A journal is a place where you can share your feelings, secrets, struggles, thoughts, reactions, and memories. Your journal is personal. It reflects who you are through your words, as well as your art. It also can be as simple or as fancy as you wish to make it. You could use a plain notebook, or index cards kept in a file box. You might want to look for a fancy journal with a pretty cover, or even design your own journal. Once you have chosen or created your journal, it’s time to think about what you want to include inside.

Your baby’s reading journal can include a record of books, letters, emails, postcards, and anything else you choose to read out loud. Although an infant’s level of comprehension is not yet fully developed, it's your voice and intonation that is felt and heard. Reading can often calm a baby, and is a wonderful time for bonding. Journal about those times of calmness, what were you reading?

Your journal is not only a place to write what you read, but why you read it. Maybe you read from a book of poems that belonged to your grandmother when she was a baby. In your journal, along with the title of the book and poems, you might write a few lines about anything you know about when and where your grandmother received the book. You might want to write a few sentences describing your grandmother and her life. If she is still living, you could ask her to comment on the book and add those comments to your journal. You can repeat this same type of post for books from other family members or friends.
 
Along with pages listing gifted books, start a page of any books you would like to buy, whether they are recently published, or ones that your mother read to you when you were a baby.

If you are a crafter, artist, or doodler, think about adding your personal art on each page. The art can be related to the content of what you read, how your baby was feeling, or what the weather was like that day. Remember, it’s your journal, and you get to decide what to keep in it.

I hope you try this idea. If you do, I would love to hear from you in our Reading Site Forum. You can also start a new topic, or ask a question.

Have a great week of reading!