Based on teacher questionnaires and close ethnographic observation of 40 first-grade students, this article explores the learning possibilities the arts present for teaching young children and fostering developmentally appropriate practice. Its aim is to reinforce the value of the arts already being used in early childhood classrooms and to promote literacy development and learning through the arts in an integrated fashion, valuing multiple intelligences and learning styles. Teaching young children literacy through the arts sets a lifelong habit of critical consciousness. Collaboration between school arts specialists and classroom teachers is encouraged and specific suggestions are provided to help present students with learning opportunities that are meaningful, fun, and encompass a wide scope of opportunities, creating multiple sites for potential learning. (Contains 3 figures.)