Zones of Regulation

Here at Locking, we use Zones of Regulation to support the emotional regulation throughout the school.

Here is a summary of the zones of regulation for you to understand and use at home...

What is the Green  Zone?

The green zone is used to describe when you’re in a calm state of alertness.

Being in the green zone means you are calm, focused, happy, or ready to learn. This is predominantly the state you want your child to be in. It’s also the state most needed in the classroom in order to learn.

How would your child behave in the Green Zone?

• Calm
• Focused
• Happy
• Content

How might your child be feeling in the Green Zone?

What strategies do we implement in school to keep children in the Green Zone?

• Implement daily sensory breaks
• Sensory areas in class
• Sensory circuits and a sensory diet to support sensory needs
• PSHE lessons
• Mindfulness activities
• Circle time
• Use a positive behaviour policy
• Encourage a healthy lifestyle
• Teach children how to keep fit

What strategies can you use at home?

• Self-care- treat yourself to a relaxing bath or night off homework
• Organise your clothes for school the night before to prevent stress
• Spend time with your friends and family
• Take time out to do something you love to do
• Eat healthy and nutritious food
• Drink plenty of water
• Get 8 hours+ sleep

Stories to read at home:

What is the Blue Zone?

The blue zone is used when a person is feeling low states of alertness or arousal.

When you’re in the blue zone you may be feeling down – sad, sick, tired, or bored. You’re still in control, as you are in the yellow zone, but with low energy emotions.

How would your child behave in the Blue Zone?

• absence of feelings
• irritability
• lack of pleasure
• lack of motivation
• tearful
• withdrawn
• difficulty in concentrating

How might your child be feeling in the Blue Zone?

What coping strategies do we implement in school?

• Exercise
• Alerting sensory breaks
• Reflecting on what makes us happy
• Talking to our teachers and friends

What strategies can you use at home?

• Listen to upbeat music
• Complete some cardio based exercise
• Get up, get showered and get dressed
• Jump on a trampoline
• Talk to a friend
• Do something creative
• Cuddle or play with pets.
• Go for a walk
• Plan a fun activity
• Look through old photographs or snap some new ones.

Stories to read at home:

What is the Yellow Zone?

The yellow zone describes when you have a heightened sense of alertness.

This isn’t always a bad thing, and you typically still have some control when you’re in the yellow zone. Being in the yellow means you may feel frustrated, anxious or nervous. But, it could also mean you’re feeling excited, silly, or hyper – which is okay in the right situations.

How would your child behave in the Yellow Zone?

• Avoiding situations
• Avoiding social settings
• Biting nails
• Sleeping issues
• Tearful
• Struggling to concentrate
• Hyper-vigilant

How might your child be feeling in the Yellow Zone?

What coping strategies do we implement in school?

• Breathing strategies
• Grounding and calming activities
• Calming areas in classrooms

What strategies can you use at home?

• Breathing techniques
• Take time out
• Relaxing exercises e.g. yoga/ stretches
• Meditation
• Keep a journal
• Make a worry monster
• Listening to calming music

Stories to read at home:

What is the Red Zone?

The red zone describes an extremely heightened state of intense emotions. When a person reaches the red zone, they’re no longer about to control their emotions or reactions.

This is the zone kids are in during meltdowns. Being in the red zone means you’re feeling anger, rage, terror, or complete devastation and feel out of control.

How would your child behave in the Red Zone?

• Excessive outbursts
• Fighting
• Shouting
• Irritability
• Acting dangerously
• Lack of control
• Resentful

How might your child be feeling in the Red Zone?

What coping strategies do we implement in school?

• Take time out
• Use the calming area
• Time to talk through our thoughts, feelings and behaviours
• Breathing strategies

What strategies can you use at home?

• Talk to an adult
• Hug a teddy
• Pop bubble wrap
• Wrap your arms around yourself and squeeze
• Write down what’s bothering you and rip it up
• Squeeze a stress ball
• Talk about it
• Scribble on paper and crumple it up
• Use breathing techniques

• Do stretches
• Listen to calming music
• Take time out

Stories to read at home:

Understanding the zones with your child

Talk through the zones with your child. Ask them how they would feel in each zone?

• Discuss what emotion they feel in each zone e.g. In the yellow zone I may feel worried.
• How they physically feel e.g. In the yellow zone I may have butterflies in my stomach or have sweaty palms (if feeling anxious).
• Then discuss what might they be doing - what might their actions be? e.g. In the yellow zone would they be pacing around, snapping at others, fidgeting?
• Then discuss how to help them move into the green zone e.g. If I was in the Yellow zone and feeling anxious I might find completing some yoga stretches/breathing techniques helps me get back into the green zone.
• Create a list of strategies that work for your child - remind them that we are all unique and the strategies that work for one person might not help them so they need to think about what would help them.

Remind your child that we will all experience all zones and there are no good or bad zones - however our success in regulating our emotions depends on us recognising our emotion, understanding it and putting a support strategy in place.

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