what is the benefits of creative writing

Hoops By Alejandro Gonzalez Being good takes time. One time my sister took me to a park and I saw people playing basketball. I noticed how good they were and decided I wanted to be like them. Still I told my sister that basketball looked hard and that I thought I couldn’t do it. She said,“You could do it if you tried. You’ll get the hang of it.” My dad bought me a backboard and hoop to play with. I was really happy, but the ball wasn’t making it in. Every time I got home from school, I would go straight to the backyard to play. I did that almost every day until little by little I was getting the hang of it. I also played with my friends. Every day after lunch we would meet at the basketball court to have a game. … I learned that you need to be patient and to practice a lot to get the hang of things. With a little bit of practice, patience, and hard work, anything is possible.

Originally, Alejandro wasn’t sure why he was in school and often lacked the motivation to learn. But writing about something he was passionate about and recalling the steps that led to his success reminded him of the determination and perseverance he had demonstrated in the past, nurturing a positive view of himself. It gave him a renewed sense of investment in learning English and eventually helped him succeed in his ELD class, as well.

Maintaining a hopeful outlook

Another way to build resilience in the face of external challenges is to shore up our inner reserves of hope —and I’ve found that poetry can serve as inspiration for this.

For the writing portion of the lesson, I invite students to “get inside” poems by replicating the underlying structure and trying their hand at writing their own verses. I create poem templates, where students fill in relevant blanks with their own ideas.

One poem I like to share is “So Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye. Its lines “Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house / and now live over a quarry of noise and dust / cannot make you unhappy” remind us that, despite the unpleasant events that occur in our lives, it’s our choice whether to allow them to interfere with our happiness. The speaker, who “love[s] even the floor which needs to be swept, the soiled linens, and scratched records,” has a persistently sunny outlook.

It’s unrealistic for students who hear gunshots at night to be bubbling over with happiness the next morning. Still, the routine of the school day and the sense of community—jokes with friends, a shared bag of hot chips for breakfast, and a creative outlet—do bolster these kids. They have an unmistakable drive to keep going, a life force that may even burn brighter because they take nothing for granted—not even the breath in their bodies, life itself.

Itzayana was one of those students who, due to the adversity in her life, seemed too old for her years. She rarely smiled and started the school year with a defiant approach to me and school in general, cursing frequently in the classroom. Itzayana’s version of “So Much Happiness” hinted at some of the challenges I had suspected she had in her home life:

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness. Even the fact that you once heard your family laughing and now hear them yelling at each other cannot make you unhappy. Everything has a life of its own, it too could wake up filled with possibilities of tamales and horchata and love even scrubbing the floor, washing dishes, and cleaning your room. Since there is no place large enough to contain so much happiness, help people in need, help your family, and take care of yourself. —Itzayana C.

Her ending lines, “Since there is no place large enough to contain so much happiness, / help people in need, help your family, and take care of yourself,” showed her growing awareness of the need for self-care as she continued to support her family and others around her. This is a clear sign of her developing resilience.

Poetry is packed with emotion, and writing their own poems allows students to grapple with their own often-turbulent inner lives. One student commented on the process, saying, “By writing poems, I’ve learned to be calm and patient, especially when I get mad about something dumb.” Another student showed pride in having her writing published; she reflected, “I feel good because other kids can use it for calming down when they’re angry.”

To ease students into the creative process, sometimes we also write poems together as a class. We brainstorm lines to include, inviting the silly as well as the poignant and creating something that represents our community.

Practicing kindness

Besides offering my students new ways of thinking about themselves, I also invite them to take kind actions toward themselves and others.

In the music video for “Give a Little Love” by Noah and the Whale, one young African American boy—who witnesses bullying at school and neglect in his neighborhood —decides to take positive action and whitewash a wall of graffiti. Throughout the video, people witness others’ random acts of kindness, and then go on to do their own bit.

“My love is my whole being / And I’ve shared what I could,” the lyrics say—a reminder that our actions speak louder than our words and do have an incredible impact. The final refrain in the song—“Well if you are (what you love) / And you do (what you love) /...What you share with the world is what it keeps of you”—urges the students to contribute in a positive way to the classroom, the school campus, and their larger community.

After watching the video, I ask students to reflect upon what kind of community they would like to be part of and what makes them feel safe at school. They write their answers—for example, not being laughed at by their peers and being listened to—on Post-it notes. These notes are used to create classroom rules. This activity sends a message early on that we are co-creating our communal experience together. Students also write their own versions of the lyrics, reflecting on different things you can give and receive—like kindness, peace, love, and ice cream.

