Zones of Regulation

At Oaktree, we have introduced Zones of Regulation, across the school, as a method of teaching children how to self-regulate.
 
Why Teach Self-Regulation? 
  • Regulation is something everyone continually works on whether we are aware of it or not.
  • We all encounter trying circumstances that can test our limits.
  • If we can recognise when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place.
  • This comes more naturally to some, but for others it is a skill that needs more attention and practise.
 
How does it work?
Feelings are complicated and can come in all different sizes, intensities and levels of energy that are very unique to our brains and bodies. To make it easier to talk about, think about and regulate, the Zones of Regulation are organised into four zones:
  • Blue (sad, tired, ill, lonely)
  • Green (happy, calm, focused, proud)
  • Yellow (stressed, worried, silly, frustrated) 
  • Red (angry, terrified, panicked, out of control) 
Once children are able to recognise what zone they may be in and what emotion they might be feeling, it is important to give them ideas on what to do to regulate those emotions. These form our toolkits. We teach children to use their toolkit to help them to regulate when they are feeling in a particular zone. 
 
But Remember! All the Zones are okay, it is important that children know that it is ok to feel a range of different emotions, we simply teach them what tools to use to regulate their emotions so that they can continue to learn and progress positively. 
 
If you would like more information please contact Miss Haffner (SENCO) or your child/ren's class teacher. 
senco@oaktree.swindon.sch.uk
 
All information was sourced from The Zones of Regulation Inc.