This qualitative study explored children's opportunities to actively solve problems as they talked, wrote and read during their first few months at school. Participants were two teachers from two schools in Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland and eight children, newcomers to their classes. The children's writing records and actions during guided writing were examined, along with samples of their independent writing over several months. Records of children reading their guided writing were also documented. Analysis indicated children exhibited self-monitoring in the first few months at school, building a platform for future problem-solving. Reading self-composed stories was the context that made self-monitoring possible.