Impact of a Playful Relaxation Intervention on Children’s Well-Being: A Mixed-Methods Study in Primary School in Portugal

Background/Objectives: Considering that current research highlights the role of well-being and play in children’s development and learning, and that the few publications reflecting research into relaxation methods suggest that these create conditions for well-being, the main objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a playful intervention based on relaxation methods on the well-being of children in the first cycle of schooling. Methods: It is a mixed study, using quantitative and qualitative methods, with a quasi-experimental design, with an intervention group (a total of 24 sessions, based on Boski and Choque’s relaxation proposals for children) and a control group, with pre- and post-intervention assessment in both groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers, and focus group techniques were used with children. Sixty-three children participated in this study, with an average age of 8.79 years (M = 8.79; SD = 0.676), 55.6% (35) of whom were female and 44.4% (28) male. Results: The results of the study indicate that the children developed passive limb relaxation and proprioceptive function, without altering their life satisfaction or aspects of emotional development. However, according to the children and teachers, the intervention developed positive emotions, bringing benefits to the classroom. Conclusions: This research contributes to the understanding of the effects, possibilities and potential of relaxation for children in school settings.