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A useful guide to help teachers understand the learning profile associated with Down's syndrome.
Every learner who has Down's syndrome is unique. Individuals differ across all aspects of social and cognitive development as well as in their family support and educational opportunities. Every individual is helped by teaching staff having high expectations.

Children with Down's syndrome need skilled teachers who understand their current skills, abilities, strengths and interests and who can teach them the next steps through engaging teaching and learning activities. They need to be welcome, socially included members within their classrooms and schools. The positive attitude of the whole school is fundamental: schools need a clear and sensitive policy on inclusion with committed and supportive staff, especially the senior management team.

Most children with Down's syndrome need additional support for optimal learning in all types of schools. The quality of support the child or young person receives can have a tremendous impact on his or her learning.

Class teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) should meet regularly to liaise, plan, feedback and monitor progress. A communication book to record progress, ideas and feedback is valuable, especially where more than one TA is involved.

A specific learning profile

Information about learning strengths and challenges associated with Down's syndrome, sometimes referred to as the learning profile, can be incorporated into the framework for understanding all children's development.

Methods that support success include:

setting up and scaffolding situations for learning by imitation

daily practice of targeted skills built into engaging class activities

planned activities that become part of the child's routine

support for positive behaviour and for friendships

adaptations that use learning strengths and support areas of difficulty.

From this basis, teachers can plan differentiated programmes of work across the curriculum. They can share their expertise about what works well with new class teachers as the learner progresses through school.

The learning profile of strengths and challenges is summarised below.

Vision
Every child with Down's syndrome has a visual problem to some degree, even if the child does not need glasses or is wearing the correct glasses. Children's vision lacks fine detail and sharp contrast so print and other visual material needs to be made bigger and bolder. A teacher of the visually impaired can check the visibility of the material in the classroom and advise on modifications that might help, as well as ensure that as children progress through school all teaching staff are aware of their needs.

Hearing
The majority of children with Down's syndrome experience hearing loss. This is mostly conductive loss resulting from otitis media with effusion (glue ear) but can also be sensorineural loss.

Treating hearing loss and addressing hearing related needs is even more important for learners who have Down's syndrome, as we now know that conductive hearing loss in the early years has a more significant effect on later speech and language development than it does for children who do not have Down's syndrome. Meeting hearing and associated learning needs is therefore a high priority.

Speech, language and communication
Children with Down's syndrome frequently have speech and language impairments although the nature of their language learning difficulties can differ substantially between individuals.

Both hearing loss and delayed development contribute to language learning. In addition, the learning profile includes verbal processing difficulties associated with verbal short term memory, as well as phonological and morpho-syntactic difficulties (phonological problems reflect difficulty in distinguishing and manipulating small units of sound. Morpho-syntactic problems relate to the understanding and use of small words and word parts with grammatical meaning, such as "-ed", "-s" and "-ing").

Children show specific strengths in receptive vocabulary which means that expectations for concept learning across the curriculum can be relatively high; children typically have more advanced vocabulary than grammatical knowledge. Sign and gesture can support new vocabulary learning and visual scaffolds such as photos and pictures support language learning. Enhanced verbal environments that build semantic and syntactic knowledge help to develop verbal abilities.

While understanding precedes expressive ability for all children, this balance is frequently larger than usual and is sometimes vast, which in some cases leads to children's understanding and other abilities being underestimated. Individuals are likely to have difficulty expressing their thoughts and feelings.

Children and young people need sufficient time to process and respond to information. It may be more difficult for them to ask for information or help. Adults may tend to ask closed questions or finish people's sentences without giving much needed time or other ways of supporting them to communicate. As a result, children often receive fewer opportunities to engage in conversation.

A significant minority of children with Down's syndrome have social communication difficulties and may meet criteria for dual diagnosis of autism spectrum condition (ASC).

Children and young people may experience a range of difficulties that affect their speech clarity and fluency. Speech skills may follow a different, rather than slower, developmental trajectory with children more likely to use inconsistent pronunciations. Therefore, a proactive approach to implementing graded speech activities is recommended, for example to develop awareness and production of sounds, words and syllables.

Most learners have significant speech, language and communication needs throughout childhood. Activities to support the full range of speech, language and communication needs that individual children experience should be directed by a speech and language therapist.

Working memory and processing skills
The learning profile includes evidence for specific visual-spatial learning strengths and, for many, an ability to learn by imitation which exceeds what might be expected from their other abilities. As a result, they may readily learn skills that use their strengths, such as ICT use, reading or visual arts.

Specifically poor verbal short-term memory for storing and processing verbal information and capacity for manipulating information in working memory should also be considered within the profile. In the classroom this can affect attending to and learning in situations which need listening attention/skills, such as at lesson presentation times, when listening to a story, in assembly and whole class discussions, and for remembering and responding to verbal instructions and long sentences. There are many practical ways to support these needs.

Visual supports help to increase sustained and selective attention, where this is necessary - for example for young children or situations where learners may be distracted. Some children meet the criteria for diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and will need increased support and adaptations to meet their needs. Attention skills, like all other skills, develop with successful learning experiences and practice over time.

Mental arithmetic difficulties are linked with working memory function although other factors have also been identified. It is recommended that alongside continuing to teach number skills, children's learning opportunities are widened with the means to overcome barriers, such as visual tools or using a calculator.

Teaching and learning activities that include visual supports (such as sign/gesture, photos, pictures, numerals, letters, words and sentences, symbols), visual-spatial supports (such as grids, timetables, numeracy teaching equipment, films, storyboards, charts and other graphic organisers) and activities that allow learners to copy a model are recommended for supporting learning across the curriculum at present.

Fine and gross motor skills
During their early years children show a specific delay in developing gross motor skills. They usually develop skills in a similar pattern to other children but more flexible ligaments present additional challenges. During the primary years motor skills improve considerably. Encouraging active movement and participation in PE is an important educational aim which will promote good health and valuable life skills. Pupils will make progress in developing their fine motor skills for handwriting and drawing although most will need continued support for recording their work.

Some children have difficulties processing the information they receive from their senses and in coordinating their movements. They may perform precise movements more slowly, relying more on visual feedback than on proprioceptor or vestibular feedback to guide them.

Social inclusion

Teachers will need to create the conditions in class for social inclusion and also help individuals to develop their social skills. There may be periods, usually short lived and in younger years, when children need additional planning and positive behaviour support, largely due to delayed development. For a minority of learners, skilled support is necessary for longer.

Outside of the classroom, children may need additional help as they learn to interact and play during break and playtimes, particularly as speech and language delay can make it more difficult for them to ask to join in or understand the rules of the game. However, any additional adult support given can act as a barrier to participation with peers and should be used sensitively and carefully.

Working with parents

It is essential to maintain a good relationship with parents/carers so that everyone can work together to support children's learning. The school should ensure all staff have basic training about Down's syndrome and always use the correct person-first terminology. Maintaining regular contact with parents/carers is invaluable as they know their child better than anyone else. Teachers may also need communication from parents about how best to support health needs that affect learning - for example information about how to use glasses, support hearing, physical or sleep related concerns.

Although many parents come into school regularly, a home-school communication book is ideal as a way of communicating daily news and for highlighting successes. Many children have two types of home school communication book: one for communication between school practitioners and parents and a personal diary to support their communication. Providing a picture or drawing supported by a written sentence about an aspect of the day chosen by the child can aid communication about school experiences at home and when similarly completed at home, about out-of-school activities at school.

About Down's syndrome

Around one in every 1000 babies born in the UK will have Down's syndrome.

There are approximately 40,000 people in the UK with the condition.

Although the chance of a baby having Down's syndrome is higher for older mothers, more babies with Down's syndrome are born to younger women.

Down's syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in a baby's cells. In the majority of cases, Down's syndrome is not an inherited condition. Down's syndrome usually occurs because of a chance happening at the time of conception.

