Very different from the rest of the Writing Strands series, Writing Strands 1 is designed for families of children not yet writing. It has games, programs and projects to help young children understand that words are not just things to use to get what they want, but that they can have fun with them. It is a way to have a family demonstrate its value of language use, to present to children models of behavior, and to have all the members of the family help convince the youngest members that the family they are part of lives creating and sharing through language. It consists of a manual of games and projects and an audio CD of examples, made by the author and his son, of what can be done for and with very young children.