Each child in the class should have their own journal. These do not have to be fancy hardbound journals or filled with hundreds of blank pages. In fact, for preschoolers, the simpler the journal the better. You can purchase a one-subject, wide-ruled notebook for each child in the class and allow each child to decorate the cover. Or, you can create your own journals using materials you may already have in your classroom. To make simple journals, use two sheets of 9x12 construction paper. Insert several sheets of unlined copy paper between the two sheets of construction paper and staple along the edge to create a book. Label the front with the child's name and allow him to decorate the cover with markers, crayons, stamps and stickers.
If space allows, create a journal center in your classroom. In addition to the journals, provide a child-size table and a few chairs. Allow children to lounge on the floor to write in their journals if this is where they feel most comfortable. Make sure there are plenty of writing utensils displayed in eye-catching ways. A few examples of what to include in a dedicated journal center are pencils, markers, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, alphabet stamps, letter and shape stencils, highlighters, old magazines, scissors and glue sticks.
Dedicate a few minutes at the end of each preschool day for journal writing. In order to give each child something to write about, ask a question for children to answer in their journals using words or pictures. Be sure to write the question at the top of the page in the child's journal. Allow the children to answer the question using whichever medium they choose. Be sure to ask the child to tell you about their words or pictures when they are finished answering the question. Jot down what the child is saying about his journal drawing on the back side of the page. A few examples of questions to ask for guided journal writing are "What do you want to be when you grow up?" or "If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?"
In addition to providing a specified journal writing time at the end of each day, allow children access to their journals whenever they feel the need to draw or write. Tell children that a journal is the perfect place to reflect upon important events that happened during the day such as a birthday party, a field trip or a special guest visiting the classroom. Be sure that children know that the journals are available to them at all times. Include a date as well as a short note about the subject on the back of each completed journal page.