Down's syndrome is not a disease. People with Down's syndrome are not ill and do not "suffer" from the condition.

People with the syndrome will have a learning disability. The learning disability affects a person's ability to learn, it does not mean they cannot learn.

Today, the average life expectancy for a person with Down's syndrome is between 50 and 60 with a small number of people living into their seventies.

Further information

Gillian Bird is Training Services Manager at the Down's Syndrome Association. A range of free education packs to support pupils with Down syndrome at different stages of education are available at:
www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

All images by:
www.richardbaileyphotography.co.uk

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Helping children with Down's syndrome to learn * SEN Magazine

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A useful guide to help teachers understand the learning profile associated with Down's syndrome. Every learner who has Down's syndrome is unique. Individuals differ across all aspects of social and cognitive development as well as in their family support and educational opportunities. Every individual is helped by teaching staff having high expectations.

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Education and lifelong learning

We expect every child who has Down's syndrome to receive an equitable education with the support that both they and their families are entitled to in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Children, young people and adults everywhere have a right to an inclusive, equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning in line with Article 24 (Education) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, United Nations, 2006) and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4 - Education) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015).

Learning is a lifelong activity which means that education starts before the age of formal schooling and continues after formal education at schools and colleges.

Education offers learning opportunities for growth and development in every area, including social development, academic skills including literacy, numeracy, with broad learning opportunities to enable learners to discover their interests, talents and joys, and to support progression to careers of their choosing.

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Children, Families & Education - Downs Syndrome Association

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Education and lifelong learning We expect every child who has Down's syndrome to receive an equitable education with the support that both they and their families are entitled to in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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We're committed to equipping education professionals with the tools, resources, and support they need to create inclusive classrooms where every child feels valued and empowered. Through collaboration, advocacy, and sharing best practices, we strive to build a world where diversity is celebrated, barriers are dismantled, and every child's potential is realised.

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Down’s syndrome is when you’re born with an extra chromosome.

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Angry Kids: Dealing With Explosive Behavior - Child Mind Institute

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Learn more about anger management for kids. We offer tips on explosive behavior in children and explain how to deal with anger.

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Anger is a normal and useful emotion. It can tell children when things are not fair or right.
But anger can become a problem if a child's angry behaviour becomes out of control or aggressive.

Why is your child so angry?

There are lots of reasons why your child may seem more angry than other children, including:

seeing other family members arguing or being angry with each other

friendship problems

being bullied - Anti-Bullying Alliance has information on bullying

struggling with schoolwork or exams

feeling very stressed, anxious or fearful about something

coping with hormone changes during puberty

It may not be obvious to you or your child why they're feeling angry. If that's the case, it's important to help them work out what might be causing their anger.

Read talking to your child about feelings.

Tackle anger together

Team up with your child to help them deal with their anger. This way, you let your child know that the anger is the problem, not them.

With younger children, this can be fun and creative. Give anger a name and try drawing it - for example, anger can be a volcano that eventually explodes.

How you respond to anger can influence how your child responds to anger. Making it something you tackle together can help you both.

Help your child spot the signs of anger

Being able to spot the signs of anger early can help your child make more positive decisions about how to handle it.

Talk about what your child feels when they start to get angry. For example, they may notice that:

their heart beats faster

their muscles tense

they clench their teeth

they make a fist

their stomach churns

Anger tips for your child

Work together to try to find out what triggers the anger. Talk about helpful strategies for managing anger.

You could encourage your child to:

count to 10

walk away from the situation

breathe slowly and deeply

clench and unclench their fists to ease tension

talk to a trusted person

go to a private place to calm down

If you see the early signs of anger in your child, say so. This gives them the chance to try their strategies.

Encourage regular active play and exercise

Staying active can be a way to reduce or stop feelings of anger. It can also be a way to improve feelings of stress, anxiety or depression.

For older children or young people, this could be simple activities, such as:

a short walk

jogging or running

cycling

Read more about physical activity for children and young people.

Be positive

Positive feedback is important. Praise your child's efforts and your own efforts, no matter how small.

This will build your child's confidence in their ability to manage their anger. It will also help them feel that you're both learning together.

When to get help for anger in children

If you're concerned your child's anger is harmful to them or people around them, you could talk to a:

If necessary, a GP may refer your child to a local children and young people's mental health services for specialist help.

CYPMHS is used as a term for all services that work with children and young people who have difficulties with their emotional or behavioural wellbeing.

You may also be able to refer your child yourself without seeing a GP.

Read more about where to get mental health support.

Further help and support for anger in children

For more support with anger in children, you could phone the YoungMinds parents' helpline free on 0808 802 5544 (9.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday).

Other sources of help and support include:

If you have older children, find out more about talking to teenagers and coping with your teenager.
The Health for Teens website also has more about anger management

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Advice on how to help your child deal with anger in a positive way.

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Just like adults, children and young people feel worried and anxious at times.
But if your child's anxiety is starting to affect their wellbeing, they may need some help.

What makes children anxious?

Children can feel anxious about different things at different ages. Many of these worries are a normal part of growing up.

From the age of around 6 months to 3 years it's very common for young children to have separation anxiety. They may become clingy and cry when separated from their parents or carers. This is a normal stage in a child's development and should stop at around age 2 to 3.

It's also common for preschool-age children to develop specific fears or phobias. Common fears in early childhood include animals, insects, storms, heights, water, blood and the dark. These fears usually go away gradually on their own.

There may also be other times in a child's life when they feel anxious. For example, many children feel anxious when going to a new school or before tests and exams. Some children feel shy in social situations and may need support with this.

When is anxiety a problem for children?

Anxiety becomes a problem for children when it starts to get in the way of their everyday life.

If you go into any school at exam time, all the children will be anxious, but some may be so anxious that they do not manage to get to school that morning.

Severe anxiety like this can harm children's mental and emotional wellbeing, affecting their self-esteem and confidence. They may become withdrawn and go to great lengths to avoid things or situations that make them feel anxious.

What are the signs of anxiety in children?

When young children feel anxious, they cannot always understand or express what they are feeling. You may notice that they:

become irritable, tearful or clingy

have difficulty sleeping

wake in the night

start wetting the bed

have bad dreams

In older children you may notice that they:

lack confidence to try new things or seem unable to face simple, everyday challenges

find it hard to concentrate

have problems with sleeping or eating

have angry outbursts

have a lot of negative thoughts, or keep thinking that bad things are going to happen

start avoiding everyday activities, such as seeing friends, going out in public or going to school

Find out more about the symptoms of anxiety on our page about anxiety disorders in children.

Why is my child anxious?

Some children are more likely to have worries and anxiety than others.

Children often find change difficult and may become anxious following a house move or when starting a new school.

Children who have had a distressing or traumatic experience, such as a car accident or house fire, may have anxiety afterwards.

Family arguments and conflict can also make children feel insecure and anxious.

Teenagers are more likely to have social anxiety than other age groups, avoiding social gatherings or making excuses to get out of them.

Find out more about social anxiety.

How to help an anxious child

If a child is experiencing anxiety, there are things that parents and carers can do to help.

First and foremost, it's important to talk to your child about their anxiety or worries. Reassure them and show them you understand how they feel.

If your child is old enough, it may help to explain what anxiety is and the physical effects it has on our bodies. It may be helpful to describe anxiety as being like a wave that builds up and then ebbs away again.

As well as talking to your child about their worries and anxiety, it's important to help them find solutions.

For example, if your child is worried about going to a sleepover, it is natural to want to tell them not to go. However, this could mean your child feels that their anxiety will stop them from doing things.

It's better to recognise their anxiety and suggest solutions to help them, so they can go to the sleepover with a plan in place.