Reaping the benefits

To see how creative writing impacts students, I invite them to rate their resilience through a self-compassion survey at the start of the school year and again in the spring. Last year, two-thirds of students surveyed increased in self-compassion; Alejandro grew his self-compassion by 20 percent. The program seems to work at developing their reading and writing skills, as well: At the middle of the school year, 40 percent of my students moved up to the next level of ELD, compared to 20 percent the previous year.

As a teacher, my goal is to meet students where they’re at and learn about their whole lives. Through creative writing activities, we create a community of compassionate and expressive learners who bear witness to the impact of trauma in each others’ experiences and together build resilience.

As a symbol of community and strength, I had a poster in my classroom of a boat at sea with hundreds of refugees standing shoulder to shoulder looking skyward. It’s a hauntingly beautiful image of our ability to risk it all for a better life, as many of my ELD students do. Recognizing our common humanity and being able to share about our struggles not only leads to some beautiful writing, but also some brave hearts.

About the Author

Laura Bean, M.F.A. , executive director of Mindful Literacy, consults with school communities to implement mindfulness and creative writing programs. She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and presented a mindful writing workshop at Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference in San Diego in 2016.

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Creative Writing and Its Benefits

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june 8th, 2022, the playbook world, what is creative writing.

Every day, kids encounter new things. These new experiences can help them build their vocabulary and learn new words, which could be the beginning of ideas that the child could develop into stories or creative writing . In other words, writing early makes writing better.

You've heard that creativity is good for you, but did you know it can also develop emotional skills? For example, when your child tells you about the brave knight lifting the beautiful princess over his brute, they are actually managing fears over their own insecurities. That's right- creative writing can do all that.

Why is it important?

So, what does writing do for the brain? Writing helps build your ability to think creatively. With creative writing, people develop cognitive skills and strengthen their relationships with themselves and the characters in the stories. When we write, we use critical thinking skills to solve problems, devise unique plots, alter settings, enhance the action, and provide realism to the characters. A study on young students showed that skills gained from creative writing improved how they did in other subjects like maths and languages. Creative writing also helps foster confidence and discipline. Students who wrote more explored their abilities better than those who didn't write at all or who wrote just a little bit.

Benefits of creative writing that will help your children

Creative writing is an activity that is beneficial to kids of all ages. It not only helps them with their grammar and spelling, but it also teaches them to express themselves in a unique way. Furthermore, creative writing helps kids build self-confidence and communication skills.

Here are four ways creative writing benefits your child:

Imagination And Creativity

Creative writing gives children the chance to be creative, and imaginative. Creative writing exercises can help them develop their imaginations by encouraging them to think about different situations or scenarios and also to innovate something on their own. These exercises can be used for story starters or for writing stories from scratch.

Self-Expression

Writing allows children to express themselves in a way that is different from speaking or even typing on a computer or mobile device. Writing lets children get their thoughts out without worrying about how they sound or look while doing so. This helps build self-confidence because they don't have to worry about what others think of what they're saying or writing down!

Self-Confidence

As mentioned above, one of the biggest benefits of creative writing is that it lets kids express

themselves in ways other than speaking or typing on a device such as a computer or mobile phone! It also helps to boost confidence, motivation, and interest in reading. In addition, they are better able to express themselves verbally and socially than students who didn't write stories.

Communication And Persuasion Skills

Creative writing helps children develop communication and persuasion skills. They learn how to explain things so that others can understand, which is an important skill when working with others on any project or task. It also helps them practice communicating their ideas clearly so that others can understand what they want or need from them. Creative writing also helps children learn how to persuade others into doing something for them or believing something about them based on what they write about themselves or others around them through their characters' actions and dialogue, as well as how these characters interact with each other.

So, all in all, parents should allow their children to be creative and express themselves in writing with different genres. Writing can help a child in their life in a range of areas. They can improve their reading and writing skills by writing creatively or even just by doing fun themed or diary-based journal writing. Moreover, creative writing is a great way to deal with emotions, stress, and anxiety.

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Home » Blog » Children's Literature » The Benefits of Creative Writing: How Grade Levels Improve

The Benefits of Creative Writing: How Grade Levels Improve

Topic Index

Introduction, what is creative writing.

Creative writing has been shown to help improve grades in many different subjects. This is because such writing helps improve thinking skills, and it also helps students learn more about themselves as writers. If you are looking for ways to boost your child’s grade level, then one of the best things that you can do is encourage them to write creatively. In this article, we will discuss how creative writing improves grades and some tips on how you can get your child started with their own creativity!

