As this short report shows, keeping a diary has many benefits for children and young people, allowing self-expression, boosting creativity, and supporting mental wellbeing and writing engagement. Our previous research into keeping a diary also suggested that there was a link between keeping a diary and writing skills.
Key findings:
- 3 in 10 (29.7%) children and young people aged 5 to 18 kept a diary in 2022
- The percentage of children and young people who keep a diary has remained relatively unchanged during the pandemic.
- Twice as many children and young people who kept a diary told us that they enjoyed writing compared with their peers who didn’t keep a diary (51.1% vs. 25.9%).
- More children and young people who kept a diary also wrote something daily in their free time compared with their peers who didn’t keep a diary (23.8% vs. 14.3%), and more saw themselves as good writers (77.2% vs. 65.1%).
- 7 in 10 (69.2%) children and young people who write in a diary write because it helps them feel creative, with 2 in 3 (64.2%) also saying that they write to express their thoughts and feelings and their ideas and imagination.