The importance of play in promoting children’s learning and development has been well documented within the literature. Recent attention has focused on board game play, as it
offers a unique playful learning experience; incorporating elements of competition, strategy and social interaction. A number of papers have focused on board games that are developed or modified by researchers to promote specific learning outcomes. However, the potential benefits of commercialised board games for child development is yet to be comprehensively analysed. To address this gap, this systematic review aims to examine the impact of commercialised board games on cognitive and academic skills in children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years. A systematic review was conducted in the following electronic databases:
Medline, ERIC, PsycInfo, and Web of Science. Full-text screening was carried out to assess the total papers included in the systematic review. A total of 10 studies were identified for inclusion in the systematic review. The studies involved a total of 1,348 participants, ranging from 4 to 12 years of age. The findings provide preliminary evidence to suggest that board game interventions can help improve a range of competencies in both academic and cognitive areas, including executive functioning, numeracy and literacy. The results highlight the utility of commercialized board games for promoting children’s development, which may help to inform the use of board game interventions within clinical and educational settings.

At the conclusion of this event, attendees will be able to:

- Recognise the impact of commercialised board games on child outcomes.

- Understand the potential application of board game interventions within clinical and educational contexts, while recognising the need for additional research to further evaluate their efficacy.

There is growing interest in understanding how to support self-regulatory skills in the classroom. Secure relationships between teachers and students contribute to the development of emotional regulation especially for children experiencing emotional dysregulation. Conversely, teacher stress can negatively affect the student-teacher relationship and is detrimental to student wellbeing and regulatory skill development. Limited teacher training in understanding the cognitive and developmental origins of self-regulation can create a cycle of punitive reactions and misunderstand with increased risk of burnout and prompting some teachers to resign. We developed a training program based on compassion focused therapy and psychoeducation to improve teacher understanding of the physiological, emotional, and cognitive processes that underly disruptive behaviour, stress, and emotion regulation. Using a multimodal, mixed methods design, we assessed the outcomes of this training across intervention and waitlist control primary schools. Qualitative analysis found the intervention shifted teacher language and behaviours, with evidence of increased self-awareness, self-regulation, and focus on wellbeing. Self-report measures showed improved teacher-student relationships and responses towards student dysregulated behaviour. I discuss the role of teacher psychoeducation in supporting positive student-teacher relationships and the impact on regulatory development in students and argue that real-time biometrics can be a valuable tool for investigating the development of regulatory capabilities in ecologically valid environments and describe efforts to incorporate qualitative methods to improve interpretation.

1. Understand the neurobiological and developmental foundations of self-regulation and how secure teacher-student relationships support emotional regulation, particularly in students experiencing dysregulation.
2. Identify the impact of teacher stress and limited psychoeducation on student behaviour, teacher-student relationships, and educator wellbeing, including the risk of burnout and professional attrition.
3. Explore the outcomes of a compassion-focused, neuroscience-informed training program designed to improve teacher understanding of behaviour, enhance self-regulation, and promote positive, relationally attuned classroom practices—supported by both qualitative insights and real-time biometric data.