The recent article Why Creative Writing Is Crucial published by The Observer raises an important concern for educators, parents, policymakers and literacy researchers alike: children are increasingly disengaging from writing for pleasure, and opportunities for creative expression are being squeezed by competing demands within both schools and wider society. While concerns regarding reading engagement have received considerable attention over the past decade, the decline of writing for pleasure may represent an equally significant challenge for children’s cognitive, linguistic, emotional and academic development.
The article arrives at a particularly important moment. Across England, schools are grappling with declining literacy levels following the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing numbers of pupils identified with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), growing concerns regarding children’s mental health, and widening educational inequalities (Education Endowment Foundation, 2024). Against this backdrop, the argument that creative writing remains an essential component of childhood deserves serious consideration.
This article provides an academic response to the issues raised, examining why creative writing matters, how children become effective writers, what teachers and parents can do to support writing development, and why one often-overlooked factor may be critical: teachers themselves must continue to write.
Writing Is More Than an Academic Skill
One of the greatest misconceptions in education is that writing is primarily a literacy skill.
Writing is not merely the transcription of ideas onto paper. Writing is a complex cognitive activity involving language processing, memory, executive functioning, self-regulation, creativity, and metacognition (Graham et al., 2012).
When children write successfully, they must simultaneously:
- Generate ideas.
- Organise information.
- Select vocabulary.
- Construct sentences.
- Consider audience.
- Maintain coherence.
- Monitor accuracy.
- Revise and edit.
This makes writing one of the most cognitively demanding activities undertaken within schools (Berninger & Winn, 2006).
The influential “Simple View of Writing” proposed by Berninger et al. (2002) demonstrates that writing relies upon the interaction of:
- Transcription skills.
- Executive functions.
- Text generation.
- Self-regulation.
- Language competence.
Consequently, when children struggle with writing, the issue is rarely confined to spelling or grammar. Difficulties may stem from working memory limitations, language development, attention regulation, motivation, background knowledge, or confidence.
This is particularly important for SEND learners.
The Decline of Writing for Pleasure
The Observer article highlights growing concerns about children’s reduced engagement with creative writing. These concerns align with findings from the National Literacy Trust (2024), which reported that enjoyment of writing among children and young people has declined significantly over the past decade.
Research consistently demonstrates that children who write for pleasure tend to:
- Write more frequently.
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary.
- Produce longer texts.
- Demonstrate greater confidence.
- Achieve higher literacy outcomes.
National Literacy Trust (2024) data indicate that pupils who enjoy writing are significantly more likely to achieve expected standards in literacy than those who do not.
However, many children increasingly view writing as something done for assessment rather than communication.
This distinction is critical.
Writing originally evolved as a tool for communication and meaning-making. Yet many pupils encounter writing primarily through:
- Assessment objectives.
- Mark schemes.
- Success criteria.
- Examination preparation.
The result is that writing becomes associated with performance rather than expression.
Children begin asking: “How many marks is this worth?” instead of “What do I want to say?”
The Creativity Crisis in Modern Education
Sir Ken Robinson (2011) famously argued that schools often educate creativity out of children. While this claim may be debated, there is evidence that accountability systems can inadvertently narrow opportunities for creative expression.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2023) identifies creativity, problem solving, communication and adaptability as essential future workforce skills. Yet many classrooms continue to prioritise compliance, correctness and examination preparation over creative risk-taking.
Creative writing serves an important educational function because it allows children to:
- Explore ideas.
- Experiment with language.
- Develop identity.
- Process experiences.
- Imagine alternatives.
Vygotsky (2004) argued that imagination and creativity are not separate from cognition but are central to human learning and development. Through imaginative activity, children combine existing knowledge in new ways and develop higher-order thinking.
Creative writing therefore contributes not only to literacy but also to cognitive flexibility and intellectual growth.
Reading and Writing: Two Sides of the Same Coin
One of the strongest predictors of writing success is reading volume. The relationship between reading and writing is reciprocal. According to Graham and Hebert’s (2011) meta-analysis, increased reading improves writing quality, while increased writing improves reading comprehension.
