How art and creativity in the classroom support student health and wellbeing

Creative expression in the classroom is a surefire way to support your students’ health, both mental and physical. Artistic projects are opportunities for students to explore different materials and techniques - but they also offer students the chance to process emotions, understand themselves better, and use their imagination to express themselves in a creative way.

So, what does the research say about creativity and student health, and how can you integrate this into your classroom? Let’s explore.

How creativity in schools improves student health and wellbeing

Students’ mental and physical health has taken a hit in recent years. Research shows links between the COVID-19 pandemic and higher levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges among young people. In particular, distance learning meant students didn’t have the usual opportunities to build trusted relationships and experience healthy interactions with peers and teachers.

With that in mind, it’s more important than ever to prioritise student wellbeing - and art can be a surprisingly effective way to reduce stress and boost wellbeing in the classroom.

In an Adobe for Education study, 95% of educators said that promoting creativity reduces stress both in their students and themselves. What’s more, over 80% of educators witnessed improvements in student wellbeing and engagement as a direct result of bringing more creativity into the classroom.

Another study found that classroom-based creative programmes led to improvements in students’ positive attitudes, resiliency and self-esteem. The same study also saw a reduction in emotional and behavioural problems. And further research shows that artistic expression can help people feel better in their bodies too, especially for those who might be struggling with a physical health condition.

There are countless ways you can explore artistic expression with your students, from mindful drawing activities to expressive writing. The important thing is to encourage your students to tap into their intuition and focus on how they feel during the process. The end result is less important than the process. 

5 creative activities to boost student health and wellbeing

Let’s take a look at some creative ideas to try in the classroom.

1. Storytelling through visual art

By encouraging students to tell stories visually, you can help them express their own unique narratives and tap into their imaginations.

Storyboarding can be an engaging way for students to tell a story - especially for students who like graphic novels. Show students examples of storyboards from films or comics, then ask them to sketch scenes of a story they want to tell in sequential order. Encourage them to consider plot development, character progression, and visual storytelling techniques.

Another activity is visual journaling. This is where you task students with keeping a visual journal, to draw, paint, sketch or collage their feelings, thoughts and experiences. You can set aside time each day for students to journal. This approach encourages students to reflect on their lives and develop a deeper connection with their personal narratives.

2. Expressive writing

Writing is a powerful way to process emotions and build self-awareness. Within the classroom, you can encourage students to write about special or significant moments in their lives. By translating these experiences through writing, students can make better sense of things that have happened (positive and negative) and organise them into coherent stories.

You could also take students through a poetry exercise. Discuss different types of poetry and ask students to choose styles or poets that they like and write their own poems mimicking that. The poems could focus on a specific emotion, memory or thought. Shining a light on these elements using a poetic form could help students understand them more.

3. Mindful colouring and drawing

Mindful colouring can help students feel calm, enhance their mindfulness, and explore their inner worlds. Research shows that colouring mandalas and other structured patterns reduces feelings of anxiety. This is a great exercise that you can do with students during transitions or after breaks, helping them settle back into the classroom. You can play gentle music as they colour and encourage them to pay attention to the process and how they feel.

Another way to promote wellbeing through drawing is by taking students outside to observe and sketch nature. This activity has a double impact on student health – it allows them to build their creative drawing skills and gives them space to be with the natural world and appreciate their environment. Ask them to really consider the details of what they want to draw, whether a tree, flower, or landscape, and notice aspects like textures, shades of colour, and shadows.

4. Music-inspired painting

By combining music and painting in the classroom, you can create a multi-sensory experience where students can channel their artistic energy in a very abstract way.

Play music that can evoke different emotions in students, like happiness, excitement or reflection and ask students to paint what comes up for them when they listen. This activity can help them identify different feelings and develop an outlet to express themselves non-verbally.

You could also combine music and painting in a collaborative activity, asking students to work together to create a painting on a large canvas or poster that represents the sounds they hear in a piece of instrumental music. This group-based work gets students to consider others’ artistic perspective.

5. Pottery projects

Bringing clay into the classroom can be messy, but working with clay engages students in a tactile, immersive experience.

You could ask students to make a functional object, like a cup, bowl or plate, or something more expressive like a tile or sculpture. The hands-on process of shaping and refining their pieces will help students to stay in the moment, reducing stress and promoting mindfulness. What’s more, their creative efforts will result in a tangible object that they can hold in their hands, providing a sense of achievement.

Ceramics nurtures creativity by giving students the freedom to express their ideas. You could even organise an exhibition of the work they’ve made in a public space in the school to inspire other students.

Classroom creativity & student wellbeing go hand-in-paintbrush

Quality education goes much further than just passing exams and achieving high grades. Schools have a responsibility to nurture emotional and physical wellbeing in students, and giving them space and guidance to express themselves creatively is a key part of that.

Take the above examples and run with them – let your creative flair come alive too! After all, inspired teachers inspire students.

Further reading

For more tips and tools to foster mental and physical well-being in your school, read How to teach your students emotional regulation, Why your students need to learn frustration tolerance, and how social learning can build emotional intelligence skills.