Evidence Hub

Evidence briefing: The benefits of creative activities for the wellbeing of children and young people

This briefing is aimed at health professionals, including GPs, practice nurses, health visitors, and social prescribing link workers, and other practitioners who may be supporting the wellbeing of children and young people.

It synthesises a wide range of published research around the benefits of creative activities for children and young people and offers a set of practical recommendations for health and care professionals. You can download the full briefing paper at the bottom of this page. The full briefing contains more information about the evidence sources we’ve used.

Quick read summary

There is growing evidence that creative activities can improve the wellbeing of children and young people (CYP). The benefits of creative activity for CYP wellbeing can be summarised across four key areas:

General wellbeing

Creative activities can improve self-esteem, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging in CYP. These effects have been seen across a range of activities including music, dance, drama, visual arts, and reading. Everyday creativity, where the focus is on process rather than product, can promote positive emotions, a sense of purpose, and social connectedness, regardless of artistic skill.

Mental health

Music-based interventions have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression in CYP. Dance can reduce depressive symptoms, physical (somatic) complaints, and emotional distress in adolescents.  Drama and theatre can support emotional awareness, empathy, and coping skills. The mechanisms through which creative engagement improves mental health include biological pathways such as neural and hormonal changes, psychological pathways such as improved self-expression and confidence, and social pathways such as greater connection and belonging. Evidence also suggests that creative activities can build resilience, particularly for CYP from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who have experienced trauma.

Physical health and activity

Dance participation is associated with improved cardiovascular fitness, motor development, musculoskeletal strength, and increased physical activity levels in CYP. It can be particularly effective for engaging young people who avoid traditional forms of exercise. Reading for pleasure has been linked to healthier lifestyle behaviours in adolescence. Creative activities more broadly can support body awareness, coordination, and fine motor skills, with benefits noted even for CYP with disabilities.

Child and adolescent development

The evidence is particularly strong for the role of music and shared reading in supporting speech and language development from infancy through childhood. Creative activities can also support social and emotional development, including prosocial behaviours, emotional regulation, communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively. There is also early evidence linking arts engagement with improved educational engagement and reduced behavioural difficulties.

Key message

Research evidence has shown that creative activities can be a valuable resource for supporting the wellbeing of CYP.

Health professionals and other practitioners working with CYP and families are well placed to encourage creative engagement, whether through social prescribing pathways, signposting to community arts programmes, or simply recommending everyday creative activities as part of conversations about wellbeing.

The focus should be on the process of creating rather than the quality of the product, and activities don’t need specialist artistic skills to deliver benefits

Eight practical suggestions for health professionals and practitioners

• Recommend everyday creative activities as part of wellbeing conversations with CYP and families. Activities such as drawing, singing, dancing at home, reading for pleasure, crafting, and creative writing all carry wellbeing benefits and require no special skill and minimal equipment.
• Use social prescribing pathways to connect CYP with community-based creative programmes. Link workers can help identify suitable local arts activities and support sustained engagement.
• Signpost families to accessible community arts provision such as local music groups, dance classes, drama clubs, and library-based reading and craft sessions. Emphasise where these are open to all abilities and do not require prior experience.
• Promote music and shared reading from infancy. The evidence is particularly strong that music and parent-child reading support language development, social bonding, and early emotional regulation. Encourage these activities in early years health visits.
• Highlight dance as physical activity. Dance can engage CYP who may not enjoy traditional sport, offering both physical health and mental wellbeing benefits. It requires no special equipment and can be practised at home, in school, or in community settings.
• Consider creative activities for CYP with additional needs. Arts activities can be adapted for CYP with disabilities, long-term conditions, or neurodivergent profiles. Some examples of activity modifications include breaking the activity down into simpler steps, or using written or illustrated instructions; supporting sensory sensitivities by playing music more gently, or slowly introducing different textures and colours; or for visual impairment or motor problems, use larger materials and tools – for example, create collages with large leaves instead of flower petals, or use thick pens instead of pencils. Creative engagement offers non-verbal modes of expression and can support those who find clinical or verbal settings challenging.
• Encourage group creative activities for socially isolated CYP. Group arts participation supports social connection, reduces loneliness, and builds a sense of belonging. This is particularly relevant for CYP experiencing social difficulties or transitions.
• Emphasise process over product. When recommending creative activities, reassure families that the benefits come from the experience of being creative, not from producing something impressive. This removes barriers related to perceived lack of talent or skill.

You can download the full evidence briefing below.

More about this briefing

This briefing was produced by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) in collaboration with the Child Health and Wellbeing Network of the Integrated Care Board in the North East and North Cumbria, to support their Arts and Creativity workstream and awareness-raising campaign around creative health.

The NENC Child Health and Wellbeing Network has led a successful programme of work in creative health since 2022. This briefing was developed to support the Network’s ‘Make It Better’ awareness campaign. It compiles the key evidence around creative health and children and young people’s wellbeing to inform current practice and future developments in this area across NENC.

The Network recommends cross-sector engagement in arts and creativity as an approach to improve CYP health and wellbeing. Organisations can build on their work in this area by exploring the Creative Health Quality Framework to ensure robust and effective projects.