Journal Writing Every Day in Pre-K

What’s Happening

If you’re an early childhood educator looking for a simple way to establish a consistent routine early in the year that builds toward independence, grows a sense of classroom community, and forges meaningful connections between you and your students, I encourage you to introduce journals into your daily repertoire. Whether you use a regular old black-and-white speckled notebook or another type of blank book, a journal can be a powerful tool for encouraging emergent writing while also fostering consistency, community, and connection in the early childhood classroom.

How it Works

Picture this… most of your four- and five-year-old students have just finished their snacks and cleaned up their tables. You are multitasking the transition from snack to the next activity while also thinking about what you need to prepare, and, at the same time, probably helping at least one child, or even two or three, with something… it could be almost anything. What are all of your other students doing? For me, establishing a consistent daily ritual when children know their job is to write in their journals helps ease a time that could otherwise feel chaotic.

In the early childhood classroom, “writing” consists mostly of drawing. This is exactly what it should be. Children can be taught a routine in which they get their journal from a designated location, sit somewhere (how you organize this is up to you), and write (draw) in their journals for a developmentally appropriate amount of time while their classmates are either finishing their snack, cleaning up, using the bathroom, etc. This routine can be taught very early in the school year, and with consistency, students will become accustomed to it and will go get their journals without reminders. Since young children (all children?) thrive on consistent routines, journal time becomes a safe space where children know what to expect.

When children see that everyone is writing in their journals, they begin to feel a sense of belonging that parallels what elementary school teachers might call a “writing community.” In my classroom, I allow students to sit wherever they want on the rug while writing in their journals. Some children tend to sit alone, while others immediately seek the company of their peers. Talking is allowed, as is copying, collaborating, and co-authoring in one another’s journals. As the writing process becomes more social, so too does the development of ideas, the co-construction of images and sometimes text, and the understanding that writing need not be a solitary activity, although being by oneself is always an acceptable option for those who prefer it. Community grows as everyone writes together, and writing becomes a predictable part of the day.

When children are immersed in a routine that expects them to draw and write freely in their journals, whether alone or with their classmates, teachers can find opportunities to connect with each child individually. One way this happens is through observation at first, followed by inquiry. Sitting beside a child who is drawing and asking them questions when they are finished, letting them dictate their ideas to you while you transcribe them (on the page or elsewhere), and finding ways to differentiate your interactions with them based on their relative strengths or weaknesses, drawing skills, comprehension, phonemic and phonologial awareness, and receptive and expressive language skills, are all valuable ways to connect with your students in a low pressure environment. While some young children may initially “freeze up” when you sit with them, over time, they typically open up and share much more with you about their work. And for children who have no problem “oversharing” with you about just about everything, connecting with them on the specifics of their journal work can be a powerful way to help them focus and feel authentically seen by you.

The Bottom Line

As another school year falls upon us (or has already begun!), I am encouraged by how journals can support consistent routines, community building, and meaningful connections with students in the early childhood classroom. In my classroom, writing time is shared. When young children feel invested in their work and sense that this time together is important, writers have the time and space to emerge.