National Writing Day 2026

Our recent research in to Children and young people's writing in 2026 found that:

• Just under 3 in 10 (28.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed writing in their free time in 2026, up 2.1 percentage points from 2025.
• Writing enjoyment continued to decline with age, with the lowest levels among those aged 11 to 16, followed by a small increase among those aged 16 to 18.
• Children and young people receiving free school meals (FSM) were more likely to enjoy writing than their non‑FSM peers, continuing a long‑standing trend.
• Daily writing in their free time also increased slightly in 2026 but it remains uncommon for most children and young people.
• While enjoyment and frequency remain low, most children and young people express confidence in their writing.

The Impact of Writing for Enjoyment Programmes

Our report brings together insights from the various writing projects that sit within the National Literacy Trust's Young Writers programme to highlight the important role writing can play in the lives of children and young people.

Learn more in our report on The Impact of Writing for Enjoyment Programmes

Writing is a lifelong skill empowering communication and self-expression. It is crucial to children and young people’s development as it enhances self-confidence and critical thinking skills, but also encourages creativity.

Writing is also part of everyday life, from making plans with friends over text or WhatsApp, helping with children’s homework, writing emails in the workplace, or even making a shopping list. However, 1 in 3 children currently leave primary school without the writing skills they need to succeed in life.

At the National Literacy Trust, we champion writing for enjoyment as a key part of supporting children and young people’s writing attainment.

Writing for enjoyment:

• supports mental wellbeing
• inspires creativity
• helps children express their thoughts and feelings
• improves writing skills.

We believe writing doesn’t just belong in an English lesson but can be used as a fun way to explore many different ideas and topics. We know that writing for enjoyment has the wonderful ability to boost children and young people's wellbeing and help them feel connected to the world. In our writing resources, you’ll find activities that will help bring writing for enjoyment into every corner of your classroom.

When we asked children and young people to tell us why they write, we identified 10 writing motivators which we grouped conceptually to form three categories of young writers:

• the creative writer
• the mindful writer
• the social writer

Our resources and writing programmes are designed for them.