Other ways to ease anxiety in children

teach your child to recognise signs of anxiety in themselves

encourage your child to manage their anxiety and ask for help when they need it

children of all ages find routines reassuring, so try to stick to regular daily routines where possible

if your child is anxious because of distressing events, such as a bereavement or separation, look for books or films that will help them to understand their feelings

if you know a change, such as a house move, is coming up, prepare your child by talking to them about what is going to happen and why

try not to become overprotective or anxious yourself

practise simple relaxation techniques with your child, such as taking 3 deep, slow breaths, breathing in for a count of 3 and out for 3.

distraction can be helpful for young children. For example, if they are anxious about going to nursery, play games on the way there, such as seeing who can spot the most red cars

turn an empty tissue box into a "worry" box. Get your child to write about or draw their worries and "post" them into the box. Then you can sort through the box together at the end of the day or week

Find out more

When should we get help?

If your child's anxiety is severe, persists and interferes with their everyday life, it's a good idea to get some help.

A visit to a GP is a good place to start. If your child's anxiety is affecting their school life, it's a good idea to talk to their school as well.

Parents and carers can get help and advice about children's mental health from Young Minds' free parent helpline on 0808 802 5544, from Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm.

Find out more about treatments on our page about anxiety disorders in children.

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How to help your child deal with anxiety about things such as going to school or socialising with friends. Also, how to tell when it's time to get medical help.

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Take a look at the following common difficulties and helpful strategies to support your child:

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Selective Mutism Information & Research Association (SMIRA)

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Selective Mutism (SM) is a communication anxiety disorder. This site contains information on and support for parents, people with SM, and professionals.

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Autumn 1 2024/25 - ADHD and ADHD & Zones of Regulation

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Autumn 1 2024/25 - ADHD and ADHD & Zones of Regulation

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Sway: Create and share interactive reports, presentations, personal stories, and more.

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Sway is an easy-to-use digital storytelling app for creating interactive reports, presentations, personal stories and more. Its built-in design engine helps you create professional designs in minutes. With Sway, your images, text, videos, and other multimedia all flow together in a way that enhances your story. Sway makes sure your creations look great on any screen.

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Summer 1 2024 - SEND, dysregulation and emotion coaching

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Summer 1 2024 - SEND, dysregulation and emotion coaching

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Every Teacher is a Teacher of SEND: Unpacking the Principle

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Summer 2 2024 - Sensory Processing and Dyslexia

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Summer 2 2024 - Sensory Processing and Dyslexia

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Sensory processing is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioural responses. Difficulties in sensory proces

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How to Help a Child With Dyspraxia: 10 Classroom Strategies

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Read through our helpful blog How to Help a Child With Dyspraxia: 10 Classroom Strategies to help your school stay genuinely inclusive.

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Understanding Emotions: Mastering The Zones Of Regulation

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The Zones of Regulation program is a self-regulation tool to help kids identify, address, and use strategies to achieve self-control and emotional regulation in a non-judgmental and safe way. All of us can use zones of regulation activities to monitor, maintain, and change our level of regulation. Here, you will find zones of regulation activities and tips to work on self-regulation of emotions through fun and interactive activities. These are DIY Zones activities that you can make as part of your occupational therapy treatment and can be used over and over again!

Using interactive zones of regulation activities can be helpful for kids who struggle with self-regulation.

Zones of Regulation Activities

Activities to support emotional regulation and coping skills can come in many forms. In this resource, you will find specific activities to add to a zones of regulation toolbox, so that monitoring and maintaining a functional level of regulation is possible in any situation. There are zones of regulation posters, worksheets, self-regulation checks, zones of regulation games, and even cootie catchers. All of these regulation tools are strategies to help kids become more aware of their self in order to function. Let's break it down further...

What is self-regulation?

Well, let's break it down. "Self" means you or me. "Regulation" means the process of being in control or to have management. So, add these two terms together and you get "self-regulation". Self-regulation means you or me being in control and having management of ourselves.

Self-regulation is a skill that many children have a difficult time learning and achieving without help. In a given day, a child (and an adult) encounters multiple situations and circumstances that require an awareness of self and others as well as the ability to have or gain self-control.

Generally speaking, a child should achieve an optimal level of self-awareness and mindfulness to identify their inner feelings and emotions and be ready to regulate themselves when the time comes. They need to learn strategies and techniques that work for them to assist them in leaving a less optimal level in order to get back to a "ready-to-go" level of regulation.

Here are more mindfulness activities that kids can use in their Zones of Regulation Toolbox.

Self-regulation CurriculA

There are many different programs that offer self-regulation curriculum. These are regulation programs and interventions that can assist a child (and adult) to learn the skills necessary to achieve emotional regulation fit for every situation, circumstance, and environment.

Amazon affiliate links are included below.

Many programs, curriculum or interventions are created by occupational therapy professionals e.g., Zones of Regulation, The Alert Program, Test Drive, The Sensory Connection, and a new program called, The Regulation Rocket.

One of the common self-regulation programs is the Zones of Regulation.

The Zones of Regulation program is what most of our children use in their schools and homes. This program helps kiddos to identify, address and use strategies to achieve good self-control and emotional regulation in a non-judgmental and safe way. Using the zones helps to take the focus off of the child as being "good" or "bad" and places the focus on obtaining control to get back to the "green zone."

The self-regulation program teachers children and their parents or teachers how to recognize the relationship between emotions, feelings, and their internal "state of being" with the behaviors and actions that we see. This relationship impacts attention, learning, and emotions. When students understand the connection between their arousal states and their ability to self-regulate, they can identify different zones or levels which they are currently in at any given time. They can then use regulation tools or strategies to impact their arousal so they can appropriately and efficiently respond to the demands of a given task.

What is regulation?

Self-regulation is the ability to attain, maintain, and change one's arousal level, emotions, and behaviors. This ability to self-control relies on impulse control, working memory, and generally speaking, the ability to keep oneself "in check". The ability to experience feelings and desires and make decisions based on those concepts requires motivation, willpower, higher level thinking.

It requires the ability to self-monitor our thoughts, actions, feelings, internal body processes (interoception), and then make choices. These decisions can sometimes occur in a moment. For some, this instantaneous decision-making can lead to poor regulation.

Self-regulation can refer to emotional regulation or behavioral regulation. Self-reflection of feelings, emotions, and our response to situations is the ability to use emotional regulation.

Emotional regulation can look like a bad decision based on inner thoughts, or being in a grumpy mood and as a result being mean to a friend. Emotional regulation has to do with inner decisions related to emotions and moods.

Behavioral regulation refers to decisions related to actions and what we say, do, or think in response to inner thoughts and desires.

I think we can all say that one time or another we had something that we were expected to do but we really did NOT want to do. Maybe that was mow the lawn when we really wanted to watch a movie inside. Maybe we wanted to sleep in when we actually had to get up for an early meeting. These would be examples of behavioral regulation. Knowing that those tasks needed to be done and making the decision to do them rather than giving into impulses is a form of self-regulation.

We have a few blog posts here on the website that explain self-regulation in greater detail. This article on using the Mightier program for self-regulation shows how to use the application and game to help a child identify their feelings and utilize coping strategies that impact those various emotional regulation changes. The games adjust to challenge the child as they become more proficient in coping strategies.

In this self-regulation craft and activity, we used a lion and a lamb concept to bring the abstract meaning of regulation to a concrete place of learning and exploration, by helping kids to see that self regulation strategies can make a huge difference in paying attention and learning in the classroom or completing tasks that need to be done at home.

In this article, we covered the connection between executive functioning skills and emotional regulation.

What are the zones of regulation

Well, in brief summation, the Zones of Regulation program is a curriculum or framework created by an occupational therapist, Leah Kuypers, which is designed to help a child navigate their sometimes confusing emotions. The curriculum helps a child to achieve self-regulation and emotional control by gaining skills in self-control and problem-solving based on targeted zones that are identified with colors.

