In this paper a relationship is established between writing and early literacy in young children. The age at which early literacy begins to develop in young children varies with each child. For many children, literacy begins to appear in activities such as pretend play, drawing, conversations about storybook plots, and conversations about words or signs or labels. The development of this early literacy is a social process embedded in social relationships, particularly in children's relationships with parents, siblings, friends, caretakers, and teachers. Readiness for school is now regarded as influenced by familial, institutional, and community variables. Between the ages of one and five, children learn to use symbols to create and communicate meaning. These symbols can be used to make up stories, draw images, and later on to write stories. R. Charlesworth (1992) offers extensive suggestions for providing print experiences for children, such as the following: (1) call attention to the conventions of print while writing down children's dictation; (2) point out the uses of print materials (such as phone books, storybooks, shopping lists, greeting cards, menus, and magazines) as children use these materials in dramatic play; and (3) model reading behavior by reading when the children are reading (such as during a library or rest period). J. A. Brewer (1992) suggests that children pass through a number of stages in literacy development, including the scribble stage, the linear repetitive stage; the random letter stage, the letter-name or phonetic stage, the transitional spelling stage, and the conventional spelling stage. Early literacy is believed to contribute to success in learning at each level. (Contains 10 references.) (TB)