Journal Keeping in a Charlotte Mason Homeschool: First Grade
In the Charlotte Mason method, a child’s education is an invitation to engage with the world thoughtfully and creatively. One of the most delightful tools for fostering observation, reflection, and expression in early learners is journal keeping. In first grade, journals become more than just notebooks, they are living records of a child’s learning, discoveries, and imagination. They also serve as your portfolio if you happen to live in a state that cares about such things. With my first grader, I keep several specific journals.
Narration with Drawings
Narration is at the heart of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy. After a read-aloud or a study session, a child recounts, in their own words, what they have understood. In first grade, this narration often takes a visual form alongside written words. A child might draw a picture of a scene from a story or illustrate a fact from science or history. This process deepens comprehension and allows children to internalize ideas in a personal, memorable way.
How to do it:
Read Aloud Together: Choose a living book or a short passage from a story. Read it slowly and clearly, pausing to let your child absorb the material.
Ask for Narration: Ask your child, “Can you tell me what happened in the story?” Encourage them to speak in their own words without worrying about exact details.
Draw and Write: After telling the story aloud, have your child draw a picture of a favorite scene or character. Add a few words or a short sentence beneath the drawing summarizing the event.
Praise Effort: Focus on their expression and thought process rather than perfection. The goal is understanding and engagement.
Tip: Keep the journal accessible and colorful, colored pencils or crayons make it more inviting for young children.
Timeline Journal
Timelines are a gentle introduction to chronology and cause-and-effect relationships. In a first-grade journal, children can add simple timeline entries for historical events, personal experiences, or seasonal changes. For instance, after learning about the life of a famous figure, a child might place key events along a horizontal line, pairing a small illustration with a date or short sentence.
This approach reinforces sequencing skills and helps children see how events relate to one another, building a foundation for deeper historical understanding in later years.
How to do it:
Pick a Topic: It could be a historical figure, a family event, or a seasonal change. For example, “The Life of George Washington” or “Our Summer Vacation.”
Identify Key Points: Ask your child to help choose a few important events or milestones. Keep it simple—3 to 5 points for younger children.
Use your notebook: Help your child find the coordinating pages in their timeline notebook. Write the dates (as the parent).
Add Illustrations: Encourage small drawings for each event. You can write the date or a short caption beneath each drawing.
Review Together: Look back at the timeline and talk through the events. This reinforces memory and sequencing skills.
Tip: Timelines don’t have to be long or complex—short, clear entries are best for first graders.
Nature Journaling
Nature study is a cornerstone of Charlotte Mason education, and journaling can bring it to life in beautiful ways. A first grader can record observations of the world around them: a tree in your yard, a bird at the feeder, or the change of seasons. Encourage sketches, descriptive words, and even pressed leaves or petals in the journal.
Nature journaling teaches attention to detail, patience, and appreciation for the small wonders in the world. Over time, your child’s journal becomes a treasure trove of memories, discoveries, and growth.
How to do it:
Observe Together: Go outside or look at something in nature—a tree, flower, bird, or cloud. Encourage your child to notice colors, shapes, sounds, and patterns.
Ask Questions: Use the prompts: “I wonder”, “I notice”, “It reminds me of”.
Draw and Describe: Have your child sketch what they observe. (the parent will) Write a few descriptive words or a sentence about what they noticed.
Add Collections: Let your child glue in small leaves, petals, or sketches of things they find. This adds a tactile, hands-on element.
Reflect Weekly: At the end of the week, look back at the journal and talk about what changed or grew.
Tip: Keep the sessions short—10 to 20 minutes is perfect for young children. The goal is curiosity, not lengthy entries.
Making Journals a Joyful Habit
The most important aspect of journal keeping in first grade is to make it an enjoyable part of the day. Keep materials simple: a blank notebook, colored pencils, and a comfortable space for writing and drawing. Set aside a consistent time each day or week, but allow flexibility. Celebrate the child’s work and resist the urge to correct every word or drawing—this is about nurturing curiosity and confidence.
Journal keeping is more than a record of learning; it is a window into a child’s mind and heart. In first grade, it lays the groundwork for lifelong habits of reflection, observation, and creativity, all while making learning an adventure worth savoring.
We’ve been using Schoolnest notebooks in our homeschool for over five years, and they have truly become a cornerstone of our learning routine. From narration to nature journaling, timelines, and more, these notebooks have supported every stage of our children’s educational journey. I love how they combine functionality with inspiration and my kids enjoy choosing their favorite color each year, which makes their journal feel personal and special.
The quality of the notebooks is outstanding. The pages are thick and durable, the binding holds up to daily use, and the layouts are thoughtfully designed for young learners. We use the dotted grids, lined pages, and picture spaces for everything from drawing nature observations to writing short narrations after read-alouds. Over the years, they’ve encouraged creativity, reflection, and organization in a way that feels natural and joyful for my children. What I love most is that when I file the notebooks away on their shelf, I have something beautiful to come back to later and look up with fondness of their homeschool years. While I know you don’t need beautiful things to homeschool, its nice to have them.
After five years, these notebooks are still a daily favorite in our homeschool. They make journaling simple, enjoyable, and meaningful, and I love seeing how my children’s thoughts, drawings, and discoveries accumulate page by page.
