Journal Writing Station Summary
Talk about a picture you could draw together and use the crayon ball to make a creation. If baby is too little to draw, it might be beneficial to postpone this activity until they show interest in scribbling.
Cognitive Benefits
Writing with younger children is an opportunity to develop their oral language through guided story development with a caregiver (Rodriguez, 2017).
Drawing and story creation can assist with exposure to vocabulary in all content areas (Morin, 2020).
Stage 1: Random scribbling develops between the ages of 15 months and 21/2 years  (Zero to Three, 2016).
Social and Emotional
Creativity is a bridge to learning. Experimenting with art materials nurtures creativity (Zero to Three, 2016).
Motor Development
Finger painting  naturally forces the fingers to work together to strengthen the pincher grasp, which is needed for many skills such as formal writing, zipping, and buttoning (Punkoney, 2017).
Scribbling is also very important for developing pre-writing and pre-reading skills (Erica et al, 2016).
Using a short crayon requires a stronger pincer grasp than using a long one (Erica et al, 2016).
Toddlers practice handwriting skills through scribble as they develop finger strength (Rodriguez, 2017).
At Home Strategies
Talk about what your child is drawing
If he/she allows you, assist him/her in making lines and circles. This is the beginning steps of letter creation.
References:
Erica, Erica, Jenny, Jenny, Kelly, Kelly, … Little Wonders. (2016, December 23). Preschool Fine Motor Development Activity: Journal "Writing". Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/preschool-fine-motor-development-activity-journal-writing/ 
Morin, A. (2020, April 23). Why You Should Try Journaling With Your Child. Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-benefits-of-journaling-for-kids-2086712 
Punkoney, S. (2017, February 23). Teaching Preschoolers to write Using Fine Motor Journals. Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://stayathomeeducator.com/teaching-preschoolers-to-write-using-fine-motor-journals/ 
Rodriguez, J. (2017, July 20). How Journaling Benefits Your Child. Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/how-journaling-benefits-your-child.html 
Zero to Three (2016). Learning to write and draw. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/305-learning-to-write-and-draw

Items