What are the Zones of Regulation? 

The Zones of Regulation is a range of activities to help your child develop skills in the area of self-regulation. Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self-management and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for the specific situation. For example, when your child plays in a basketball game, it is beneficial to have a higher state of alertness. However, that same state would not be appropriate in the library.

Learning to identify and regulate emotions is a big job, especially for young children! The children at Highlees Primary School are learning about the ‘Zones of Regulation’ curriculum which is a model curriculum to help children identify their feelings, identify which ‘zone’ they belong to and allow them to regulate their own feelings and behaviours. 

The curriculum also helps older children better understand their emotions, sensory needs and thinking patterns. The children learn different strategies to cope and manage their emotions based on which colour zone they’re in. Additionally, the Zones of Regulation helps children to recognise their own triggers, learn to read facial expressions, develop problem-solving skills, and become more attuned to how their actions affect other people.

Every class has a visual display of the ‘Zones of Regulation’ that is used daily and referred to during PHSE lessons and used as points for discussion. The teachers also use this model to explain how they are feeling and which strategies they can use to help them during challenging times.