These zones help a child recognize, categorize, and communicate their feelings or emotions based on a specific zone. This makes the program an effective and fluid tool for a child to understand, learn, and achieve without feeling judged or different.

Let's quickly review the zones so you can have a better understanding of the reason behind my fun tool creations. I designed these tools for individual children to help them better understand and navigate their emotions while identifying strategies that help them shift from a less desirable zone to a more calm and focused zone, which is better for participating and learning at school, home, church, and in therapy.

What do the Colors in the Zones of Regulation Program Mean?

The Red Zone is an extremely heightened state of alertness with intense emotions and is typically viewed as the child being "out-of-control."

Red zone behaviors might include:

Anger

Rage

Out of control

Mad

"Hands on" physical reactions

Terror

Extreme feelings

Feel "ready to explode"

Devastation

Red Zone Activities may include:

The Yellow Zone is entering a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions typically viewed as heading toward the red zone, but the child still has some control.

Examples of Yellow Zone behaviors include:

Yellow Zone Activities may include:

Stretching

Yoga

Enjoy nature

Drink a glass of water

Listen to music

Write in a journal

Activities listed under the other zones

The Green Zone is the optimal level of alertness and is typically viewed as the child being "good to go" and ready for leaning and social interactions.

Examples of the Green Zone behaviors include:

Green Zone Activities may include:

Write in a journal

List out accomplishments

Help someone

Reach out to a friend

Activities listed under the other zones

The Blue Zone is a low level of alertness typically viewed as the child running slow.

Examples of Blue Zone responses include:

Blue Zone Activities may include:

Talk to someone

Rest

Build a puzzle

Read a book

Color or draw

Think about positive mindset strategies

Activities listed under the other zones

Fun Zones of Regulation Activities

What is the best part about the fun tools I created? YOU can create them and use them with most any regulation program based on the programs framework.

One of the key pieces to the Zones of Regulation is the point that there is no one "right" zone to be in. It's OK to be in the red zone or the yellow zone. We all have fluctuations of moods and behaviors. The part that is important for us as advocates for children is to offer strategies to help kids understand and identify their feelings and emotions. It's important for kids to understand how their reactions impact others, particularly when they are not able to manage their emotional or behavioral response.

All of the Zones of Regulation activities that are listed above can be interchanged, and used as able to help move from one zone to another. Each child will be different in the zones strategies that works for them.

The resources in the Sensory Lifestyle Handbook really go into detail on this concept, in using movement and sensory tools as regulation strategies and coping tools to help kids function, within their daily functional tasks. For example, it is possible to incorporate regulating activities within the classroom, home tasks like self-care or chores, and the community. Check out the Sensory Lifestyle Handbook for more information on this concept.

Look at the fun tools I created and take the general structure and design to build essential tools to go with whatever program you may be utilizing in therapy, the classroom, or at home.

1. Zones Pocket Play for Emotions and Coping Strategies

In this zones activity, kids can make the tools they need to work on self-regulation. Have kiddos fold file folders to create a pocket on the bottom. Trim off the edges. Use hot glue to turn the large pocket into four sections (red, yellow, green, and blue). Color and label the sections based on zones. Have kiddos label craft sticks with either emotions or coping strategies and insert into the correct pockets.

This Zones Pocket Play for Emotions and Coping Strategies Folders can be used in the home or classroom.

2. Zone Check-In Tube

Have kiddos paint or wrap colored tape around paper towel tubes according to the zone colors. If painting, wait to dry. Follow up with kiddos writing emotion words or even drawing emotion facial expressions onto the matching tube color. Place a hair band onto the tube to roll up and down as needed to perform check-ins with children throughout the day.

3. Zone Check-In Frame

Hot glue colored craft sticks according to zone colors (red, yellow, green and blue) to create a square frame and then have child write the zone title on one side and zone emotion words on the other side OR have child write zone emotion words on one side and coping strategies on the other side. Place a clothespin onto the frame to clip as needed to perform check-ins with children throughout the day. This tool can also be used to teach and review while learning the program zones as well.

4. Zone Grab Bag Game

Have kiddos create an emotion identification grab bag game. This can be done in differentiated ways:

* Draw emotional expressions as faces on matching color dot stickers and place on bottle caps (for younger children).
* Simply draw emotional facial expressions on bottle caps directly with a black marker (for older children).
* Draw emotional facial expressions on plastic spoons with matching colored markers (for younger children).
* Draw emotional facial expressions on plastic spoons with a black marker (for older children).

Once these are created, toss only the caps or only the spoons into a grab bag or simply toss them all into one bag.

When children grab a cap or spoon from the bag, they decide which colored mat they belong on to identify the correct emotion and zone.

4. Zones of Regulation Craft

Use this Lion and lamb self- regulation craft to identify emotions and talk about "lamb" emotions and responses and "lion" emotions and responses.

5. Make a Coping Skills Toolbox

Identifying coping strategies that work for each individual can make all the difference in having a set of "go to" regulation strategies when the need presents itself. This massive list of coping strategies for kids are perfect for filling a coping skills toolbox. Write them out on slips of paper, add them to a flip book, make them into coping skills Popsicle sticks, or add them to a coping strategies bulletin board. Kids can go through the various calming and alerting activities and use them to self-regulate.

6. Make a Zones of Regulation Chart

Use a file folder or slide a paper into a page protector to create a Zones of Regulation chart using movement activities in the classroom. Kids can mark off their zone and pick from a coping mechanism to help them get to a zone in which they can learn and pay attention.

7. Keep a Self-Reflection Journal

Using a printed journal like our Self-Reflection Journal or the Impulse Control Journal can help kids identify more about themselves, become more self-aware, while reflecting on their day and week. They can write down their actions, emotions, and responses and then look back at what worked and what didn't work. By using a written journal, children can describe good and poor choices that they've made and then write out tools that they can try next time. Journaling is a conversation tool to use when talking about what works and what doesn't work for a child with a variety of needs.

The Impulse Control Journal takes self-reflection a step further by working on the impulses that impact behavioral regulation or emotional regulation and the actions that we see. This tool is effective in helping kids and teens to identify emotions, reactions, responses, and learning strategies to change their regulation through self-awareness. Kids can choose strategies independently and see progress by working through the Impulse Control Journal pages.

8. Identify emotions through Play

The first step of self-regulation is the ability to identify emotions. Social emotional learning begins with naming emotions, matching emotion names to faces and body language. When kids identify emotions, they can begin to develop empathy for others but also become more self-aware of their own emotions, the things that impact those feelings, and how they respond. Some ways to identify emotions through play include:

Using play to identify emotions can be done in so many pretend play activities.

Use pictures or video modeling to help kids identify emotions and label the terms.

Act out emotions with toys and name the emotions that the toys are demonstrating.

9. Explore self regulation skills

When kids explore self regulation skills by experimenting with sensory input, kids can identify the terms that their body feels when they are exposed to that sensory input. If done during a calm time, when the child is at high alert and concentration, they are able to fully experience the input without distraction. Kids can then create a zones toolbox using the self-regulation skills that work for them.

Try these self regulation skills exploration with kids:

Try a variety of sensory foods and ask the child to identify how their mouth feels with each food. Does the food taste salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy, or sour? How does their mouth feel after trying each food? Awake, sleepy, happy, calm, alert? Ask the child to put a name to each food. Mark these down on a chart and use this as a regulation tool.

Try different types of movement using Sensory Diet Cards. Kids can try the sensory activity and identify how their body feels. Mark it down and add those calming or alerting activities to their regulation toolbox.

Self Regulation in the Classroom

Self regulation in the classroom can impact learning, attention, focus, and student interaction.

