Creativity Is Not ‘Extra’: How Art, Music, and Making Support Children’s Mental Health
Parents sometimes walk into Oak and say something like
“I love that they’re painting and playing music… but is this really as important as reading and math?”
Here’s the honest answer: for a child’s mental health, creativity is not a bonus—it’s part of the core support system.
At Oak Learners, art, music, and hands-on making are woven into the day on purpose: small classes, lots of time outside, and plenty of chances to create. That’s not just our philosophy; it lines up with what recent research is finding about how creative activities help children cope with stress, express emotions, and feel more confident. [1][2][4]
1. Why creative time is “brain-care” time
Think about what happens when a child is drawing, sculpting, or playing an instrument:
- Their hands are busy, which often calms their body.
- Their mind gets a break from “right/wrong” answers.
- They can follow their own ideas instead of a fixed script.
Recent reviews of arts programs for children and young people show a clear pattern: when kids regularly take part in creative activities, they tend to have a better mood, less stress, and a stronger sense of connection and enjoyment. [1][2][4]
One 2024 review of arts-inclusive programs in early childhood found that creative activities like drawing, music, and drama were linked with improved emotional expression, confidence, and general well-being, especially when they were part of everyday routines rather than rare “special events.” [2]
That’s very close to how Oak works: creativity is not an end-of-week treat—it’s part of the rhythm of the school day.
2. Music and rhythm: regulating from the inside out
If you’ve ever watched a group of children drum together or sing in a circle, you can feel the shift in the room. Bodies start to sync up. Energy that was scattered becomes organized.
Music gives children:
- rhythm to move with,
- a way to express big energy or sadness safely, and
- a shared experience—“we’re doing this together.”
A 2023 study on music therapy for children and adolescents with ADHD found that regular sessions reduced depression and physiological stress markers (like cortisol and heart rate) and increased serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with well-being. [5] Young people in the music therapy group coped better with stress than those receiving standard care alone. [5]
That study focused on a clinical setting, but the mechanism—using rhythm and sound to regulate the nervous system—is very relevant in everyday school life too.
At Oak, music shows up in all kinds of small but powerful ways:
- Morning songs that help the group settle and feel connected.
- Call-and-response games and body percussion that support attention, timing, and impulse control.
- Open-ended time on drums, ukuleles, or other instruments where kids can “get the wiggles out” through sound instead of behaviour.
For many children, those musical moments are when their bodies finally relax enough to learn.
3. Making, crafting, and tinkering: quiet confidence in action
There’s a specific glow that appears when a child looks at something and says, “I made this.”
Hands-on making—paper crafts, clay, cardboard constructions, sewing, Lego builds, weaving, and cooking—helps children:
- practice planning and problem-solving,
- tolerate mistakes (“That didn’t work… what now?”),
- and experience themselves as capable creators, not just consumers.
Reviews of arts-inclusive programs show that creative making is linked with better mood, more engagement in learning, and greater confidence, especially for kids who don’t always shine in purely academic tasks. [2]
In an Oak classroom, this looks like
- tables full of materials that invite experimentation (tape, cardboard, fabric, string, natural materials from outdoor walks);
- projects that have structure and room for personal ideas;
- teachers who celebrate the process (“You really stuck with that!”) as much as the final product.
Those repeated experiences quietly build a child’s inner story: “I can figure things out. I can try again. I can bring an idea to life.”
4. Creativity and neurodiversity: giving different brains more options
Not all children experience the world in the same way. Some are easily overwhelmed by noise or change. Others need to move a lot. Some have rich inner worlds but struggle to express themselves with spoken or written language.
For many neurodivergent children creative activities can be a gentler way into connection.
A 2025 systematic review on art therapy for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum found that creative sessions were often associated with the following:
- reduced stress-related symptoms,
- improved communication and social engagement, and
- better fine-motor and sensory integration skills. [6]
Oak isn’t providing clinical therapy, but we operate on the same basic belief: children deserve more than one way to communicate and more than one way to participate.
In practice, that means:
- a child who struggles in large-group discussions might shine in small-group mural work.
- a learner who finds writing overwhelming can explore ideas first through drawing or building.
- Children with big feelings and fast bodies can regulate through movement-based arts and music instead of being asked to “just sit still.”
Creative spaces become “yes” spaces for children who have heard a lot of “no.”
5. The Oak blend: creativity, community, and small groups
Research on arts and mental health keeps coming back to a few common ingredients:
- Regular access to creative activities (not just one-off workshops)
- Supportive, trusting relationships with adults
- A sense of belonging and being seen
- Opportunities to create, not just consume [1][2][3][4]
Oak’s approach naturally pulls those threads together:
- Small class sizes mean children are known, not numbered. Teachers actually have time to sit down beside a child and draw, build, or play music with them.
- A strong community focus—multi-age groups, outdoor adventures, performances, and school events—gives children chances to share what they create and feel proud in front of a safe audience.
- Creativity across the day, indoors and outdoors, gives children multiple on-ramps to learning: they might enter a science topic through a sketch, a song, a model, or a nature-based art project.
When you put that all together, creativity stops being “extra” and becomes something much more important:
It’s a daily way for children to care for their minds, practice expressing who they are, and discover that school can be a place where their whole selves are welcome.
6. For families deciding if Oak is the right fit
If you’re considering Oak Learners, you might be wondering the following:
- Will my child feel emotionally safe here?
- Will they be able to express themselves?
- Will creativity support their learning or distract from it?
The current research is encouraging: creative activities are not in competition with academic growth. In many cases, they support it—by improving mood, focus, self-esteem, and engagement. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
For some children, the art studio or music circle will be where they feel brave enough to speak up. For others, a quiet drawing break between lessons will be the reset that lets them try a hard task one more time.
In every case, at Oak, creativity is one of the ways we say to children
“All of you are allowed here—your ideas, your feelings, your questions, and your way of seeing the world.”
That’s not extra. That’s the work.
References
- Moula, Z., Palmer, K., & Walshe, N. (2022). A systematic review of arts-based interventions delivered to children and young people in nature or outdoor spaces: The impact on connection to nature, health, and wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 858781. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.858781
- Birrell, L., Cavanagh, A., Kornfeld, R., & Brown, S. (2024). The impact of arts-inclusive programs on young children’s mental health and well-being: A rapid review. Early Child Development and Care. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2024.2319032
- Versitano, S., Tesson, S., Lee, C.-W., Linnell, S., & Perkes, I. (2025). Art therapy with children and adolescents experiencing acute or severe mental health conditions: A systematic review. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674251361731
- Hugh-Jones, S., & Munford, L. (2025). The effects of engagement in arts and cultural activities on adolescent mental health: Results from a large UK panel study. Social Science & Medicine, 382, 118343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118343
- Park, J.-I., Lee, I.-H., Lee, S.-J., et al. (2023). Effects of music therapy as an alternative treatment on depression in children and adolescents with ADHD by activating serotonin and improving stress coping ability. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 23, 73. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03832-6
- Wei, S., Zhang, Q., Li, Y., & Chen, H. (2025). The effectiveness of art therapy on children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. BMC Psychology, 13, 126. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-01345-1