Creative writing is when a person writes about anything that they want, and it does not have to be based on any sort of factual event. Other types of writing often leave the reader with facts and information, however creative writing includes emotions to build a vivid vision in the reader’s mind. Creative writing is often seen as a creative outlet for people to express themselves, and it can be used in many different ways.

Creative writing has been shown to improve grades, as well as make students more confident in their own abilities!

How Does Creative Writing Improve Grade Levels?

Now that we know creative writing is a fun way to express one’s thoughts, it certainly has benefits for your child. Creative writing improves a child’s academics and here are the 10 reasons how!

The Learning Process Enhances

Creative writing can be a fun way to express oneself as well as learn. It’s not just about using creative words, but also improving how the brain works in learning new things. The process of doing creative work is much like problem-solving: you have a starting point that sets up an issue or question, then you must think of a solution that satisfies the problem or answer.

It Helps Kids in All Subjects

Writing is not just about learning how to write, it’s also understanding and analyzing what other people are writing. Creative writing improves reading skills because your child will have a better understanding of new words as they read through creative stories with interesting plots.

Creative writing also helps with math skills. It’s been found that many kids think of numbers in terms of stories and people, so the creative process can help them build their understanding of math concepts more easily.

Creativity Improves School Retention Rates

Creative work is a form of play, which has been proven to increase serotonin levels linked to depression and anxiety.

It also helps to improve your child’s study habits, because they are more likely to pay attention in class when they’re already thinking about their creative projects at home.

Creative Writing Build Confidence in Studying

This type of writing helps kids feel more confident in their own abilities. It gives them the opportunity to explore different worlds and ideas without fear of being judged, which is something that can be difficult when it comes to schoolwork. The creative process teaches children how they can express themselves creatively through words. Thus, it makes them study and learn more to express themselves creatively.

Creative Writing Increase Multitasking

It can help your child learn how to multitask. One study found that creative writers were better at switching between tasks than their classmates who didn’t write creatively, and they also scored higher on tests of working memory.

Communication Skills Increases

Creative writing also teaches students how to communicate their ideas in a clear and concise manner. This is important for any educational setting, but it’s especially true for the higher grades, where verbal communication skills are more heavily relied upon. Your child will communicate well and be good with other students. This will make them learn from their fellow students as well as teach them. Hence, the improvement in grades will be for all the students around.

Social Skills and Memory Skills Increases

Publishing creative work can teach children about collaboration. It can prepare them for working on group projects later in life or even starting their own businesses. It strengthens memory skills and increases intelligence. Students will be more focused in class because they’re thinking about what happens next to the characters that they have created.

Comprehension Skill Rises

Reading forces students to improve reading comprehension skills as well as grammar and vocabulary knowledge. One of the most important things your child can learn in school is how to read.

Exposure To Language

It provides an opportunity for students to experiment with different types of words, formats, and sentence structures. It broadens their understanding of the world by exposing them to more than just reading a story about what they did that day or describing who they are as a person.

Children Learn to Empathize

Writing helps students empathize with a story’s protagonist and understand their feelings, motivations, and reactions better. When they’re forced to create characters that have thoughts and feelings of their own, children can more easily get inside the heads of other people—even if it is only for a short period of time. This habit will also be applied in their day-to-day life. Thus, their good personalities will make them realize how important it is to study well and to help another child as well.

Does Creative Writing Pave Career Opportunities?

It can also help children develop skills that will be essential in the future. Creative writers are often able to think critically and creatively, two qualities that employers crave in employees. By teaching kids to think creatively, you are laying the foundation for them to be successful later in life.

Final Thoughts

Kids really enjoy it! Creative writing also teaches children how to be more imaginative and explore their thoughts through art. It can also provide a good way for people who don’t know each other well to bond. School grades can be a burden and to evade such thoughts, writing comes in super handy. This is why children score better in academics because their stress can be laid off by their escape- creative writing! By finding their way of writing, kids can turn it into a superpower, allowing them to be more creative while having fun and doing something they enjoy. So keep motivating your little ones.

Keep writing!

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The Brain Benefits of Creative Writing

Did you know that writing has powerful health benefits? While most people don’t associate an activity like writing with health, picking it up as a hobby or habit in your later years has been proven to improve brain function and keep the mind sharp.

And the best part of writing? Anyone can do it! Creative writing is an easy and fun way to take care of your mental and physical health. It allows individuals to settle back and deeply reflect on their own life experiences or dream up new ones. Writing offers limitless avenues to explore, from prose to poetry. Whether you would like to write your memories into a memoir or write fictional characters that go on adventures, you receive the same health benefits.

Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits of writing.

Stimulate Cognitive Function & Improve Memory Retention

If you used this as a study trick in your school days, then you know that writing something down over and over again helps you to remember it. The process of recalling something, writing it down, and reading it back on paper boosts memory and comprehension. As a result, this leads to improved cognitive processing.

