Intended for parents, this book offers insights into how children develop as writers and provides practical ideas for introducing writing activities into the home. Chapters in the book deal with the following topics: (1) the benefits of having preschool children write, the timing of initial instruction, and some assumptions about writing at home; (2) the writing environment, including a place for writing and supplies; (3) scribbling, from early scribbling to awareness of the concepts of alphabet, word, writing, and audience; (4) beginning writers, including characteristics of beginning writing and the transition to fluency; (5) developing fluency through a wide variety of writing opportunities; (6) handwriting, including readiness, learning to write, and dealing with writing problems; (7) spelling development, including teaching spelling, spelling problems, parental help, and spelling games; (8) punctuation, capitalization, and usage; (9) family writing experiences, such as writing letters, signs, diaries, books, and poems; and (10) related considerations, such as oral language development and writing, and pointers for fathers and grandfathers. Illustrations accompany the text and appendixes contain the manuscript alphabet, the cursive alphabet, and a list of periodicals that publish children's writing. (EL)