The paper presents the results of the preliminary phase of a research project aimed at developing and testing an intervention involving "active breaks" (structured and unstructured play-based physical activities) and assessing their influence on the well-being and academic performance of adolescent students in upper secondary school. Scientific studies have shown that play, defined as self-selected and self-directed activity, contributes to well-being and physical, mental, emotional, and social development throughout the entire life-cycle. The literature has predominantly focused on the study of play during early developmental stages, particularly in preschool and school-age children, leaving a significant gap regarding the impact of play during secondary education. In this context, the present study aims to fill this knowledge gap by proposing an innovative intervention that can be integrated into daily teaching practices. A key objective is to promote the social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of engaging in classroom play-based activities. The project aligns with the European Framework for Key Competences for Lifelong Learning and the EU 2020 Strategy, which call for the inclusion of transversal skills in school curricula to foster growth, success, and prevent school dropout. The methodological design involves two groups of upper secondary school students, randomly assigned to an experimental group (No = 42; AVage= 15.8 years, SD = 0.8; M = 80.5%) and a control group (No = 37; AVage= 16 years, SD = 1.8; M = 76%). Both groups completed a pre-test questionnaire before the start (T0) and at the end of the experimental period (T1), to assess demographic information, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, academic motivation, well-being and quality of life, and perceived academic performance. Students in the experimental group are asked to engage in active breaks three times a week during regular curricular lessons for three months, under the guidance of two researchers. The paper presents the research design, the structure and method of the active breaks, as well as the results of the preliminary data collection phase.

Keywords: Active breaks, play, adolescence, academic performance, school well-being.