I created my preschool journal templates to solve one of my biggest problems. As a preschool/pre-k teacher I struggled with finding an easy way to chart student progress while avoiding over-assessing. My friend and team member implemented journals in her pre-k classroom and suggested I do the same. Since it was not part of my normal routine, I needed to find a way to make it easy on myself as well as fun and engaging for the kids. The result is a set of preschool journal printables that does exactly that!
Preschool Journal Ideas
Finding ideas for preschool journals was incredibly easy. I started with a simple preschool alphabet journal first. I made several different journal templates for every letter. Next, I made preschool journal templates to align with every theme and holiday I could think of. Consequently, I now have preschool journal writing prompts for everything imaginable!
Preschool Alphabet Journal
For my alphabet journal templates, I started with letter tracing and coloring, then moved on to letter sounds templates. I made sure to make varying levels of difficulty so I would have options to level up as the year progressed. It is a good idea to begin the year with letter tracing and coloring and end the year with independent letter writing and beginning sounds drawing. I have so many choices, I can easily differentiate for all of my students. This is a fantastic way to show progress throughout the year.
Preschool Journal Writing Prompts
Since preschoolers are just beginning to learn to write letters, journal prompts need to be focused more on drawing and name writing. Each template should have a place for name writing, and a place for the date. I write the date so I can organize their journals and it is easy to see progress throughout the year. I let the children write their own names, but I don’t necessarily make them write it on the line provided. Even if their names are illegible, it is so important for the students to build their fine motor skills and work toward writing their own names.
For the prompt itself, I usually will have a simple question or statement. Something like, “My Family”, prompts the students to draw their family members. I will encourage writing the family names, but I don’t force it. (Keep a whiteboard handy to write words for the kids to copy).
Setting Up Journals
The first step to setting up your journal writing routine is a trip to Dollar Tree! I like to use simple three-pronged 2-pocket folders. (not plastic) At Dollar Tree, I can find a pack of 2 for $1. I usually have 18 Pre-K kids, so for $9, I’ve got my journal center ready for the year! During the first week of school, we will decorate our journals using a sentence strip and lots of stickers. The kids will write their names on the sentence strip and decorate their journals with markers and stickers. The best part of this for me as a teacher is that I get to see where my students are with their name writing and fine motor skills right off the bat! It is one of the best first-week activities that I do each year.
Journal Storage
All teachers love Target, and with good reason! I found the perfect book & binder holder for $2 at the Target Dollar Spot in July! When the kids are finished with their journal pages, they put the pages in the pocket folder by themselves, and then put their journal into the binder holder. We store the binder holder in my closet, and on journal day…I just grab it and go. he templates are stored by letter and theme/holiday in a milk
The Benefits of Preschool Journals
There are so many benefits to doing journals this way, I am so happy I added them to my routine! The kids start out the year feeling a sense of pride in their own work and a real sense of ownership to their journals. Each week we get name writing practice and chart progress through the year. Similarly, with journal writing, the kids have dedicated time for building fine motor skills and working on pencil grip. One of the biggest benefits is the self-expression that comes with drawing their own pictures and choosing their own colors to make it special.
My favorite part of our journal time is sitting with a small group of kids and just talking together and getting to know each other better each week. Finally, at the end of the year, you will have a portfolio of progress the kids are so proud to share with their parents. The best part…THEY did the work…not you. The only thing you will need to do at the end of the year is to use a hole punch and put the pages in order. It really is a wonderful center to add to your weekly routine!
I hope you implement journal writing into your routine. Preschool journal templates are easy to create, but if you want some amazing journal templates ready for your class…click on the link below for the set I use in my classroom each year! I promise…they will save you so much time and you and your students will LOVE them!