Now that you know some zones of regulation activities, you can use them in the classroom or learning environment. Whether that be in the traditional school setting, in homeschooling, or in remote learning settings, the Zones of Regulation is effective to foster learning.

Go ahead and make these fun and easy Zones of Regulation tools to help your kiddos learn emotional regulation and self-control to help them succeed in their daily lives so they can feel good and remain cool. Kiddos will enjoy the interactive components and you'll see learning and regulation evolve! They can be used at home or in the school environment.

In the learning environment, kids can identify how characters of a book or reading assignment feel.

Help students identify emotions in magazines or online.

Identify specific tasks that the characters could do to get to a zone that would help them in the situation they are in. This can be a great group activity for students.

Come up with group or small group coping tools that students can use as a brain break or movement break.

Have students make a DIY quiet fidget tool that they can keep in their pencil pouch or desk.

Explore these sensory strategies for school and come up with regulation activities that work for the learning situation.

Add movement to learning. These monthly movement activities can work for many themes. These heavy work activity cards can be used in the classroom or with various learning themes.

There are so many options for zones of regulation activities for kids. What would you add to this list?

This post was written in part, by The OT Toolbox contributor, Regina Allen. Read about Regina in her Contributor Author Spotlight.

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Zones of Regulation Activities - The OT Toolbox

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The Zones of Regulation program is a self-regulation tool to help kids identify, address, and use strategies to achieve self-control and emotional regulation in a non-judgmental and safe way. All of us can use zones of regulation activities to monitor, maintain, and change our level of regulation.

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How to use these Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards

Everybody feels frustrated every now and then. These Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards might be the answer to helping your students find some great calming strategies.

These Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards support students in finding ways to regulate when they are feeling too angry, sad or worried. Each card offers students six strategies for changing a negative emotion back to a positive one, such as taking five deep breaths, drinking water, or taking a break in a quiet space.

You can distribute these cards to students, and they can refer to them when they aren't feeling too good. Alternatively, you could set up a cosy, calm-down corner and put these on the wall to serve as a reminder of calming strategies.

You can make sure that your classroom is inclusive by using this Inclusive Education Teacher Checklist.

Wanting to know how to control your emotion? Check out this flawless blog for a pool of information!

More resources like this one

If you found these Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards helpful, we've got some wonderful news for you. Here at Twinkl, we have many inclusive resources to help all children feel happy and safe in an educational environment. Take a look below:

Self-Regulation and Executive Function Posters - These posters give children advice on self-regulation in a simple way that everyone can understand.

Self-Regulation Check-in Cards - Lanyard Sized - These check-in cards are a portable reminder of calming strategies. They are designed to fit perfectly on a lanyard. Keep in mind that not all students will be comfortable wearing a lanyard. In cases like this, keeping these cards in their pockets will work just as well.

Calm-Down Box: Visual Instructions for Children - A calm-down box can be a very effective way for students to regulate themselves. Inside this box, you should include toys and objects that have a calming effect on the student it belongs to. This handy poster gives simple instructions to the child on how to self-regulate.

This blog on strategies for autistic students returning to school could also be useful when thinking of ways to help autistic students feel calm at school.

What is a calm-down corner?

A calm-down corner is an area that students can go to so they can self-regulate. This doesn't necessarily have to be a corner; it can be a room instead. The most important thing is that it meets your students' sensory needs. You may have to have multiple calm-down corners so that you can meet everyone's differing needs.

If you need to ask a student to go to a calm-down corner, they mustn't think they are being 'told off'. Any negative connotations will frustrate them and negate the calm-down corner's effects.

The above video may be from a third-party source. We accept no responsibility for any videos from third-party sources. Please let us know if the video is no longer working.

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Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards

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Everybody feels frustrated every now and then. These Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards might be the answer to helping your students find some great calming strategies. These Areas of Regulation: Emotions Regulation Cards support students in finding ways to regulate when they are feeling too angry, sad or worried.

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Many children struggle with regulation. Younger children are still developing and learning about their bodies and feelings. Neurodiverse children are constantly navigating internal and external stimuli. These bright and engaging Areas of Regulation Posters show children some of the ways their body or minds might react.

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This Twinkl teaching wiki takes a look at the Areas of Self Regulation and how you can use this teaching framework to help children learn how to emotionally self-regulate.

Download FREE teacher-made resources covering 'The Areas of Self Regulation'

What are the Areas of Self-Regulation?

The term 'Areas of Self-Regulation' refers to a behaviour management framework that's designed to encourage students to exercise self-regulation and emotional control. The idea is that by, following through these different areas, children will learn to recognise when they are losing control of their emotions in a situation. That way, we can try to manage these feelings and do something to help ourselves get back to a healthier headspace.

Teaching students about the different Areas of Self-Regulation will help them to work through situations where they feel angry, upset or stressed in the future. Scenarios where self-regulation would be helpful are frequent occurrences in everyone's life, whether we realise it or not, which is why spending some time teaching children how to self-regulate more naturally is an important lesson.

What are the four different Areas of Self-Regulation?

There are four different Areas of Self-Regulation, and each is assigned to a different colour. The idea is that the colour corresponds to different feelings that children might have. The four Areas of Self-Regulation are:

The Red Area: This zone is for the most heightened, intense negative or difficult emotions. These might include things such as anger, rage, devastation or fear.

The Yellow Area: In the Yellow Area, children are still at a heightened state of alertness and stress, at a slightly lower level than in the Red Area. This means that although they may feel more in control of their emotions, they could still feel stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness and nervousness.

The Green Area: This Zone describes a calm but alert state. This is the optimal zone for learning; where children are happy, focused, content, and ready to learn.

The Blue Area: In the Blue Area, students may experience a low level of alertness and low mood. This could be feelings like sadness, tiredness, illness or boredom.

The different areas can be compared to traffic lights since they feature similar colours and meanings. For example, green lights and the green area both mean 'good to go.' And whilst blue does not feature on traffic lights, it can be associated with 'feeling blue', or the need for rest.

Learning about the four Areas of Self-Regulation provides children with a framework for children to understand how they can control their emotions. It can also help them understand how to problem-solve when they come to face conflict in their lives. The overarching goal of this teaching framework is to help children move towards the ability to emotionally regulate themselves.

Not only will this be helpful during class at school, but emotional regulation is a lifelong skill. It will help children throughout their secondary education and beyond, in relationships and situations they encounter outside of school.

How can I use Areas of Self-Regulation in school?

Big emotions can be very overwhelming for small children. This means that identifying and regulating these emotions can be a very big job. Using the different coloured zones gives children a way to identify some of the big emotions that they have and understand how to deal with them healthily and practically.

By introducing the Areas of Self-Regulation to your classroom, you enable your students to talk about their emotions in a healthy way.

To think about this in simpler terms, let's take a look at an example of how teaching Areas of Self-Regulation might help a child:

During a particularly loud lesson, Sophie feels overwhelmed and stressed, making her angry. It is not uncommon for Sophie to express her emotions by hitting others, as she struggles to identify this emotion and therefore does not take the necessary steps to calm down.

After spending some time learning about Areas of Self-Regulation, Sophie has learnt that this particular emotion falls into the 'Red Zone'. Now when she begins to feel tense and annoyed, she tells her teacher that she is in the 'Red Zone' and they can then begin to work on regulating her emotions.

Why is emotional regulation so important?

Being able to recognise our own emotions and respond accordingly is important because sometimes emotions can be confusing. For example, both anger and fear can cause a person's heart to start racing. But if we can't tell the difference between the two, then we're more likely to act angrily when we're really feeling scared. This can lead to misunderstandings and friction between people as a result.

When children are able to fully understand the emotions they are feeling, not only will they be able to regulate them better, but they'll also learn how to express themselves to the surrounding people in a more calm and controlled way.

