Family arts activities can include making art at home, taking part in music or dance, writing, creating digital content, and visiting cultural venues. The available statistics show participation in Australia during the 2017–18 financial year and in the 12 months before Australia’s 2025 survey, alongside United States figures from 2019 for children’s arts outings.
Contents
- Children’s participation in creative activities
- How much time children spend creating
- Drama, music, and dance time patterns
- Art, writing, and digital creation
- Parents, communities, and children’s arts outings
- Adult creative participation
- Cultural venues and events
Children’s participation in creative activities
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that 63.4% of children aged 5–14 participated in at least one creative activity outside school hours during the 2017–18 financial year. This is a broad measure covering several forms of creative participation, so it should not be added to the individual activity percentages below: one child could have taken part in more than one activity.
The activity-specific figures were:
| Activity outside school hours | Children aged 5–14 participating |
|---|---|
| Art and craft | 38.8% |
| Singing or playing a musical instrument | 23.0% |
| Creative writing | 22.5% |
| Dancing | 16.6% |
| Creating digital content | 16.5% |
| Drama | 7.9% |
Source: Participation in Selected Cultural Activities, 2017–18 financial year, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Art and craft was the most commonly reported activity in this set, at 38.8%. Singing or playing an instrument followed at 23.0%, while creative writing was close behind at 22.5%. Dancing and digital content creation each involved 16.6% or less of children aged 5–14, and drama was reported by 7.9%.
These figures describe participation outside school hours in Australia during 2017–18. They do not describe current participation, participation during school, or the number of sessions completed. They also do not identify whether an activity was done alone, with siblings, with parents, or in a group.
How much time children spend creating
The same Australian Bureau of Statistics release breaks participation down by weekly time spent. The time categories apply to children who took part in the named activity, rather than to all children aged 5–14. That distinction matters: the percentages in the next sections describe the intensity of participation within each activity group.
Across the activities measured, the largest share generally spent two hours or less per week. The exception in the supplied figures is not a different time threshold, but the varying distribution between moderate and longer participation. For example, art and craft had a larger 5–9-hour share than several other activities, while digital content had a larger 10–19-hour share than music or creative writing.
The complete reported time distribution is shown below.
| Activity | ≤2 hours | 3–4 hours | 5–9 hours | 10–19 hours | 20+ hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 64.7% | 22.0% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 3.9% |
| Singing or instrument | 74.8% | 14.1% | 6.8% | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| Dancing | 73.6% | 11.7% | 8.0% | 4.9% | 1.8% |
| Art and craft | 56.3% | 17.8% | 17.2% | 5.9% | 2.1% |
| Creative writing | 75.4% | 11.5% | 8.7% | 2.9% | 1.1% |
| Digital content | 65.1% | 13.9% | 11.5% | 7.1% | 1.4% |
Source: Participation in Selected Cultural Activities, 2017–18 financial year, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The categories are reported separately and should not be turned into an average number of hours. A category such as “2 hours or less” does not provide an exact duration, and the other ranges also cover multiple possible weekly totals.
Drama, music, and dance time patterns
Drama participation had a relatively broad spread across the time categories. Among Australian children aged 5–14 who did drama in 2017–18, 64.7% spent two hours or less per week. Another 22.0% spent 3–4 hours, 6.4% spent 5–9 hours, 4.1% spent 10–19 hours, and 3.9% spent 20 hours or more.
Among children who sang or played a musical instrument, 74.8% spent two hours or less per week. The remaining reported shares were 14.1% at 3–4 hours, 6.8% at 5–9 hours, 2.4% at 10–19 hours, and 1.8% at 20 hours or more.
Dance showed a similar concentration at the shortest reported duration. Of Australian children aged 5–14 who danced in 2017–18, 73.6% spent two hours or less per week. The shares were 11.7% for 3–4 hours, 8.0% for 5–9 hours, 4.9% for 10–19 hours, and 1.8% for 20 hours or more.
Taken together, the figures describe different participation patterns without establishing why they differ. The dataset records the percentages by activity and time category; it does not provide information about lesson schedules, household circumstances, or whether time was spent in formal instruction or informal family activity.
