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The Zones of Regulation is a conceptual framework used to teach students self regulation and self control. According to the book Zones of Regulation by Leah M. Kuypers, creating this type of system to categorize the complex feelings and states students experience improves their ability to recognize and communicate how they're feeling in a safe, non-judgmental way.

This curriculum teaches students to use strategies or tools to help them move between zones. The Zones of Regulation categorizes states of alertness and emotions into four colored zones. It is important to know that it's fine for students to experience all of these emotions while they're at school. There is no bad zone, but it is important to learn and use strategies that would help students get to their Green Zone.

What are the Zones of Regulation?

(These are the Zones as explained by Leah M. Kuypers)

The Blue Zone
The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness, such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored. This is when one's body and/or brain is moving slowly or sluggishly.

The Green Zone
The Green Zone is used to describe a regulated state of alertness. A person may be described as calm, happy, focused, or content when in the Green Zone. This is the zone students generally need to be in for schoolwork and for being social. Being in the Green Zone shows control.

The Yellow Zone
The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness; however, a person has some control when in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, nervousness, confusion, and many more slightly elevated emotions and states when in the Yellow Zone (such as wiggly, squirmy, or sensory seeking). The Yellow Zone is starting to lose some control.

The Red Zone
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness or very intense feelings. A person may be experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, panic, terror, or elation when in the Red Zone. Being in the Red Zone can best be explained by not being in control of one's body.

Strategies at Whitby

In the classroom, students are provided strategies to help them regulate their bodies and get back to the green zone. We created a visual to help remind students of the different strategies they could use in the different zones. These strategies are meant to take no more than 5-10 minutes.

The Blue Zone

Sit on a bean bag (or in a comfy spot)

Take a walk

Go for a short run or jog

Have a snack

The Yellow Zone

Meditation or use a calming jar

Wall pushups

Have a snack

Go for a short run or jog

Meditation coloring

Take some deep belly breaths

Yoga

The Red Zone

Meditation coloring

Take some deep belly breaths

Sit on a bean bag (or in a comfy spot)

Yoga

Using the Zones of Regulation at Home

While it's not mandatory to use this program at home, children may become very interested in using this outside of school. For more on this, read The Zones of Regulation - written and created by Leah M. Kuypers, MA Ed OTR/L. The book contains the lessons we are working on along with the language we provide the students with. The book contains cut-outs and other visuals that help the students visualize their various emotions.

If you are interested in using the strategies at home they can be easily implemented. You could make the four Zones signs and strategy board. In the classroom we also made a "blue zone" where it is peaceful and quiet. In this area we included a bean bag chair for students to rest, meditation drawing mandalas, a calming jar, books, and a yoga mat and yoga position cards.

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Teaching Self Control in Lower Elementary with Zones of Regulation

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The Zones of Regulation is a conceptual framework used to teach students self regulation and self control. According to the book Zones of Regulation by Leah M. Kuypers, creating this type of system to categorize the complex feelings and states students experience improves their ability to recognize and communicate how they're feeling in a safe, non-judgmental way.

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In a follow-up to the wildly popular Growth Mindset series, ClassDojo and Stanford University's PERTS research center created a three episode video series about perseverance, including a concept called "The Dip." This board includes the popular series as well as accompanying activities to help students' learn the power of perseverance and what it looks like in real life!

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In a follow-up to the wildly popular Growth Mindset series, ClassDojo and Stanford University's PERTS research center created a three episode video series about perseverance, including a concept called "The Dip." This board includes the popular series as well as accompanying activities to help students' learn the power of perseverance and what it looks like in real life!

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Class Meetings provide a forum where children feel safe to connect and solve problems. Your class meeting is where you would brainstorm ideas for your School Family chant and classroom commitment, celebrate achievements, and solve chronic problems.

Class meetings often take place in a circle time setting. The procedure for these meetings is discussed at length in Chapter 15 of Creating the School Family. The P.E.A.C.E process is the Conscious Discipline tool used to help solve chronic problems in these class meetings:

P roblem: I've noticed ______. It's a problem for me because______.

E xplore: Has anyone in the class noticed this? Is it a problem for you?

A lternatives: So the problem is _______. State the problem reframed to focus on the action you want to see and relate it to safety if possible. (Instead of saying, "The problem is pushing and shoving in line," you would restate the problem as, "So the problem is that some students are having a hard time walking safely in line. What could we do differently to create a safe classroom for everyone?")

C onsensus: As a class family, we will: ______.

E valuate: How will we know the problem is solved?

A template for the P.E.A.C.E. process and other helpful classroom items can be found on the School Family Make-N-Take, available as digital downloads as part of our Premium Resource Toolkit. Music that supports the Class Meeting includes "Let's Celebrate" on It Starts in the Heart.

Video Examples: Class Meetings in Shubert's Classroom

Photo Examples: Class Meetings in Shubert's Classroom

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Class Meetings provide a forum where children feel safe to connect and solve problems. Your class meeting is where you would brainstorm ideas for your School Family chant and classroom commitment, celebrate achievements, and solve chronic problems. Class meetings often take place in a circle time setting.

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Classroom Meetings Changing Classroom Culture

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Classroom Meetings Changing Classroom Culture

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The Power of the Morning Meeting: 5 Steps Toward Changing Your Classroom and School Culture

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Edutopia blogger Lisa Dabbs shares her own transformative experience with the Morning Meeting model and suggests five steps for integrating this practice into the classroom.

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Creating Positive Environments through Classroom Meetings 

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Creating Positive Environments through Classroom Meetings 