Who designed the Areas of Self-Regulation framework?

The Areas of Self-Regulation framework was developed by Leah Kuypers, an experienced occupational therapist, who was looking for a way to make emotional self-regulation more accessible. By developing a system that is structured around basic colours, Kuypers work encourages everyone to have open discussions about emotions.

Resources for teaching children about the Areas of Self-Regulation

Here we have a selection of resources and activities designed to introduce children to the Areas of Self-Regulation framework. All of these resources have been designed and approved by our fantastic team of teachers so that you can be confident in their suitability for your students.
Areas of Self-Regulation Display Pack
This display pack features posters for each of the different areas. You can display them in different areas of the room so that children may take themselves to the area that best matches their emotions.
Self-Regulation Adult Guidance
Our guide is a great way for teaching staff to be able to understand all of the different Areas of Self-Regulation, which will assist them when explaining them to children.
Self-Regulation Teaching Activity Ideas
This poster is jam-packed with ideas for teaching activities that show children how to self-regulate their emotions, and why this is important.

We hope these resources have helped you and your students. If so, why not let us know what you think of our resources by leaving ratings and reviews - we love hearing your feedback!

Still hungry for more? Explore this Twinkl teaching wiki for more activities to promote self-regulation in children, or check out more top picks below:

Let's end with a video...

Finally, don't forget to check out the Twinkl video below for even more information on Areas of Self-Regulation. You can find many more videos just like this on our YouTube channel.

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The Areas of Self Regulation | Twinkl Teaching Wiki - Twinkl

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Check out this Twinkl teaching wiki to help you learn all about the Areas of Self-Regulation and how to use it in the classroom.

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Zones Of Regulation For Kids - Secrets to a Growth Mindset: Episode 1

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Learning to identify and regulate emotions is a big job, especially for little kids. These skills are essential for students to master in order to be successful in school and in life. Fortunately there are plenty of Zones of Regulation activities and games to help teach them how to manage their emotions.

What are the Zones of Regulation?

Zones of Regulation, a curriculum developed by Leah Kuypers, an OT and autism resource specialist, helps kids understand and learn to manage their emotions. Rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy, it is a framework that uses four colors-blue, green, yellow, and red-to help students identify their feelings and levels of alertness. The curriculum also provides strategies to support emotional regulation. Teaching students how to read their bodies' signals, detect triggers, read social context, and consider how their behaviors impact those around them leads to improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills.

To learn more about the Zones of Regulation, check out this unit by The Calming Corner, these resources from He's Extraordinary, and this slideshow from the Montana CEC.

What is emotional regulation?

According to Psychology Today, emotional regulation is the ability to control your emotions and not let them drive your actions. For students, starting with emotional regulation is truly starting at the beginning of SEL skills. Before kids can listen, have empathy, or follow directions, they have to be able to manage their emotions.

Emotional regulation means being able to identify feelings, respond without overreacting, and manage changes in the environment. In addition, emotional regulation means controlling impulses, being able to calm down, and handling emotions in a healthy way. To learn more, check out What Is Emotional Regulation?

The 4 Zones of Regulation and What They Mean

The Zones of Regulation provides an easy way to think and talk about how we feel on the inside and sorts emotions, all of which are expected in life, into four colored zones.

The Blue Zone represents sad, bored, tired, or sick.

The Red Zone represents overjoyed, panicked, angry, or terrified.

The Yellow Zone is worried, frustrated, silly, or excited.

The Green Zone is happy, focused, proud, and calm.

Zones of Regulation Activities

To help you integrate this helpful information into your classroom, here are 23 engaging Zones of Regulation activities to support the emotional growth of your students.

1. Identify feelings by giving them a color

Being able to recognize emotions is important. This color wheel will help kids start to identify their emotions by associating them with different colors. Once they have a grasp on what emotions feel like, students can begin to learn strategies to deal with them. Check out these Zones of Regulation activities that incorporate this emotion wheel.

2. Play a round of Monster Feelings Match-Up

Identifying and labeling feelings in oneself and others is a life skill that takes lots and lots of practice. One of kids' favorite Zones of Regulation activities is Monster Feelings Match-Up. This fun game teaches kids how to identify their feelings and manage their emotions and also fosters their conversation skills.

3. Go on an emotions scavenger hunt

A super-fun activity to help students identify feelings by using emojis and their power of observation. Recently updated for at-home learners as well as whole-class Zoom lessons, check out the full lesson plan. Best for grades K-6.

4. Make cootie catchers

You know kids are going to make cootie catchers anyway, so why not make a version that helps kids review and understand the Zones of Regulation? Each color-coded corner teaches students the feelings and coping skills that go along with each zone. Best for grades 3 and up.

5. Play the Emotions Sorting Game

Linking Zones of Regulation activities to fun experiences helps kids make connections. For example, this simple Emotions Sorting Game inspired by Disney-Pixar's Inside Out helps kids learn and explore emotions. The game is a printable download available from Mom Endeavors.

6. Make a calm-down sandwich

When students get angry or frustrated, they can use this coping strategy to help calm themselves down. Ask them to brainstorm six things that make them happy or feel calm inside. Then, have them write down their strategies on each piece of a calm-down sandwich.

7. Play Behavior Bingo

Distinguish between awesome actions (like showing respect and encouraging others) and bummer behavior (like using hurtful words or goofing off during work time) with this fun version of bingo. Five awesome actions in a row = BINGO! Great for small groups or the whole class, grades 1-4.

8. Practice impulse control with this version of Candy Land

Games are the best way for kids to learn without even realizing they're learning! These custom-made cards go along with the standard version of Candy Land and help kids learn impulse-control skills. Best for grades K-3.

9. Make emotion-regulation spinners

This fun activity is a great addition to your calm-down corner. Students can pick strategies that work for them to get into the green zone and back on track. Best for grades K-5.

10. Play a round of What Zone Would I Be In if ...?

This free activity includes 30 cards with hypothetical situations, plus a page for sorting the cards into the zones. Read the cards and let students decide which zone they feel they would be in if this happened to them. You can ask questions about why they feel that way to encourage discussion.

11. Teach the Zones of Regulation with this fun song

This catchy tune by the fun crew at BlackBerry Jam Kids teaches kids all about the different emotions in the Zones of Regulation and strategies to get back into the "green zone."

12. Create a sensory break center in your classroom

Provide students with a safe place to take a break when they need to regulate their emotions. Include resources for strategies that will help them manage. For a free copy of the poster shown and tons of great ideas for what to include in the space, check out The Dynamic Duo. Best for grades K-8.

13. Stock your sensory break center with strategy cards

These awesome break cards tap into a favorite set of characters: Pokemon! Each card helps students identify which "zone" they are in and strategies for managing the emotions they are feeling. Available as a PowerPoint, Google Slideshow, and also a printable PDF. Includes four cards for each of the four zones.

Source: Social CJ

14. Empower students with these contingency maps

Throughout the school day, students make behavior choices (for better or worse). Use these picture maps to help students understand the consequences of making different choices. They are very effective because they illustrate the results of both desired and undesired behaviors in a concrete way. Best for students in K-5.

15. Role-play with task cards

Role-play is a great activity for helping students rehearse acceptable behaviors. These task cards help students build emotional self-control by rehearsing responses to different scenarios that may trigger strong emotions. Best for grades 4-7.

16. Build emotional toolboxes

What can students do to regulate their emotions when they veer away from the green zone? This toolbox of activities includes a handy flip-book that's chock-full of ideas. Each tab covers a different zone and gives students strategies to regain control. Best for students in K-3.

17. Encourage self-regulation with these desk nameplates

Post these interactive nameplates on students' desks to help them self-regulate their emotions and feelings by paying attention to what zone they are in. Throughout the day, students self-monitor their emotional state by sliding a paper clip along the zone boxes on the left. If students are in the yellow, blue, or red zone, they can use one of the strategies in their toolbox to help them get back to green. Each student's toolbox will vary, depending on which strategies work best for them. Best for grades K-5.