Children who read widely encounter:
- Rich vocabulary.
- Complex syntax.
- Narrative structures.
- Different writing styles.
- Diverse perspectives.
Stanovich’s (1986) “Matthew Effect” suggests that children who read more acquire increasingly sophisticated language, while weaker readers fall progressively further behind.
This has profound implications for writing instruction. If schools want better writers, they must first create better readers. Children cannot write with vocabulary they have never encountered. They cannot imitate structures they have never seen. They cannot communicate ideas they have never explored. Knowledge, vocabulary and writing are fundamentally interconnected.
Motivation: The Most Underestimated Factor in Writing Development
Perhaps the most important theme emerging from the Observer article is motivation. Educational discussions about writing frequently focus on pedagogy, assessment and curriculum.
Far less attention is given to why children choose to write. Yet motivation may be one of the most powerful predictors of writing success.
According to Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), intrinsic motivation flourishes when individuals experience:
- Autonomy.
- Competence.
- Relatedness.
Children are more likely to engage in writing when:
- They have genuine choices.
- They feel capable.
- They see a purpose.
- They feel connected to the task.
Unfortunately, many writing tasks lack these characteristics.
A child asked to produce a formal letter about a fictional complaint may complete the task competently. However, they may not feel any personal investment.
Conversely, a child writing fan fiction about their favourite video game, reviewing wrestling matches, creating comic books, or documenting family experiences may demonstrate remarkable engagement.
The question educators should ask is not “How do I make children write?” but rather “What would make children want to write?”
Teachers Must Become Writers Again
One issue rarely discussed within educational literature is the extent to which teachers themselves write. This may be one of the most overlooked aspects of writing instruction.
Donald Graves (1983), one of the most influential writing researchers of the twentieth century, argued that teachers should write alongside their pupils because writers understand writing differently from non-writers.
When teachers write regularly they experience:
- Writer’s block.
- Revision challenges.
- Drafting difficulties.
- Audience awareness.
- Creative uncertainty.
These experiences build empathy, as a teacher who has struggled through multiple drafts of an article understands that writing is rarely linear. A teacher who has revised their own work understands that first drafts are not supposed to be perfect. A teacher who publishes writing understands vulnerability. This knowledge fundamentally changes classroom practice.
Cremin and Oliver (2017) found that teachers who identified as writers were more likely to create engaging writing environments and encourage authentic writing opportunities.
Similarly, Cremin et al. (2009) argue that teachers’ own writing identities influence how they teach writing. If schools want children to see themselves as writers, they must first develop teachers who see themselves as writers. We would never expect a music teacher who never plays music. We should question why writing is treated differently.
What Parents Can Learn from Writing Research
Parents often ask how they can help their children become better writers. The answer is surprisingly simple. Children become better writers through talking, reading, thinking and writing frequently. Not through endless grammar worksheets.
Hart and Risley’s (1995) landmark research demonstrated that differences in early language exposure significantly influence later vocabulary development.
Although aspects of the study have been debated, subsequent research continues to support the importance of rich language environments (Rowe, 2012).
Parents can support writing by:
- Encouraging conversation
- Vocabulary develops through discussion.
- Children need opportunities to explain, debate, question and narrate experiences.
- Reading together
- Reading provides the raw material for writing.
- Valuing ideas before correctness
- Children need to feel that their thoughts matter.
- Overcorrection can damage confidence.
- Providing authentic purposes
- Children can write:
- Letters.
- Reviews.
- Blogs.
- Sports reports.
- Family newsletters.
- Comics.
- Podcasts scripts.
Real audiences create real motivation.
SEND Pupils and Writing
The article’s arguments may be especially important for SEND learners. Many pupils with autism, ADH, dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, and down syndrome, possess rich ideas but encounter barriers translating those ideas into written form.
Writing places substantial demands upon executive functioning systems. Barkley (2015) notes that pupils with ADHD often experience difficulties with planning, organisation and self-regulation.
