- Categories:
- Special Interest
- Tags:
- ActivitiesChildrenEducational
- Where:
- United Kingdom
- Date change rule:
- Every October 21
- Holiday emoji:
- ✍️
Everyone Writes Day inspires schools across the United Kingdom to dedicate October 21 to the power of the written word. This special day encourages every pupil and staff member, from students to catering staff, to engage in playful and engaging writing activities. Join the celebration by picking up a pen, sharing your stories, or exploring new forms of expression.
Want to sponsor Everyone Writes Day? Learn how
Expected Everyone Writes Day Deals
While Everyone Writes Day isn’t typically a retail-driven event, the focus shifts to supporting literacy and educational initiatives. Look for special offers from educational publishers like Scholastic and Pearson, who may provide free resources or discounted writing workbooks. Stationery brands such as Paperchase and Moleskine often run promotions on journals, pens, and creative supplies. Online writing platforms like Scribophile or Wattpad might offer premium access or writing challenges. Local bookstores and libraries are also key partners, frequently hosting workshops or book drives. We will update this page with confirmed live deals and initiatives as October 21 approaches.
Platform Guide for Everyone Writes Day
X/Twitter
Mention @NatlToday and use #EveryoneWritesDay. Share quick writing prompts, student work, or tips for fostering creativity.
Tag National Today (linkedin.com/company/nationaltoday) and use #EveryoneWritesDay. Highlight workplace writing initiatives or professional development sessions.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #EveryoneWritesDay. Share photos of school events, creative writing projects, or community literacy efforts.
Everyone Writes Day Hero
William Shakespeare
History of Everyone Writes Day
The origins of writing begin at the start of the pottery phase of the Neolithic when clay tokens were used to record specific amounts of livestock or commodities. These tokens were initially impressed on the surface of round clay envelopes and then stored in them. The earliest known writing may be the Kish tablet from Sumer, with pictographic writing, from 3500 B.C. The tokens were then slowly replaced by flat tablets, on which signs were recorded with a stylus. True writing is first recorded in Uruk, at the end of the fourth millennium B.C., and soon after in various parts of the Near East.
An ancient Mesopotamian poem from circa 1800 B.C., called “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta,” gives the first known story of the invention of writing, which says: “Because the messenger’s mouth was heavy and he couldn’t repeat (the message), the lord of Kulaba patted some clay and put words on it, like a tablet. Until then, there had been no putting words on clay.”
The history of literature begins with the history of writing, but literature and writing, though connected, are not the same. The very first writings from ancient Sumer by any reasonable definition do not amount to literature. Early Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient Chinese government records are similarly regarded. Scholars disagree when record-keeping shifted into literature, but the oldest surviving texts date from nearly 1,000 years from the first recorded use of writing. Early authors such as the Egyptian Ptahhotep, from the 24th century B.C., and the Sumerian Enheduanna, from the 23rd century B.C., are some of the oldest examples recorded.
Everyone Writes Day timeline
The Kish tablet from Sumer, with pictographic writing, is believed to have originated.
It is found in Uruk.
Ptahhotep writes in ancient Egypt.
It comes from an ancient Mesopotamian poem called “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta.”
How Businesses Can Celebrate Everyone Writes Day
Local businesses can celebrate Everyone Writes Day by encouraging their employees to engage in creative writing or by sponsoring local school writing programs. Bookstores and stationery shops can host workshops or offer discounts on writing supplies. Cafes might provide a ‘writer’s special’ to encourage patrons to sit and write. Even non-literary businesses can share stories about their company’s history or mission, demonstrating the importance of clear communication.
Everyone Writes Day FAQs
When is Everyone Writes Day?
Everyone Writes Day 2026 falls on Wednesday, October 21. This annual event encourages schools and individuals across the UK to dedicate a full day to the joy of writing.
Why is Everyone Writes Day important?
Everyone Writes Day underscores the vital role writing plays in education, communication, and personal expression. It helps students develop essential literacy skills and fosters a lifelong appreciation for storytelling and creative thought.
How many schools participate in Everyone Writes Day?
While exact participation numbers vary annually, hundreds of primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom enthusiastically embrace Everyone Writes Day. The event’s flexible nature allows many institutions to tailor celebrations to their unique schedules.
What kind of activities happen on Everyone Writes Day?
Schools often transform their curriculum for the day, engaging pupils and staff in diverse writing activities. These can range from collaborative storytelling and poetry slams to creating scripts, writing letters, or even crafting imaginative menus and site reports.
Everyone Writes Day Activities
Give children a writing prompt
You can do this by simply giving them a written prompt, or going beyond for younger kids. For example, you could stage an alien landing in the playground, and assign them the roles of reporters to make it exciting.
Create a collaborative story with the whole classroom
You can write the first sentence or paragraph yourself, ask the first student on the list to write the next one continuing from yours, then the next student, and so on. Everyone will be very surprised at the wild turns the story takes.
Ask students to rewrite their favorite stories
This one is for the older kids. There are many ways to do this, you can tell them to rewrite it from the point of view of another character, like the antagonist, to change the genre or the setting.
5 Interesting Facts About Everyone Writes Day
It can raise children’s confidence
This was discovered in a study by the University of Sheffield in 2009, concerning writing.
It can improve several skills simultaneously
It can improve children’s innovation, creativity, and technical writing skills at the same time.
V.R. technology
Stanhope Primary School explored Kensington Palace without leaving their classroom using V.R. technology to inspire them to write about it.
National Literacy Trust recommends having an audience
They recommend publishing an anthology of the children’s stories for the parents or people at the local store, for example, and say that having a real audience positively affects the exercise.
A school made a T.V. news program
For a two-day Everyone Writes Day project, Moss Hey Primary School produced and presented a T.V. news program in which each class became a different department.
Why We Love Everyone Writes Day
It’s a day for students and teachers to have fun
Normal activities are suspended on Everyone Writes Day in favor of something different. Everybody needs a break every once in a while, even if it can still be considered work, it’s a good enough change of pace.
It encourages creativity
We believe it’s a very important skill for children to learn, as it will impact every facet of their life. Even if they are not personally interested in writing, creativity is useful in any task.
It can inspire children to write on their own
They could end up becoming fantasy authors, scriptwriters for Hollywood, award-winning journalists, and more. You never know what lies in store!
Everyone Writes Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | October 21 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | October 21 | Thursday |
| 2028 | October 21 | Saturday |
| 2029 | October 21 | Sunday |
| 2030 | October 21 | Monday |
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