Creativity as a link between movement-based activities and wellbeing in educational settings: A PRISMA systematic review
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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BibTeX
@article{bitu2026creativity,
title = {{Creativity as a link between movement-based activities and wellbeing in educational settings: A PRISMA systematic review}},
author = {Fabien Bitu and Trinidad García},
journal = {Mental Health and Physical Activity},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.mhpa.2026.100825},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05791764v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Creativity as a link between movement-based activities and wellbeing in educational settings: A PRISMA systematic review
AU - Fabien Bitu
AU - Trinidad García
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
JO - Mental Health and Physical Activity
DO - 10.1016/j.mhpa.2026.100825
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05791764v1
AB - 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.
SN - 1755-2966
SN - 1878-0199
ER -