However, studies have found that the creative process of crafting a story stimulates certain parts of the brain that simply copying words down on paper will not. The process of creating characters, plot, scene, dialogue, setting, and more invigorate the brain. Essentially, creating an entirely new narrative requires much more thought and creativity than rote writing. Creative writing engages the brain on a new level and forms new neural pathways and connections, keeping the brain sharp and agile.

Reduce Stress

Stress can cause and worsen a whole host of health problems. Not to mention, stress is just plain unpleasant. Finding an outlet to redirect and alleviate this stress is essential for everyone’s mental and physical wellbeing. When you are feeling overwhelmed, the last thing you want to do— or think to do— is write a short story or poem.

However, any type of writing that requires imagination helps de-stress your body and mind. Writing provides a constructive escape, providing the distraction your mind needs to decrease anxiety, stop racing thoughts, and improve your mood. As a result, when you’re ready to leave your fictional world for the real world, you’ll likely feel better and even have a fresh perspective.

Improve Sleep & Create Peace of Mind

It can be hard to get your brain to shut off and relax. Consequently, when it comes time for bed, many people lie awake with racing thoughts. Writing is a great tactic for improving your sleep cycle because it helps get those thoughts out on paper, so they are not living so much in your head.

Improve Mood

Specifically for seniors, creative writing and writing in a journal can help promote mindfulness and help older adults live in the present moment, rather than worrying what the future holds. This habit can support coming to terms with the ageing process, help cherish their memories, and celebrate the experiences of their life. Expressive writing is a powerful tool that offers a safe space for individuals to process and explore their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and impactful life experiences.

You don’t have to be an aspiring author to reap the benefits of writing, simply a willingness to pick up your pen! The Life Enrichment Center offers a variety of engaging writing classes for writers of all levels, such as: Creative Writing , Six-Week Memoir Writing , Monologues for Beginners , and the Ten-Minute Play for Beginners .

Creative Writing and Its Cognitive Benefits

20/02/2023 • Written by Kyle

Everyone has a story to tell. It may be an event from your life or something entirely fictional, but we all have stories within us. In fact, storytelling is a fundamental part of what makes us human . It is a means of contextualising our understanding of the world and relating to others. In many cases, it can also help us confront our own emotions. Furthermore, creative writing has many cognitive benefits.

What are Cognitive Benefits?

In short, a cognitive benefit improves brain function or mental health. It could be that you become a more efficient problem solver or simply relieve some stress. Engaging in activities that promote cognitive benefits can help to prevent mental health conditions such as depression , whilst also reducing the likelihood of developing dementia .

Creative writing's cognitive benefits are plentiful. This is because writing, especially in an imaginative sense, forces you to use your brain in a different – yet still familiar – way. You have to look at things differently and put careful consideration into your choice of words. Plus, the satisfaction of finishing a piece of writing releases dopamine, which improves mood as well as motor and brain functions.

What Counts as Creative Writing?

The definition of creative writing varies depending on who you ask. In its simplest form, though, creative writing is any piece of writing that tells a story. Often, this story will convey a message or seek to elicit an emotion. However, this is not always the case.

Creative writing includes:

Short stories

This list is not exhaustive.

What are Creative Writing's Cognitive Benefits?

As we have mentioned, creative writing can improve brain function and improve mental health. But how? Consider this list of how creative writing provides cognitive benefits.

Organising Thoughts

Many of us, at one time or another, will have found ourselves fighting a whirlwind of thoughts. As soon as one thing enters our minds, something else sweeps in to take its place. This can result in a loss of focus and no small amount of frustration. Sometimes, as these thoughts race through our heads, we can end up lingering on unpleasant memories.

However, creative writing allows you to channel these thoughts into one place. It gets them out of your head and helps you to process them better. This type of writing is often known as "stream of consciousness"; you simply put pen to paper and let your thoughts flow out. It doesn't have to form a coherent structure, but you may be surprised where the process leads you.

One of the main advantages of this is that it relieves stress. Whatever was stuck in your head has now been made tangible. You can view it as words to throw away and forget about or the beginnings of a new project. By working through your chaotic thoughts, you can identify methods of controlling them and avoiding negative mindsets.

Addressing Strong Emotions

Everyone gets emotional sometimes. It's a natural part of being human. We feel things, and some things we feel more than others. However, there are many people who attempt to push those emotions deep down inside. This, science has proven , can have negative impacts on your health.

