Creative writing is an important component of my kindergarten 
program. We begin creative writing or what I'll refer to as "journal 
writing" at the beginning of school and the children write on most 
days. Before the children are asked to write on their own, we meet 
as a group and write something together. A student shares an 
experience that he/she has recently had and we collaboratively write 
a story by thinking "out loud" together.  Important writing skills 
are modeled at this time, such as the concept that what we think can 
be said, and what we say can then be written using sounds and letter 
symbols. Other skills that are modeled include "left to right" 
progression, spacing between words, punctuation, and use of capital 
and small letters, just to name a few. 
Each child is in the process of learning to write and will move 
through the predictable stages of writing. This is very much like 
the stages your child went through when he/she learned to talk.  
Below is a list of the predictable stages which children pass 
through as they develop writing ability:

Stage 1-Scribbling
Scribbling marks the child's experimentation with writing.  It can 
be compared to when your child began babbling as an infant.  The 
pictures are typically unrecognizable.

Stage 2-Random Letters
The child begins to print his/her name and may try to imitate 
writing by putting strings of letters with his/her picture.  He/she 
may attempt to read the message, but it is probably still 
unrecognizable.
Example:
The child strings the letters "PQSCDdDAVIDsrt"
The message is "I like to play with my brother."

Stage 3-Semi-Phonetic Spelling
The child begins to use some letters to match sounds, often using a 
beginning letter to represent the whole word.  He/she may begin to 
use left to right progression, but letter reversals are still common.
Example:
The child writes the letters "Iltpb"
The message is "I like to paint dinosaurs."

Stage 4-Phonetic Spelling
At this stage, children begin to write words with beginning and 
ending sounds.  They also begin to spell some sight words 
correctly.  Vowels may be inserted into words, but usually aren't 
the right ones.
Example:
The child writes "Ilktogoswemn."
The message is "I like to go swimming."

Stage 5-Transitional Spelling
At this stage, children are writing words the way they sound.  They 
are beginning to put spaces between words and spell many sight words 
correctly.  They begin to write one or more sentences.
Example:
The child writes "I like to play wef my frn."
The message is "I like to play with my friend."

Stage 6-Conventional Spelling
At this level children spell most words correctly, though phonetic-
based spelling still comes into play when they must spell longer 
words.  They use punctuation marks correctly and use capital and 
lower case letters in the correct places.
The child writes "I like to help my mom make lazonya."
The message is "I like to help my mom make lasagna."


As my children write every day, I am constantly observing and 
recording their movement through the writing stages.  It's important 
to date and keep samples to truly give you an overview of the 
children's progress.  Though most children in kindergarten are 
approximately the same age, their writing levels usually have a wide 
range.  Some children may be scribbling, but can tell you what their 
pictures are about.  With daily writing opportunities kindergarten 
children will move through the various writing stages, at various 
rates.  I model writing every day in my classroom and provide lots 
of writing activities which help the children progress in their 
writing development.