Are you having trouble getting your children to write stories or writing in general in your {Catholic} homeschool? Why not introduce journaling into your day? It is really a simple addition to your day which won’t add much more time and the rewards from it are priceless!
Morning transitions from breakfast to school time are a snap this year since I instituted morning journal time for my children in grades K, 1, 3, and 4. It has become part of our routine and schedule as well, making it a breeze to clear off the table and get excited about starting the school day and writing!
Not only does journaling encourage a great transition into our school day but it also instills a love for writing, for staying on topic, and also a good way to get ideas organized on paper without the stress of their work being formally graded. For the younger children they get to draw and begin labeling pictures, they also dictate the words they would like to write. Sometimes I write it for them other times, I write it in highlighter or lighter marker so they can trace the words and in turn practice handwriting! The older children get a chance to practice putting sentences together and spelling words as best they can. I do not formally check for spelling errors (no red marks in their journals) but do guide them to spell words as best they can.
Another reason to do journaling each morning is to allow them time to draw a picture to go with their words. This is important because it helps your child match picture with text which is an important reading strategy. So them writing then drawing pictures to go with their writing helps them develop this important reading skill. I have a child who does the opposite because he is a visual learner, he first draws a picture then he writes about it in detail because the more detail in their pictures the more they have to write about. This was a child who hated writing so allowing him to draw first has helped him write better and learn to love writing. This is why I really love using Mead’s Primary Journals since they have space at the top to draw a picture and at the bottom for writing. In hindsight, for my fourth grader I should have gotten a journal with more lines and less drawing space but that is on the plans for next year. This is what it looks like:
Journal prompts might be easier than you think. The key is to keep it simple. The neat thing is to see the younger children develop their prompt into something simple and the older children take it a step further and make it more complex. Be smart about prompts and use the material your children are working from in other subjects! Is it a feast day? Why not incorporate it into your journal prompt? A lot of days I als do what I call free journaling, which means the children can write about any subject they like. They love free journals days and get very creative! Shhhh! Don’t tell them they are leaning about history, math, science and religion while journaling…and you might even pick up some prompt ideas from free journal days, your children might surprise you.
Journal prompts are not necessary but they do help. Your prompt can be open ended or it can ask a question. I have taught my children to borrow from the words on the prompt. This helps them stay on topic and also builds their vocabulary as I try to use bigger words in the prompt. For example, if the prompt is: “What is something amazing you did this summer?” Their entry would be, “Something amazing I did this summer was….” Here is a list of thirty-one FREE journal prompts to help you get started, that is a whole month’s worth of prompts!:
1) What is something amazing you did this summer?
2) What is your one favorite subject in school?
3) In your free time, what do you like to do?
4) What is your favorite song and why do you like it?
5) Today is the feast of Saint Michael, what do you like about him?
6) I woke up one morning to the sound of _____, I felt _____ because…..
7) I went to the museum one time and suddenly…….
8) My favorite thing we did this weekend was….
9) I love Fall because…..
10) Helping around the house is important because….
11) My father/mother is _____ because…..
12) I love learning about All Saints! My favorite saint is ____________ because….
13) If I were President, I would….
14) I am afraid of ________ because…..
15) There is a dinosaur living in my closet….
16) If I was invisible I would…..
17) I am really good at….
18) Sharing with others is important because….
19) When Our Lord Jesus walked on earth, He….
20) My favorite room in my house is…..(why?)
21) When I grow up I want to be…….
22) I love my grandmother/grandfather because…..
23) Father _____ is a really ______ priest because……
24) Something that makes me really happy is…..
25) My favorite song is _____________ because…..
26) My favorite hobby is ____________ because…..
27) Where would you love to go to next Summer? why?
28) If I won $1,000, I would use it to buy……
29) If I could fly like a bird, I would go to…..
30) Write a letter to your mom/dad.
31) If there were no televisions, internet or video games, what would you do with your time?
These I just wrote off the top of my head. At first prompts were not so easy for me but once I got into it, I could come up with a long list of prompts. Here is my son who is six writing to the prompt, “I was in a museum looking at a _____ when suddenly….”
This next example is one I worked with my four year old, yes he is four and loving school (unschoolers don’t lynch me, lol). We were working on this as a journal entry and it turned into a fun writing assignment. The prompt was, “If my bed were a _____, and I were an ______ in it, I would ________ into __________ like _____________.” This came from a fun poem we read the day before. I wrote some of the words and the ones underlined he traced my words which I wrote in a highlighter. here is what it looked like in the end.
In summary, there are at least five reasons, if not more, as to why daily journaling is beneficial in your {Catholic} homeschool:
1) it is a great way to transition into school.
2) gets the children’s creative juices flowing.
3) it allows them a calm activity first thing in the morning.
4) it helps them practice their spelling.
5) it allows them to practice writing and handwriting.
Do you already do journals in your {Catholic} Homeschool? What are some of the prompts you use? What do you like about it?