Art, writing, and digital creation
Art and craft had the highest reported share of children’s participation in the Australian activity list, at 38.8%. Among children who took part in art and craft, 56.3% spent two hours or less per week. The other shares were 17.8% at 3–4 hours, 17.2% at 5–9 hours, 5.9% at 10–19 hours, and 2.1% at 20 hours or more.
Creative writing was reported by 22.5% of children aged 5–14 outside school hours. Within that group, 75.4% spent two hours or less per week, 11.5% spent 3–4 hours, 8.7% spent 5–9 hours, 2.9% spent 10–19 hours, and 1.1% spent 20 hours or more.
Creating digital content was reported by 16.5% of children. Among those participants, 65.1% spent two hours or less per week, 13.9% spent 3–4 hours, 11.5% spent 5–9 hours, 7.1% spent 10–19 hours, and 1.4% spent 20 hours or more.
The comparison is useful for families considering the range of creative formats available to children, but the measures are not a ranking of quality or benefit. They are participation estimates for specific activities and periods, and the categories can overlap when a child takes part in several activities.
Parents, communities, and children’s arts outings
United States figures from 2019 examine recent parent-supported cultural outings for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. During the previous month, parents had taken 28% of children to an art gallery, museum, or historical site. Parents had taken 34% of urban children to one of these destinations, compared with 20% of rural children.
The same source reported that parents had taken 35% of urban kindergarten-through-fifth-grade children to a performing arts event during the previous month, versus 27% of rural children. These are United States results for 2019 and a one-month recall period; they are not directly comparable with the Australian child participation figures from the 2017–18 financial year.
Source: Household or Community Dynamics Affecting Children’s Engagement with Art, National Endowment for the Arts.
The urban and rural figures show a difference in reported recent outings, while the supplied figures do not explain the causes. They should therefore be read as descriptive participation statistics rather than as evidence that location alone determines whether families attend.
Adult creative participation
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that 48% of people aged 15 and over participated in at least one selected cultural activity during the 12 months before the 2025 survey. The adult measures cover a wider age group than the child figures and use a different reference period, so they provide context rather than a direct trend line.
| Adult creative activity in Australia | People aged 15+ participating |
|---|---|
| Craft | 31.3% |
| Visual art | 18.8% |
| Photography | 11.3% |
| Fiction or non-fiction writing | 8.8% |
| Website, game, or interactive software design | 6.8% |
| Singing or playing a musical instrument | 6.1% |
| Fashion, interior, or graphic design | 4.9% |
| Filmmaking or editing | 4.7% |
| Song lyrics or music composition | 4.2% |
| Drama, comedy, musical, or variety performance | 4.3% |
| Dancing | 5.1% |
Source: General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Craft was the most common listed adult creative activity at 31.3%, followed by visual art at 18.8% and photography at 11.3%. Writing fiction or non-fiction was reported by 8.8% of people aged 15 and over. The figures also include digital and design activities: 6.8% designed websites, computer games, or interactive software; 4.9% participated in fashion, interior, or graphic design; and 4.7% participated in filmmaking or editing.
Music-related activities included singing or playing an instrument at 6.1%, and writing song lyrics or mixing or composing music at 4.2%. Performance-related participation included dancing at 5.1% and performing in a drama, comedy, musical, or variety act at 4.3%.
Cultural venues and events
Participation can also happen through attending arts and cultural places or events. In Australia, 79% of people aged 15 and over attended a cultural venue or event during the 12 months before the 2025 survey.
The reported attendance figures were 46.9% for a live music concert or performance, 31.6% for a museum, and 29.7% for an art gallery. Performing arts attendance included 23.7% at another type of performing arts event, 22.8% at a theatre performance, 20.1% at a musical or opera, and 14.5% at a dance performance.
Source: General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
These adult attendance results describe the 12 months before the 2025 survey, while the United States outing figures describe the previous month in 2019. Keeping those measurement periods visible helps families and readers interpret the numbers without treating different surveys, geographies, age groups, or definitions as one combined estimate.