One of the habits we’ve taken up at the beginning of this school year are Pre-K Journals. They’ve required some discipline some days, but I’m always so glad that we do them.
I love capturing every bit of childhood that I can, whether through photos or art or writing. When they were younger, I made sure to do all sorts of interviews whether for the everyday or for special occasions like birthdays, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. These journals are serving a similar purpose as the childhood interviews, but it’s a slower pace and paired with their own illustrations.
and smelled like “steamed hamburgers and popcorn.”
I’ve created a simple collection of prompts, each page with enough space for them to draw a picture and for me to write down what they dictate. I began each with a composition book, but it very quickly became me trying to force them to stay on one page instead of drawing one line on every page of the journal. It just wasn’t fun for anyone. It was less of a control issue and more of a focus issue. There were too many pages for them to complete a drawing. So the printed out prompts are nice for giving them the limitation of one page each day. I ask them to draw, often with pencil and if they’re excited about creating that day we’ll add some colored pencils or crayons or watercolors. Some days we just leave it as a pencil drawing.
These drawings have really shown a lot of growth. They went from being very abstract to learning how to create shapes for people and things and this is such a helpful prewriting exercise…the practice of hand eye coordination and pencil control.
Choice has been a super helpful tool on the days when they’re not completely in the mood. By asking if they’d rather tell me about the best book they’ve ever read or something they’re really good at, they’re empowered by getting to have some say in how we do the discipline.
The boys have been so proud of their work. We’ve been reading a book at breakfast most mornings and some mornings I’ll suggest that we feature one of their books. Their faces beam with pride when we do that.
To make it extra easy for you, I’ve included some simple instructions and a PDF below with our first 60+ pages that you can download and print. Enjoy!
MATERIALS:
- Cardstock— I recommend printing the cover on cardstock and using a blank piece of cardstock at the back to keep the pages in between from getting too wrinkled.
- Copy Paper— The other pages have held up just fine on regular printer paper.
- Brass Paper Fasteners— String would work just fine, but because of how frequently I add the new pages in, I like the brass pieces that won’t end up frayed.
- Photo— I think a photo of the child on the cover makes it feel more personal, but the child could also decorate it personalize it.
- Pencils— I like these Ticonderoga pencils because they are a little thicker and easier to hold.
- Crayons— I have a personal preference for the thick, washable Crayola crayons for preschoolers.
- Colored Pencils— I love the vibrant colors from these inexpensive IKEA colored pencils.
- Watercolors—These are the watercolors we’ve been using. A little goes a long way. I’ll usually have them select a few colors and offer them in small amounts on a palette.
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