Our latest research published on National Poetry Day (3 October 2024) reveals that poetry can have hugely significant benefits to children's mental wellbeing, confidence, aptitude for learning and their ability to develop empathy.
Only 1 in 2 (48.8%) of 8 to 16 year olds are currently consuming or creating poetry in any form, meaning that over half of children and young people are missing out on these vital benefits.
We have produced free resources and poetry-based activities for teachers and families to get children and young people excited about poetry.
Key findings from the poetry research
Our survey of almost 5,000 children and young people in England found that:
- More than half (51.2%) of children and young people don't currently engage in poetry in any way.
- Many of those who do engage are experiencing a positive impact on their mental wellbeing and personal development.
- There is a significant decline in interest among older children, with only 1 in 6 (17.3%) young people aged 14 to 16 engaging in their free time compared with 1 in 2 (48.7%) of those aged 8 to 11.
- Girls are also more likely to engage with poetry than boys are (29% vs 19.1%).
- Children and young people who don’t engage with poetry in any form identified the main reasons as finding poetry boring (41.2%) and feeling that poetry isn’t about topics they are interested in (31.8%).
Poetry has hugely significant benefits for children and young people, supporting the development of their confidence, the ability to process emotions and to understand other points of view – all important skills to prepare children and young people to succeed in life.
Many are missing out on those benefits by not engaging with poetry as they haven't found a form or topic that appeals to them.
Children's engagement with poetry – reading, watching, listening, writing or performing – peak in primary school and start to decline during secondary school, particularly falling off between 14 and 16 years of age.
Meanwhile, more girls than boys choose to engage with poetry in their free time.
What is the impact of these findings?
When children consume or create poetry in their free time, they experience important benefits that can impact them in and outside of the classroom.
Children and young people who currently engage with poetry said that poetry:
- helps them to relax
- helps them to learn new things
- helps them to work through emotions
- helps them to understand the views of other people
- helps them to feel more confident
Two-thirds (64.3%) of those children also share their poetry with others and are motivated to do so:
- to inspire others (51.1%)
- to help themselves feel better (42.8%)
- to help others feel better (32.8%)
- hoping to make change (30.5%)
Those who perform poetry also experience benefits extending to their creativity and self-expression of their thoughts and feelings.
What about children on free school meals?
Children and young people who receive free school meals are more likely to engage with poetry than their peers who do not receive free school meals, both in terms of consuming (32.6% vs 20.9%) and creating (18.3% vs 11.3%) poetry.
This is a trend that also extends to writing for pleasure, with our 2024 writing research revealing that 34.2% of children on free school meals enjoyed writing in their free time compared with 26.1% of their peers.
This is a trend that remains consistent despite the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
What are we doing to engage more children and young people with poetry?
Our research reveals that the main barriers to engaging children with poetry is their feeling that it is boring or about topics that don't interest them. Here at the National Literacy Trust, we share free resources for teachers and families, and create tailored solution-based programmes to change children and young people's perception of poetry, to address their diverse interests and to offer low-stakes opportunities to enjoy poetry.
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said:
“It is encouraging to see the immense benefits that engaging with poetry in all its forms can have on children and young people, from allowing for self-expression to increasing confidence. “However, there is a clear loss of potential revealed by this research, with so many pupils missing out on these benefits because they feel that poetry is not for them. “At the National Literacy Trust, we believe that poetry is for everyone, and we are committed to supporting parents and teachers to help their children and pupils develop a love for poetry which can inspire their creativity, support their wellbeing and enhance their learning - transforming their lives both inside and beyond the classroom.”
Free resources to support children's writing
We've pulled together a range of free resources to help teachers and families to inspire a love for poetry, including this year's National Poetry Day resources which can be used on the day and through the rest of the year.
For families
Discover our Words for Life website packed with a wealth of free activities, ideas and inspiration to help children of all ages get excited about poetry.
For teachers
For National Poetry Day (3 October) early years, primary and secondary educators can access free activities, resources, classroom ideas and session plans to help inspire pupils’ interest in poetry. These activities can be used throughout the year and include exclusive poems written by the first-ever West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate winners, including 9-year-old Alina's poem on the topic of making your voice count.
For teachers based in West Yorkshire, the West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate programme is open from 3 October until 20 December 2024. Pupils in Years 4 and 9 can submit a poem to the competition and one winning pupil from each year group will be chosen to be a Young Poet Laureate for the region. They will be in post for one year and receive mentorship from professional poets, poetry commissions and the chance to perform at and attend regional events.