In fact, ignoring your emotions can lead to poor sleep , high stress, and lower immune function. It can also lead to the development of stomach ulcers, heart disease , and anger issues. Whilst it is advised to talk about your difficult emotions with others, sometimes this can feel difficult. Fortunately, writing can help you express them.

Creative writing can help you turn your feelings into a story. This helps you process your emotions and work through them. You can also use your writing as a means of expressing your emotions to others. If you turn your feelings into a story, your loved ones may better understand what you are experiencing.

Self-Awareness

When we write, we are often exposing parts of ourselves we weren't even aware of. Our vulnerabilities escape onto the page, and it's not until we reread our work that we realise. However, increased awareness of our own struggles, thoughts, and ideas is key to improving our understanding of our place in the world.

This self-awareness also plays into feelings of anxiety and depression . Often, we can struggle to pinpoint exactly what it is that is making us feel a certain way. When we write, however, our subconscious can tell us what has been bothering us.

Therefore, by writing and then reading what we have written, we can find solutions to the things that bother us.

Improve Your Attention Span

So how can creative writing help with this? When you write, you are forcing your brain to focus on one task. However, you are not only doing one thing. Many people don't realise it, but writing requires multitasking. You must write, think, and often read all at once.

Doing so channels your focus. You choose what goes on the page, but the need to keep your handwriting neat as well as to finish your thought keeps you going. And when one sentence is complete, another springs to mind and demands to be written. Furthermore, the more you write the stronger your focus will become.

Improve Memory

Older adults can often find themselves worrying about their memory. Creative writing provides the cognitive benefits of improved memory. As we have touched on before, when we write we are processing our thoughts in a more organised manner. This can help to contextualise them in our minds and make them easier to manage.

Moreover, the written word can be more reliable than our minds alone. Even a brief note on a scrap of paper can trigger a memory of an errand we have yet to do. When we write a story, we are forming a sequence of events in our minds that connect to one another. Forming these connections helps to strengthen our cognitive processes.

There is also evidence to suggest that handwriting, in particular, can create specific connections in our brains. The texture of paper, the weight of the pen, and even the smell of the ink can help improve our recall abilities. This is because sensory input plays a large role in forming memories.

Expand Knowledge

You may have heard it said that authors write what they know. What often isn't mentioned is that authors are constantly expanding what they know to tell stories. Most writers are open-minded people with a deep understanding of many topics and points of view. This is because they take the time to learn new things, hear different perspectives, and expand on what they already know.

One of creative writing's cognitive benefits is the opportunity it provides to learn new things. The great thing is that you never know exactly what you're going to find out. You might be writing a short story about someone who goes fishing and need to know how a fishing rod works. Alternatively, you might write about a walk in the woods and need to find out about the distinguishing features of different trees.

There is no end to the things you might discover. Many writers can attest to the "rabbit hole" effect, where one quick question leads you to read about more and more things. The simplest fragment of missing information can become the perfect opportunity to expand your knowledge.

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Editor's Note: This article was updated on 20th February 2022 to reflect current information.

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COMMENTS

5 Ways a Creative Writing Course Will Benefit Your Future
Creative writing boosts your imagination as you create new worlds, situations and characters in your work. When you're stimulating your brain to 'think outside
The Benefits of Creative Writing
Creative writing helps to improve outlining skills, which are vital for any kind of large project. Without an outline, creative writers might
The benefits of creative writing
Practising creative writing is about a lot more than just improving your grammar, spelling and vocabulary; it will allow you to develop your own
7 Benefits of Creative Writing Exercises
7 Benefits of Creative Writing Exercises · 1. Building Confidence · 2. Artistic Self-Expression · 3.Imagination Boost · 4. Thought Clarification · 5.
How Creative Writing Can Increase Students' Resilience
They learn to include the juicy details of their stories (who, what, when, where, why, and how), and they get help from their peers, who ask
4 Benefits to Creative Writing To Help Your Children
Creative writing encourages kids to exercise their creative minds and practice using their imaginations. It improves their ability to come up
Creative Writing and Its Benefits|The Playbook
Creative writing helps children develop communication and persuasion skills. They learn how to explain things so that others can understand
The Benefits of Creative Writing: How Grade Levels Improve
How Does Creative Writing Improve Grade Levels? · The Learning Process Enhances · It Helps Kids in All Subjects · Creativity Improves School
The Brain Benefits of Creative Writing
The Brain Benefits of Creative Writing · Stimulate Cognitive Function & Improve Memory Retention. If you used this as a study trick in your
Creative Writing and Its Cognitive Benefits
What are Creative Writing's Cognitive Benefits? · Organising Thoughts · Addressing Strong Emotions · Self-Awareness · Improve Your Attention Span.