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SEL skills to address issues (example charts) 

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SEL skills to address issues (example charts) 

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SEL skills to address issues (example charts)

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Regulation Rehearsal - practise before the big feeling

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Regulation Rehearsal - practise before the big feeling

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I like this idea of teaching and rehearsing regulation strategies when children are calm, rather than introducing them for the first time in the middle of a big feeling. This could be through puppets, stories or short role-play scenarios based on familiar challenges - waiting for a turn, loosing a game etc. We can pause, notice what might be happening in the body, and rehearse possible responses together. The aim is to build a repertoire of responses that children can draw on when the real situation happens.

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NEW Arc of Emotional Regulation Poster! | The Incredible Years® Blog

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When helping parents and teachers learn how to teach children emotion self-regulation skills, it can be useful to imagine self-regulation as an arc.

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I find it's one of the strategies I use the most in Yearly Years. When a child is overwhelmed, I invite them to "borrow my calm" through my voice, breathing, presence and connection. Once calm, we can reflect on what happened and what strategy they might use next time. Over time, the goal is to move from co-regulation to self-regulation.

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Parenting Tips for Managing Big Emotions Podcast posted by Bright Horizons on October 24, 2025

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Parenting Tips for Managing Big Emotions

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In this episode, Claire and Rachel share practical strategies for helping children navigate overwhelming moments, whether it’s a new routine, a big life change, or just a tough day.

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Reflective Inquiry and Restorative Practices

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Reflective Inquiry and Restorative Practices

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Connect regulation directly to the Learner Profile.

Restorative Conversation Guides:

Strategy: Use reflection sheets or prompts after a student experiences a loss of regulation, shifting the focus from blame to learning.

Classroom Application: Guide students through 4 questions:

1. What was I feeling?

2. What strategy did I try (or could I try next time)?

3. How did my choices affect others in our community?

4. How can I repair the situation?

Incorporate Regulation into Units of Inquiry:

Strategy: Explore emotions through literature, case studies, and character analysis during inquiry units.

Classroom Application: Ask: How did this historical figure or character regulate their frustration when facing an obstacle?

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Explicit Instruction and Shared Vocabulary

Before students can regulate emotions, they must learn to identify and label them.

Introduce the "Zones of Regulation" or "Mood Meter":

Strategy: Use color-coded emotion zones (Blue = low energy/sad, Green = calm/focused, Yellow = anxious/excited, Red = angry/overwhelmed).

Classroom Application: Start the morning with a "Check-in Board" where students place their named token on a zone without needing to speak. This normalizes all feelings and gives you immediate diagnostic data on classroom energy.

How to Adapt the Mood Meter for Different Ages

Nursery – Kinder:

Simplify Words: Use 4 basic emotions (Angry = Red, Excited = Yellow, Sad = Blue, Calm = Green).

Use Visuals: Include pictures of faces, animal expressions, or characters demonstrating each feeling.

Interactive Routine: Children place a clothespin or name magnet on the color block during morning arrival.

Grades 1 – 5

Expand Vocabulary: Move from simple words to nuanced feelings (shifting from "mad" to "frustrated" or "furious" in the Red quadrant).

Self-Reflection Prompts: Ask students: Where are you on the meter right now? Do you need to shift your quadrant to be ready for learning?

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Everyday write down 3 things that you’re grateful for.

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Recognizing that some students who bully may also be experiencing bullying themselves, so intervention should address both their harmful behaviour and their unmet safety or support needs.

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1. Distract: Indirectly diffuse the situation by interrupting the harasser and the target (e.g. commotion, small talk, etc.).

2. Delegate: Ask a third party for assistance in intervening, preferably an individual in a position of authority.

3. Document: If it is safe to do so and someone is already helping the target, write notes or take a video of the discriminatory situation (permission to share the situation belongs to the target).

4. Delay: Check in with the person who was discriminated/harassed (e.g. support, offer assistance, etc.).

5. Direct: If everyone is physically safe, speak firmly and clearly against the harassment/discrimination taking place (prioritize assisting the target over debating the harasser).

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1. Notice a discriminatory/emergency situation and interpret it.

2. Evaluate the incident’s problematic nature and decide if it requires intervention.

3. Assume responsibility for intervening.

4. Know and decide how to approach the situation.

5. Choose to take action.

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Calm corner – rotating resources where we can start small and make them more complex as the academic year progresses:

- A copy of The Color Monster by Anna Llenas with sorting jars/color-coded manipulatives

- Plush toys

- Emotions stick puppets

- Fidget toys, stress balls, pinwheels

- How I Am Feeling poster

- Mirror for emotion recognition

- Traffic light to help with impulsiveness and anger: Red means STOP, name the feeling. Yellow is THINK and use the calming strategies I’ve learned. GREEN means I am calm, I am ready act (apologize, talk about it, etc)

Outdoors, using a bubble wand to blow bubbles (promotes breathing)

The Hot Chocolate Method – pretend you are holding a cup of hot chocolate, smell the delicious aroma, blow on it to cool it down.

5 senses method for practicing mindfulness: name something you can see, something you can touch, something you can hear, something you can smell, something you can taste.

Repair role play – “Are you ok?” “I’m sorry.” “Can we try again?” “I’m not ready yet.”

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Separate a stressful situation into what you can control, can influence, and need to accept, then focus your energy on the actions you can actually take.

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Use a gentle physical cue to interrupt repetitive or impulsive thoughts, then redirect attention to a more helpful action.

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Although often used only for specific individuals, I find this to be really beneficial to my whole class. These are cards I created for it to go through the 3 stages - Alert, Organise and Calm

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After being exposed to different mindfulness techniques, students can create their own 'menu' for what works for them in different situations

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Teach students to use “I” statements to express feelings, needs, boundaries, and requests without attacking others.

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Exploring beneath the surface of themselves

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Help students understand their interpretation of an event will change the ways they react or feel

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Exploring the connections with students, how negative loops can be formed but how we can challenge those negative thoughts

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Feelings, Thoughts & Behaviour : StartNow Cornwall

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As well as recognising and understanding our feelings it is also helpful to understand the links between how we think, feel and behave.

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Notice, label, and rate the intensity of emotions before reacting