A study investigated the writing behavior of young children in a home setting by collecting and analyzing writing samples of three children--Avaleigh, Adam, and Heather (aged four, five, and six years)--and interviewing them about the features, content, reasons, form, and other details of writing done at home. Parents kept a journal detailing interesting circumstances surrounding or giving rise to a particular piece of writing. Over a period of six months, Avaleigh produced 142 pieces of writing and was interviewed seven times; Adam produced 26 pieces of writing and was interviewed seven times; and Heather produced 128 pieces of writing and was interviewed five times. Analysis covered the areas of writing function, writing form, writing features, and the role of significant others in the writing process. Results suggest that active construction of spellings, the use of previous print knowledge, and the development of self-reliant strategies characterized the children's efforts. The theories of James Britton and James Moffett are discussed in light of these observations. The children in this study demonstrated that they were capable of making functional differentiations within their writing--they wrote for a variety of purposes and showed awareness of the necessary conventions for the forms they chose. (Samples of students' writings are included, and interview questions for the child, interview questions for the parent, analyses of children's writing samples, and 86 references are appended. (MM)