Stressing the importance of understanding child development, this paper first describes the writing of several children in a kindergarten class who represent various levels of emerging literacy. Based on the descriptions of classroom activities, the paper argues that with a developmental perspective the teacher can build instruction on what the children already know about oral language, reading, and writing, focusing on functional experience rather than on merely isolated skills. Further, the paper argues that knowledge of early child development can give teachers insights for instructional methods, as well as professional ammunition in support of these methods. Five ideas on children's writing development are then discussed: (1) young children widely exposed to print, drawing, and adult models, often start writing with no formal instruction before they enter school; (2) such children are able to tell the difference between their writing and their drawing by approximately age 3; (3) one may distinguish some early writing stages, a sequential development, although composition does not necessarily follow an orderly sequence; (4) children's writing needs to be responded to within the child's social context of oral language and art; and (5) studies of early writing and invented spelling are complementary in their findings. Figures illustrating children's language and some theories of development are included. (SRT)