Reading practice is associated with numerous psychological benefits. However, its influence over individual emotional dimensions has generally been underestimated by research. Only recently has it been recognized across different developmental stages but evidence is still scarce. The aim of this systematic review is to shed light over the association between reading and the several (and sometimes hardly distinguishable) socio-emotional constructs that we have identified in literature: interpersonal skills and prosocial behavior; emotional and behavioral symptoms; emotional regulation and expression; empathy and theory of mind; emotional knowledge and comprehension; and emotional responses. A total of 50 studies were analyzed, including all age groups, various settings, research drawings, and different emotional constructs in order to create a comprehensive view of the association between reading and emotions. Results show that overall reading practice has a positive impact on socio-emotional development, whatever its declination, regardless of age, gender or setting of implementation.

In recent years, the authors have witnessed the rebirth of board games. This contribution aims to investigate the educational potential of non-random board games in two ways: the comparison of performances of “expert adult players” and “adult non-players” through a correlation study (n=45) and the comparison between the results achieved by a group of children after 26 hours of game training (n=10) and those of a control group that carried out traditional educational activities (n=10) by using a nonrandomized control group pretest-posttest. Specifically, the findings relating to fluid intelligence, analytical and converging cognitive processes and creativity were compared. The results suggest that non-random board games can be an important stimulus for the cognitive functions, with a particular focus on the creative side, and therefore have an important educational function.

Reading aloud appears to be an important lever for improving language acquisition and development in early childhood, and later in life it strengthens many sub-dimensions of language. However, the availability of numerous variations on reading training, shaped by different methodologies and different lengths of exposure make it difficult to determine the best approaches to follow. The aim of this review is to identify the available literature contributions that examine the association between mediated reading training, first language development and the acquisition of new vocabulary, including other components that could be improved by these interventions, such as cognitive function, emergent literacy and adult-child verbal interactions. The purpose is to compare research highlighting their fundamental characteristics, tools, duration and methodologies used in order to point out the effects that the practice of reading aloud produces on the acquisition and the enhancement of language, particularly in the age of language development. The analysis of the 51 articles included aims to identify the most effective reading strategies in terms of practices, timing and methods, able to produce the most significant gains in the language area.