Similarly, pupils with dyslexia frequently expend considerable cognitive effort on transcription processes, leaving fewer resources available for idea generation (Snowling, 2019).
For these pupils, writing difficulties should not be mistaken for a lack of creativity or intelligence.
Effective support includes:
- Oral rehearsal.
- Sentence combining.
- Explicit vocabulary instruction.
- Graphic organisers.
- Dictation software.
- Reduced cognitive load.
- Structured scaffolding.
The objective should not be simplification. The objective should be access.
Recommendations for Schools
Schools seeking to improve writing outcomes should consider the following:
1. Develop Teacher Writing Communities
Encourage staff to write professionally and creatively.
2. Increase Writing for Pleasure Opportunities
Protect opportunities for:
- Journaling.
- Story writing.
- Blogging.
- Creative projects.
3. Reduce Excessive Assessment
Not every piece of writing requires marking.
4. Prioritise Oracy
Mercer and Littleton (2007) demonstrate that high-quality classroom talk supports cognitive development.
Children often need to speak ideas before writing them.
5. Build Reading-Rich Cultures
Reading remains one of the most effective writing interventions available.
6. Focus on Purpose and Audience
Children write better when somebody genuinely wants to read their work.
Conclusion
The Observer article serves as a timely reminder that writing is not merely a curriculum outcome; it is a fundamental human act of communication, creativity and self-expression. At a time when educational discourse often focuses on assessment, accountability and performance metrics, it is worth remembering that children rarely become writers because of mark schemes.
They become writers because they have something to say. Research from Graves (1983), Graham et al. (2012), Cremin and Oliver (2017), Deci and Ryan (2000), and Vygotsky (2004) collectively suggests that effective writing development depends upon far more than technical instruction. It requires motivation, identity, audience, creativity, knowledge and opportunity.
Most importantly, children need adults who model the behaviours we hope to cultivate. If teachers wish to develop writers, they must write. If parents wish to develop writers, they must value writing.
And if schools wish to create confident, capable communicators, they must ensure that writing remains not merely an assessment tool but a meaningful act of human expression.
References
- Barkley, R.A. (2015). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment (4th ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
- Berninger, V.W., Vaughan, K.B., Abbott, R.D., Abbott, S.P., Rogan, L.W., Brooks, A., Reed, E. & Graham, S. (2002). Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(2), 291–304.
- Berninger, V.W. & Winn, W.D. (2006). Implications of advancements in brain research and technology for writing development. In C.A. MacArthur, S. Graham & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of Writing Research. New York: Guilford Press.
- Cremin, T., Baker, S. & Mottram, M. (2009). Teachers as writers: Building communities of writers. Literacy, 43(1), 11–19.
- Cremin, T. & Oliver, L. (2017). Teachers as Writers: A Systematic Review. Research Papers in Education, 32(3), 269–295.
- Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
- Education Endowment Foundation (2024). Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 Guidance Reports. London: EEF.
- Graham, S. & Hebert, M. (2011). Writing to Read: A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Writing and Writing Instruction on Reading. Washington, DC: Carnegie Corporation.
- Graham, S., Gillespie, A. & McKeown, D. (2012). Writing: Importance, Development and Instruction. Reading and Writing, 26(1), 1–15.
- Graves, D. (1983). Writing: Teachers and Children at Work. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Hart, B. & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Baltimore: Brookes.
- Mercer, N. & Littleton, K. (2007). Dialogue and the Development of Children’s Thinking. London: Routledge.
- National Literacy Trust (2024). Children and Young People’s Writing in 2024. London: National Literacy Trust.
- OECD (2023). Future of Education and Skills 2030. Paris: OECD.
- Robinson, K. (2011). Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative. Oxford: Capstone.
- Rowe, M.L. (2012). A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Quantity and Quality of Child-Directed Speech. Child Development, 83(5), 1762–1774.
- Snowling, M.J. (2019). Dyslexia (2nd ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Stanovich, K.E. (1986). Matthew Effects in Reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 21(4), 360–407.
- Vygotsky, L.S. (2004). Imagination and Creativity in Childhood. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 42(1), 7–97.
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