{
  "abstract": "Background and aim Movement-based activities and creativity have been extensively used to support wellbeing in educational settings. Also, creativity may be important in movement-based activities because dance, creative movement, yoga, qigong, and arts-informed activities can involve improvisation, symbolic expression, play, and embodied meaning-making. This systematic review examined how creativity may link movement-based activity with wellbeing among children and adolescents in educational contexts. Methods Following PRISMA 2020 guidance, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched for English-language empirical articles published between 1 January 2015 and 19 March 2026. Eligible studies included participants aged 3-18 years in educational or school-related settings. Studies were included when they showed an explicit focus on creativity, included a motor or physical activity, and reported at least one wellbeing outcome. Results Of 482 records identified, 13 studies were included. Activities included dance-related activities or therapies, theatrical and musical improvisation, and mind-body exercises. Creativity was coded as an intervention/design feature in ten studies, a co-outcome in two, and a contextual/pedagogical feature in one. No study directly tested creativity as a statistical mediator between movement-based activities and wellbeing, and creativity measures were highly heterogeneous. Conclusions Creative and expressive movement-based activities appear promising for holistic wellbeing in educational contexts, but the evidence remains heterogeneous and methodologically uneven. Current findings support creativity mainly as a design feature or co-occurring process, not as a causal mechanism. However, the heterogeneity observed may reflect an attempt to capture forms of creativity that are intrinsic to movement-based activities, thereby positioning creativity as a more central albeit still conceptually underdeveloped construct. Future studies should define creative components, measure creativity and wellbeing longitudinally, and test whether creative processes explain or condition wellbeing effects.",
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  "article_type": null,
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  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Fabien Bitu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Trinidad García"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6wjs6e0krv2w1.bib",
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  "doi": "10.1016/j.mhpa.2026.100825",
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  "id": "6wjs6e0krv2w1",
  "issns": [
    "1755-2966",
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  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
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  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
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  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": "Elsevier [2008-....]",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6wjs6e0krv2w1.ris",
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      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:53Z",
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  "subjects": [
    {
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      "subfield": "ecology"
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      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
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  ],
  "title": "Creativity as a link between movement-based activities and wellbeing in educational settings: A PRISMA systematic review",
  "title_text": "Creativity as a link between movement-based activities and wellbeing in educational settings: A PRISMA systematic review",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:53Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6wjs6e0krv2w1",
  "venue": "Mental Health and Physical Activity",
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}