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Photo by Karla Hull

Zones of Regulation

Karla Hull —

Introduction to Zones of Regulation

Why are we teaching this programme?

  • We need to teach our kids GOOD coping and regulation strategies so they can help themselves when they become stressed, anxious, or sad.

  • Typically, kids who can self-regulate will turn into teens who can self-regulate. Self-regulation skills are vital for the success and happiness of our children.

What are we going to teach our students?

  • Identify their feelings and levels of alertness

  • Effective regulation tools

  • When and how to use the tools

  • Problem solve positive solutions

  • Understand how their behaviours influence others’ thoughts and feelings

And ultimately…

  • Independent Regulation!


What are the zones?

There are four zones to describe how your brain and body feel.

  • BLUE Zone – Your body is running slow, such as when you are tired, sick, sad or bored. (This relates to a REST Area road sign)

  • GREEN Zone – Like a green light, you are “good to go.” Your body may feel happy, calm and focused. (this relates to the Go road sign)

  • YELLOW Zone – This zone describes when you start to lose control, such as when you are frustrated, anxious, worried, silly or surprised. Use caution when you are in this zone. (this relates to the SLOW DOWN road sign)

  • RED Zone – This zone is for extreme emotions such as anger, terror and aggression. When you are in this zone, you are out of control, have trouble making good decisions and must STOP (This relates to the STOP sign)


Key Messages

  1. No Zone is BAD and it’s okay to be in any of the Zones. What is not okay is if you hurt someone whilst you are in RED Zone. It’s also not good to stay in Red, Yellow or Blue for too long. We are aiming to be in GREEN Zone most of the time.

  2. You can be in more than 1 zone at a time; eg. You might feel anxious (yellow and tired (blue) at the same time. Listing more than one Zone can indicate that a child is really in touch with their feelings and alertness level.

  3. The same emotion can be categorised into different zones; eg. Disappointment in Blue or Yellow & Jealous can be Yellow or Red. The Zone depends on the intensity of the emotions. Sad can be blue, but really really upset is red.

  4. People can experience situations differently. Eg. If you have a long wait at the doctor’s office you may feel bored (blue). But another person may feel anxious (yellow) and someone else may be happy because they get to play on their Mum’s phone whilst they wait (green).