Only one in three children enjoy reading: Books and the arts is more important than ever for children's long-term wellbeing

Philip Pullman once said: “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world”, and as a scientist, I spend my time trying to understand why stories have such a powerful effect.

Stories connect us. When children read, they build relationships with characters, exploring new identities, perspectives and experiences in a safe space. They allow children to rehearse making life decisions. By watching characters face challenges, make decisions experience consequences, their brains are effectively practising how they might respond to similar situations themselves.

Young children can often experience feelings that they struggle to name or understand, and stories provide a language for these emotions. Learning about emotions through stories gives them meaning, and children can begin to recognise those feelings in themselves. That process is a crucial part of emotional development – identifying and regulating emotions.

So, at a time when reading for pleasure is in decline – with fewer than 1 in 5 children saying they read daily (National Literacy Trust) – finding ways to help young people reconnect with stories is increasingly important.

Stories sit within a wider creative ecosystem that supports children’s development. Reading is often a first entry point, but the same imaginative and emotional skills are strengthened through other artforms too – music, drama and dance.

Engaging with the arts during childhood has profound developmental benefits. For example learning an instrument is linked to changes in brain areas tied to language, memory and auditory processing, while drama brings stories to life, strengthening comprehension, vocabulary and writing.

Creative activities also support long-term wellbeing. Studies suggest that involvement in the arts during primary school can reduce the likelihood of emotional and behavioural difficulties later in adolescence.

The challenge, however, is ensuring that children growing up in a screen-first generation still have meaningful opportunities to engage with stories, art and creativity. Increasingly, this means thinking about how storytelling can live across different creative environments, and how we can bring stories of art and culture to life in ways that truly resonate with this audience.

When done thoughtfully, these worlds do not have to compete; we can complement reading by bringing stories to life in new ways. One example of this is the new Colour Monster experience at FRAMELESS, based on Anna Llenas’ children’s book, which I visited last month with my family. Here, children can actually step inside the story in an immersive environment.

Experiences like this can bridge the gap between divided digital and reading worlds. Rather than replacing reading, they encourage children to engage more deeply with the characters, ideas and emotions.

Ultimately, stories remain one of the most powerful tools for helping children understand themselves and the world. Bringing them to life – on the page or through creative experiences – plays an important role helping the next generation discover the joy of reading.

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Daisy Fancourt is a Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at UCL and author of Art Cure

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