The Dual Role of Children's Creative Expression: Participatory Art as Process and Evidence of Wellbeing in Play Environments

Children’s wellbeing in urban play environments is shaped not only by physical design but also by the emotional, sensory, and relational meanings they attach to their surroundings. Yet these experiential dimensions remain underrepresented in urban design evidence bases. This study explores the dual role of children’s creative expression both as a participatory process that supports wellbeing, and as the affective evidence revealing how children perceive, value, and emotionally engage with their play environments. To support this study, a workshop titled Invisible Bonds – Places of Play was conducted with 10 child–parent pairs (ages 4—10), who co-created mixed-media artworks to represent their favourite places of play. Through a multi-modal analysis of observational notes, conversations, and completed artworks, the study identified spatial themes and indicators of wellbeing. Findings show that the children expressed remarkable attunement to micro-landmarks, sensory details, seasonal cues, and natural elements. These features, along with social bonds, and imaginative hideouts, were associated with feelings of autonomy, security, joy, and belonging. The findings demonstrate the capacity of participatory creative methods to access children’s lived geographies and to inform design principles for meaningful play environments. This case study shows that children’s creative expression offers a powerful dual contribution to both understanding and supporting their wellbeing in urban play environments. Implications: This case study highlights that designing for children’s wellbeing requires understanding their emotional and sensory experiences of play spaces. The workshop framework offers a scalable, practical tool for urban designers, planners, educators, community practitioners, and mental-health practitioners to uncover children’s spatial experiences, strengthen caregiver–child relationships, and integrate creative expression into wellbeing-oriented planning. Incorporating arts-based methods can facilitate more inclusive, attuned, and psychologically supportive play environments.