gingerbread person when the 3's were very into The Gingerbread Boy book.
Then, some dictated what their picture was about.
And they started trying to mimic my writing.
I vary the writing tools. I have added stencils, letter stamps, stickers, and textured items for rubbings.
Often, when the children finish other small groups, they ask if they can move to the journal table. They are so focused, adding their own pages. Even the ones who might not normally enjoy focusing on fine motor activities love their journals. This is a great start to future journal writing!
Added later:
Many of you have asked what notebooks we use for our journals. We use Mead Composition Notebooks. I love the size!
I do similar activities with my 3-4 year olds. we use binders instead of composition books but i like the idea of composition books because they are pre-bound. thanks for a beautifully photographed blog post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephanie! I did try 3-ring binders but the pages ripped out too easily. The composition books are sturdy, plus a nice size for the 3's to handle.
Deletehello,my son is also 2- year-old n ur all activity is very useful for me.He is now going to learn shapes and angles.Thankyou so much for all this..
ReplyDeleteSo happy you are finding some good activities for your 2 year old. It's such a fun and busy age!
Deletehi,
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What a wonderful idea! I love that they are so proud of their books!
ReplyDeleteThank you, LeeAnn - they really are so proud of them!
DeleteI am very happy to see you implementing a type of journal writing activity at this age. I am a high school teacher, and we write in our journals daily. As a mother to a 2.5 year old, this reminds me that I need to get her started on journal writing!
ReplyDeleteI try to offer opportunities for writing in many areas of the classroom. Clipboards in the block area, pads of paper in the dramatics corner, etc. That, plus a print rich environment, encourage even the youngest preschoolers to take a great interest in letters and eventually reading and writing!
DeleteI enjoyed seeing the kinds of things you do in your journals. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI bought journals for my threes too and never even set them out yet!! I will take them out right away and get started!!
ReplyDeleteHello! I just discovered your blog and it is wonderful! I am a Preschool English teacher and I also teach a group of 2 year olds privately in their homes. Your blog is full of very useful ideas and projects that I can adapt for my lesson plans. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and know how with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am so happy you've found some useful ideas and projects!
Deletejuat shared this via fb! i love this idea what a great way to introduce more literacy activities!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the sharing of information. I found the information very useful. This is a great item you posted. I'll be back to read some more.
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I love this idea and can't wait to implement with my 3 and4 year olds as well as my daughter. I would be interested in reading more about your journals!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE this!! I'm going out to buy a journal for my son today. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I don't know why I never started one with my son at home when I do it everyday with my students in 1st grade:) Im going to share this idea on my Facebook link with this post link attached:)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Please let me know how your son likes it!
DeleteThank you for the sharing of information. I found the information very useful. This is a great item you posted. I'll be back to read some more. new york retirement community
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! My little guy turns 3 in December, and I have been planning his preschool curriculum...I'm definitely going to use this idea! Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI love this! My kids (3 and 6) are going to do journals this summer. I can't wait to do some of this with them.
ReplyDeleteDo you let them do as many pages as they want? Or just one at a time? I think my 3yo might fill up the whole book in one day! ;)
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I've let them do as many pages as they want, and so far the 3's have really respected their journals and still have many blank pages, even though the school year will be over in 2 weeks. They will often go back to a pages with just a few marks and add more. They cherish their books and are excited to finally take them home soon!
DeleteI just discovered your blog and LOVE it. I have spent hours reading through your posts. You have so many amazing ideas. I love the idea of implementing journals at this age. Do you ever do more formal entries like asking them to make a circle or write their names etc? Thanks again for sharing all your ideas.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chantel! I encourage them to write their names, or a letter in their name, when they are ready, but it's very informal, and part of what they are already doing. In the 3's class, my hope is to get them feeling comfortable about having their own journal and using writing tools. I did have some children who wrote their names and drew pictures by the end of the year, but it was on their own. When they move on to the pre-K 4's class next year (different teachers), they will begin a more formal journal routine, where they will be given a topic to draw and/or write about.
DeleteWhat size are the journals? In some photos they look large and in others smaller.
ReplyDeleteThey are 9 3/4" x 7 3/4". I love the size because they aren't overwhelming for the preschoolers, and they stack nicely in a small basket.
DeleteOh and I forgot, do the parents view the journals throughout the year?
ReplyDeleteWhen the parents arrive to pick up the children, some love to grab their journals and show their parents. I don't formally display them for parents to view, but who knows? I just might this year. :)
DeleteThis is nice - when creativity is encouraged, it gives free rein to grow in many areas not just art.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!!
DeleteI am a writer. My website for children is The Chronicles of The K-9 Boys and Girls on Locus Street http://www.pshene.webs.com/
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Hi, Just came upon your site. It is great. I am a speech and language pathologist and have created a free speech/language and learning resource for families. You can view developmental milestones and watch free videos to teach you how to promote speech and language skills. I also have an online journal and some extras available to track kids speech/language progress. Your site has great activities that can provide lots of terrific language rich vocabulary. I'd love for you to take a look at my site, Little Talkers, when you get a chance- http://www.littletalkers.com. If you would ever like me to share some information on speech and language development let me know. Also check out some of my blog entries to see how to incorporate language skills during every day activities. You can contact me through my site or facebook. Would love to connect.
ReplyDeleteI teach 3's and wanted to try journals with them. How do you keep them from writing in all the pages at once?LOL
ReplyDeleteI have a three year old who does great with her recognition of letters, sounds and numbers, but struggles with fine motor skills (such as coloring). Her preschool teacher has told me to have her work with playdough to build muslces and to have her practice her motor skills by stringing beads and other things.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I love this idea for working on drawing shapes and beginning writing.
THANK YOU