18. Share resources with families

Meltdowns and emotional regulation impact the entire family. Share this blog with families to help them develop strategies with their kids at home. Full of helpful tips and valuable information, this is a great resource to help support calmer, happier kids.

19. Display information about the zones front and center

Keeping the information students need front and center will help them begin to recognize which "zone" they are in and help them learn to regulate their behavior.

20. Help students identify what anger feels like

Use this free printable to go through each of the anger cues with your students, and if they feel that the statement is true for them when they're angry, have them color the word bubble red. Also get the When I Feel Sad printable at the link.

21. Create a Zones resource folder

Fold legal-size file folders to create a pocket on the bottom. Trim off the edges and use hot glue to turn the large pocket into four sections (red, yellow, green, and blue). Color and label the sections based on the Zones. Have students label craft sticks with either emotions or coping strategies to insert into the correct pockets.

22. Use a feelings thermometer

To help kids understand the intensity of an emotion they are feeling, create a feelings thermometer. Draw the outline of a thermometer, then divide it into three sections. Label each section. For example, use slightly angry, really angry, super angry. Talk about each section and label each with what it looks like and strategies for things to do.

23. Practice self-control with bubbles

This is a really fun activity to talk about self-control with kids, and it's harder than it looks! Label a special bottle of bubbles "Self-Control Bubbles" and gather kids in a circle. For the first round, blow bubbles and allow students to pop, touch, chase, and catch the bubbles to their heart's desire (within control). However, for the second round, tell the students that they are going to practice using self-control. Bubbles will be all around them, but the students must use their self-control strategies and not touch or chase the bubbles. Afterward, talk with kids about how it felt and how they managed to control their impulses.

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23 Zones of Regulation Activities To Help Kids Manage Their Emotions

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These Zones of Regulation activities teach students to identify and manage their behavior and regulate their emotions.

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Teach Kids to Manage Big Feelings Through Effective Social Emotional Learning

Over 80% of U.S. public schools reported in 2022 on the negative impact of the pandemic on child well-being and self-regulation. Kids are:

Struggling to manage their feelings and mental health

More disruptive in the classroom

Needing additional social, emotional, and behavioral support

(source: National Center for Education Statistics)

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The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created to teach children self-regulation and emotional control.

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Helping your child or young person with... - SENDIASS Oxfordshire

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Attendance issues / Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) It can be distressing when your child starts to manifest a reluctance or a refusal to go…

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Emotionally Based School Avoidance | West Sussex Services for Schools

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*New Updated Version of the EBSA Guidance and Return to School Planning Tools Now Available*

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This series of online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units is designed to support those who work with children and young people in schools and further education settings to deliver an inclusive experience for every learner.

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Understanding Autism - Free Courses in England

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The free online course Understanding Autism is split into 6 manageable units. A level 2 certificate is awarded to you on successful completion of this qualification.

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There are over 275,000 Teaching Assistants (TAs) working in English schools. As 28% of the education workforce, it is essential that TAs are supported to work alongside teachers to ensure high quality teaching and learning for all pupils, but particularly those with SEND.

Helpfully, the evidence base for maximising the impact of TA practices has developed over the past decade. We know that focusing on task completion or excessive removal from the classroom is likely to be unhelpful. Additionally, we know that TAs can make a real difference when delivering interventions and that effective classroom deployment involves supporting pupils to learn with greater independence.

The EEF's guidance report highlights five teaching approaches - a ​'Five-a-day' - that can support pupils with SEND to make increased academic progress.

Five-a-day and the role of TA

This reflection tool can be used as a starting point for TAs looking to develop their practice. It can help TAs to consider how their own practice can align with the evidence around what supports pupils with SEND to make good academic progress.

Take ​'metacognitive strategies', for example. The reflection tool asks TAs to consider:

To what extent do I ask good metacognitive questions that support pupils to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning?

Developing pupils' metacognitive understanding of how they learn - their knowledge of themselves as a learner, of strategies, and of tasks - can be an effective way of improving pupil outcomes.

Let's consider what this might look like for a teaching assistant helping a pupil, who has moderate learning difficulties, to approach a written task in which they must compare historical sources.

If the pupil is struggling to know where to start, a TA can support the child to think metacognitively. They might ask that child:

Have you done a similar task before?

What strategies have you used to solve this problem in the past?

Do you have what you need to begin the task?

Let's say that same pupil is supported to begin the task, having received some guidance on what strategy to use (such as using a checklist of prompts for comparing sources) - perhaps receiving some clues about what to look for in each source. The teaching assistant may then move away from that child, giving the ​' least help first', to promote that pupil's independence.

When the TA returns to that pupil, they may continue to promote metacognitive thinking by asking:

Are you making progress?

Is XXXX strategy working?

Are you finding this challenging? How are you dealing with that challenge?

The answers to these questions might make it appropriate for the TA to stay with that pupil for a few minutes, supporting them by addressing any misconceptions, or cueing the pupil in to any clues in the text, which might redirect them towards their learning goal.

The pupil should then be better equipped to compare these historical sources, with some accuracy and with the most independence possible for them.

As well as supporting that pupil to plan how they will work and to monitor how effective that plan is working for them, they might also return to that pupil at the end of the task, perhaps asking them to reflect:

Did you accomplish your goal?

Was XXXX strategy useful for you?

Could you do the task without support next time?

By providing TAs with high-quality CPD opportunities that highlight the best available research - along with sharing concrete techniques that emerge from the ​'Five-a-Day' model - we can support all colleagues to make evidence-informed decisions about how they will support all learners, including those with SEND, to make increased progress in class.

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we know that tas can make a real difference when delivering interventions and that effective classroom deployment involves supporting pupils to learn with greater independence. the eef’s guidance report highlights five teaching approaches – a ‘five-a-day’ – that can support pupils with send to make increased academic progress.  five-a-day and the role of ta  this reflection tool can be used as a starting point for tas looking to develop their practice. it can help tas to consider how their own practice can align with the evidence around what supports pupils with send to make good academic progress.  take ‘metacognitive strategies’

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for example. the reflection tool asks tas to consider:  to what extent do i ask good metacognitive questions that support pupils to plan

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monitor and evaluate their own learning?  developing pupils’ metacognitive understanding of how they learn — their knowledge of themselves as a learner

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and of tasks — can be an effective way of improving pupil outcomes.  let’s consider what this might look like for a teaching assistant helping a pupil

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a ta can support the child to think metacognitively. they might ask that child:  have you done a similar task before?  what strategies have you used to solve this problem in the past?  do you have what you need to begin the task?  let’s say that same pupil is supported to begin the task

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having received some guidance on what strategy to use (such as using a checklist of prompts for comparing sources) – perhaps receiving some clues about what to look for in each source. the teaching assistant may then move away from that child

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to promote that pupil’s independence.  monitoring  when the ta returns to that pupil

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they may continue to promote metacognitive thinking by asking:  are you making progress?  is xxxx strategy working?  are you finding this challenging? how are you dealing with that challenge?  the answers to these questions might make it appropriate for the ta to stay with that pupil for a few minutes

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supporting them by addressing any misconceptions

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or cueing the pupil in to any clues in the text

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which might redirect them towards their learning goal.  the pupil should then be better equipped to compare these historical sources

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with some accuracy and with the most independence possible for them.  evaluating  as well as supporting that pupil to plan how they will work and to monitor how effective that plan is working for them

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they might also return to that pupil at the end of the task

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perhaps asking them to reflect:  did you accomplish your goal?  was xxxx strategy useful for you?  could you do the task without support next time?  by providing tas with high-quality cpd opportunities that highlight the best available research – along with sharing concrete techniques that emerge from the ‘five-a-day’ model – we can support all colleagues to make evidence-informed decisions about how they will support all learners

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to make increased progress in class.   references    school workforce in england

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reporting year 2021 – explore education statistics – gov.uk (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)     making best use of teaching assistants | eef (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)     special educational needs in mainstream schools | eef (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)     maximising  the impact of te

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EEF blog: Five-a-day for SEND: how does it transform the TA role?

