The Zones of Regulation is an internationally renowned approach which helps children to manage difficult emotions, through ‘self-regulation’.

​Self-regulation is best described as the best state of alertness for a situation, or the ability to maintain a well-regulated emotional state to cope with everyday stress and to be most available for learning and interacting. From time to time, all of us (including adults) find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, fear, or tiredness, and this stops us from getting on with our day effectively. Children who feel these emotions often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school.

​The Zones of Regulation curriculum aims to teach children strategies to help them to identify their emotions and cope with these feelings so they can get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’. 

At Leechpool, we want to teach all of our children good coping and regulation strategies so they can help themselves when they experience a range of emotions including anxiety and stress. Each class is taught about the zones from our Zones of Regulation Digital Curriculum. Children can use their tools and strategies when they feel the need to regulate their emotions.

​In using the Zones of Regulation as a whole school approach, we are aiming to help our children to:

• Recognise when they are in the different Zones and learn how to change or regulate the Zone they are in.
• Listen to their own body signals and regulate accordingly.
• Increase their emotional vocabulary so they can label how they are feeling.
• Recognise when other people are in different Zones, thus developing better empathy.
• Develop an insight into what might make them move into the different Zones, identify their triggers and sparks.
• Understand that emotions, sensory experiences such as lack of sleep or hunger and their environment might influence which Zone they are in.
• Develop problem-solving skills and resilience.
• Identify a range of calming and alerting strategies that support them (known as their personal ‘toolkit’).

 

What are the Zones of Regulation?
We explore the four Zones of Regulation and how they are used to categorise and identify the variety of feelings and energy states we all experience. Learning about The Zones of Regulation provides us with an easy way to think about, communicate around, and care for our feelings. The four Zones (4 colours – see below) are used to establish the common language that all adults and children will use throughout the curriculum and daily life. Since every person experiences a wide range of feelings, we stress that all the Zones are okay, and you should not attach judgement or shame to any one Zone.

Where can I find out more about the Zones of Regulation?
https://what-are-the-four-zones-of-regulation/
fun-ways-to-explore-the-zones-at-home
calm-down-strategies-for-kids

The Zones of Regulation App (Apple Store or Play Store)

Free Resources for you to download and use at home:
https://zonesofregulation.com/resources/ 

Parent letters