Almost 50 teachers, support staff and parents from Premer,  Attunga, Woolomin, Dungowan, Moonbi, Tintinhull, Inverell and Nundle schools participated.

Play is the Way was facilitated by its founder Wilson McCaskill, and uses games to help children build the character and skills to guide their behaviour in tricky situations.

Nundle Public School principal Stephen Gadd said he organised the day because one of the key priorities of his school and others was “to build the students’ skills in self-management and self-regulation”.

“Play is the Way is a philosophy around teaching behaviour that helps students  – and adults, for that matte – to take responsibility for themselves,” Mr Gadd said.

“It’s a fun way to learn about some of those things that we, even as adults, have challenges with every single day, and to develop resilience and perseverance.”

Mr Gadd said the participants learnt a series of physically interactive games, as well as certain language and questioning, that they could take back to their students.

The idea is to play the games regularly with their students, and help them practise their responses to challenges such as resolving conflict, sticking with a task when it becomes difficult, and overcoming fear when trying something new.

“Adults are very good at avoiding those kinds of things ... we learn very quickly what we like to do and don’t like to do,” Mr Gadd said.

“The idea is that, once you start embracing that challenge, it’s actually going to benefit you; you’re going to be a lifelong learner.

“Lifelong learning leads to satisfaction in many areas, but – especially in the changing world being thrust upon us at the moment – it’s a whole set of skills we really need.”

Mr Gadd said such skills could be learnt young and mastered throughout life.

“Sometimes I think people can be the victims of their feelings or emotions, and hopefully this program can help [the students] to be the master of their feelings or emotions so that, even in the most heightened state, they can make positive choices,” he said.

Mr Gadd said small schools in the Peel Valley area, particularly, had increased their co-operation in the past year or so.

“We’ve done a number of collaborative staff development days ... through that, we’re building a very collegial team of teachers,” he said.

“It was a really inspiring way to kick off the year.”