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EEF blog: Five-a-day for SEND: how does it transform the TA role?

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Scaffolding is an instructional approach that involves providing support to students until they reach competence with a task.
The scaffolding approach is based on Lev Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) concept, but the term itself was coined by Jerome Bruner.

The idea is that you should always create lessons that are challenging but achievable for students. The role for teachers is to provide that support (or 'scaffolding') until the student can complete the task without help.

While professors like myself teach the theory of scaffolding a lesson in universities, we don't provide enough examples of how the theory might be used in practice (e.g. scaffolding strategies).

So below are some scaffolding techniques and tools that you can use in your classroom today.
Instructional Scaffolding Techniques and Strategies

1. Visual Aids
Visual aids can be any object around the classroom that helps students to think more deeply about an issue and keep them on track.
Visual aids in the classroom can include:

Flash cards a student can have on their desk,

Posters on the walls,

Graphic organizers and charts.

Checklists to ensure tasks are completed.

The visual aids should not tell the student answers, but it should help the student to think through the task themselves.

For example, if a student is completing a math task, they might benefit from using a table to input their information so they can see it on paper, not just in their heads.

Another example is to provide a checklist for students. They can return to their checklist to see if they followed all the steps and completed all the tasks in a lesson to ensure they're staying within the guidelines.

2. Breaking up the Learning into Chunks
If a task seems intimidating to a student, sometimes it's possible to give them the task in small steps (or 'chunks').
Examples include:

A roadmap outlining a step-by-step path to completion.

Covering up the parts of the task that don't need to be focused on yet.

Learning stations where students do one small part of the bigger task at each learning station.

Checkpoints where the teacher asks students to check-in after each 'chunk' of learning is completed.

This is perhaps best achieved in phonics instruction, where teachers place their finger over the second half of a word. This means the student has only half of the word to sound out at a time.

Similarly, creating a list of 'steps' in a task can help a learner to think through the process required to get from point A to point B. The task then becomes less intimidating and the student knows the next thing they need to do in order to get closer to their goal.
Modeling allows the teacher to demonstrate how to complete a task while students observe.
The main critique of modeling is that it creates passive learners. To offset this, encourage students to ask questions and ask the students questions yourself while you model the task.

Examples include:

Fishbowl activities. A fishbowl activity is a task where a whole group of students stand or sit in a circle and watch a small group in the middle of the circle complete the task. It's an activity that promotes active listening and close observation of a task.

Filming. The teacher films themselves completing the task, allowing the students to re-watch how the task was done as they attempt to copy it themselves.

4. Thinking Aloud
Thinking aloud helps students to process their thoughts. It involves having students verbally brainstorm half-formed ideas.
Vygotsky highlighted the importance of speech when thinking through tasks. You can leverage this in the classroom by asking them to talk to you about what they're doing during each step of their learning.

Examples include:

Students recording themselves talking about their thoughts on a topic.

Teacher encouraging speaking during an activity.

Questioning students of what they're doing at each step (see: guiding questions).

Encouraging students to ask their own questions to deepen their knowledge.

A good start is to have your students explain to you what they're doing. Sit with the student and tell them what they're thinking. Ask questions like: "What are you doing at this step?", "Why did you just make that decision?", or "How did what you just did help you to complete the task?"

Encourage full sentence responses and comments when using this strategy.

When students develop greater competence and do not need to consciously walk through each step, they can start using inner speech rather than talk aloud to complete the task.

5. Using Prior Knowledge
When scaffolding a lesson, the teacher can help students by asking them to reflect on past knowledge and use it to solve a current problem.
Embracing prior knowledge may include:

Using a strategy the student knows and applying it to this new task.

Using analogy to make the new knowledge relevant (and make sense) to the student's life.

Relate the idea to the student's interests in sports, gaming or literature.

These strategies can help students have 'lightbulb moments' where they move through the difficulties and come to understand difficult ideas in new light.

6. Gradual Release of Responsibility
The gradual release of responsibility model starts with modeled instruction and ends with students' independent practice of a task.
This is one of the most practical scaffolding techniques a teacher has in their pedagogical toolkit.

The four steps in the gradual release of responsibility model are:

Modeling - The teacher demonstrates how to do the task in front of the students.

Co-Construction - The students instruct the teacher on how to do the task.

Facilitation - The teacher supports the student as they complete the task.

Independent Practice - The students complete the task with out teacher guidance.

At each stage in this model, the teacher needs to assess student knowledge to determine whether to move on to the next step, re-do the current step, or regress to the previous step.

We also call this the 'I do, we do, you do' method:

7. Open-Ended Questioning
Questioning is one of the most important scaffolding tools we have.
However, a teacher needs to learn how to ask the right types of questions at the right point in time.

Primarily, a teacher needs to make sure a student answers any question with a detailed explanation. To do this ensure:

Questions are open-ended meaning they cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

Questions encourage reflection so students can think deeper about why they did what they did (and if they could do differently to achieve a better outcome next time).

Questions direct students toward the important and pivotal aspects of the task, and away from trivial or distracting elements.

Don't forget that children need to be explicitly taught how to ask meaningful questions as well. Jeanine from Think Grow Giggle has this great tip:

Before expecting students to question on their own, practice together using a class size t-chart to model questioning.

Often, I have new teachers forget that students need to learn how to learn. We need to give our students plenty of examples of good questions so they can have a model to start with and build upon.

There is also the need to balance the over- and under- use of questioning. Sometimes students need silence to think through things in peace.

8. Pre-Teaching Vocabulary
Pre-teaching vocabulary involves learning the new words and phrases before moving on to engaging with texts that have that vocabulary in it.
A task that has a lot of new vocabulary is made difficult because the student has to wade through the vocabulary and the concepts. We have this problem a lot at universities when we ask students to read difficult journal articles, only for them to lose interest because of the verbose language.

For example, a teacher could set for homework a vocabulary list that students need to learn the week before using those term in texts for a future unit of work.

9. Formative and Summative Assessment
Teachers need to conduct ongoing assessments of students' knowledge so they know how much scaffolding to apply and when to withdraw it.
Assessment is baked into scaffolding theory: without it, we do not know when to or how to apply appropriate support for students.

Don't get me wrong - scaffolding and assessment are different things. But assessment is a scaffolding tool required to help teachers to teach appropriately.

Conduct formative assessment (which is ongoing assessment while students are learning) to identify how well students can complete tasks alone. For students who are struggling, you can implement differentiated instruction, in which you provide different supports for different students.

Conclusion

Scaffolding requires teachers to create lessons that are at the perfect difficulty level. Too hard, and the students won't be able to achieve anything. Too easy, and the students won't learn at all!

We call this the Goldilocks principle.

Using the above scaffolding strategies, teachers can help students to learn more effectively. These strategies can be:

Weaved into lesson plans to show your head teacher what exactly you plan to do to help scaffold learning

Used to differentiate instruction where you can implement different scaffolds for students of varying learning abilities.

Overall, when implementing social constructivist and scaffolding theory, you need to use specific scaffolding techniques like the ones outlined above so you don't just show knowledge of the theory, but also knowledge of how to apply the theory to your pedagogical practice.

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9 Scaffolding Strategies for Teachers (that work in 2024)

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Some instructional scaffolding strategies include: using visual aids, breaking up learning into chunks, formative assessment, and using open-ended questions.