Zones of Regulation
The Zones of Regulation
At Faith Primary Academy, we understand and the importance of promoting positive mental health, emotional wellbeing and emotional literacy to both our children and families. We use the ‘Zones of Regulation’ curriculum to teach pupils to identify their emotions in both themselves and others. We can are then able to supply them with a bank of strategies to help them regulate their emotions and improve their wellbeing. Through this, our aim is to create a culture of openness round the discussion of mental health and wellbeing so that our children, and families, are empowered to regulate their emotions.
This curriculum begins right down in the Early Year where they begin learning to identify different emotions using puppets and planned play activities. By the time children enter Key Stage 1 children are confident in discussing how our behaviour can impact upon the feelings of those around us.
What are The Zones of Regulation?
The Zones of Regulation curriculum is a framework designed to help children develop self-regulation skills, allowing them to better understand and manage their emotions. The program categorises emotions into four colour-coded zones: the Blue Zone (such as feeling sad or tired), the Green Zone (representing a calm and focused state), the Yellow Zone (signifying a sense of frustration or excitement), and the Red Zone (indicating anger or loss of control).
By teaching children to recognise and categorise their emotions into these zones, the curriculum empowers them with the tools to identify how they are feeling and provides strategies to move between zones appropriately. This not only enhances emotional awareness but also promotes the development of effective coping mechanisms, fostering better self-regulation and emotional well-being in children.
Some of the aims of The Zones of Regulation:
- Enhance Emotional Literacy: The Zones of Regulation aims to improve your child’s emotional literacy by helping them recognise and understand their feelings. This foundational skill enables them to express emotions in a healthy manner, fostering open communication with you and others.
- Enable Self-Regulation: The curriculum strives to equip your child with practical tools for self-regulation. By identifying the four colour-coded zones and learning corresponding strategies, your child gains the ability to independently navigate and manage their emotions, promoting a sense of control and resilience.
- Develop Coping Strategies: The Zones of Regulation focuses on teaching your child a diverse range of coping strategies tailored to different emotional states. This equips them with a toolbox of techniques to effectively cope with challenges, stressors, and various emotional experiences they may encounter.
- Foster Social Understanding: Through the Zones of Regulation, your child learns not only about their own emotions but also about the emotional experiences of others. This increased social understanding encourages empathy, cooperation, and positive social interactions, contributing to healthy relationships with peers and adults.
- Promote Academic Engagement: Improved emotional regulation positively impacts academic performance. By providing your child with the skills to stay in the optimal Green Zone—calm and focused—they are better positioned to engage in learning, problem-solving and decision-making, ultimately supporting their overall academic success and well-being.
How can you help your child use The Zones of Regulation?
- Start using the ‘Zones’ Language: Introduce and consistently use the Zones of Regulation language at home. Encourage your child to express their feelings using the colour-coded zones by modelling this yourself, for example, I’m a bit frustrated – I think I’m in the yellow zone.
- Model Emotional Regulation: Children often learn by observing. Demonstrate healthy emotional regulation by sharing your own experiences with the Zones and discussing how you manage different emotions. For example, I need to take 4 deep breaths to help me get back to the Green Zone.
- Create a Calming Corner: Designate a specific area in your home as a “calming corner” equipped with sensory items and tools aligned with the Zones of Regulation strategies. Encourage your child to use this space when they feel the need to self-regulate, providing a designated and safe area for them to practise coping techniques.
- Incorporate Daily Check-Ins: Implement a daily check-in routine where you and your child discuss which zone they are in and why. This brief conversation allows you to stay attuned to your child’s emotional state, reinforcing the habit of self-awareness. Use this time to brainstorm potential strategies to navigate challenging emotions.
Encourage and Celebrate Zone Success: Praise your child when you see them effectively using the Zones of Regulation. Positive reinforcement reinforces their efforts to self-regulate. Acknowledge their awareness and use of appropriate strategies by offering specific compliments, such as “I noticed how you took deep breaths when you were feeling frustrated; that’s a great way to stay in the Green Zone!”
It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the Zones – the Red and Yellow Zones are not the ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ Zones. All of the Zones are expected at one time or another.
As part of our learning about the Zones of Regulation, children show which zone they are feeling after transition times in a discreet way. In each of the classrooms and shared spaces there is information about how you might feel in each zone and strategies children can use to help themselves.
For more information please visit The Zones of Regulation | A Curriculum For Emotional Regulation