Zones of Regulation

Learning about feelings/emotions, and learning how to regulate emotions can be difficult and challenging tasks for everyone. At Nabnasset we have been using a wonderful program called the Zones of Regulation by Leah Kuypers to help teach these skills to our students. We use this program with our small counseling groups, and we also teach some of the information to our second graders in their classroom guidance lessons. We would like to share with you some of the basic skills that the students are learning in their lessons.

First students learn that feelings can be divided into 4 basic zones based on one's level of alertness and/or level of energy that one is experiencing in their body. Once they have an understanding of feelings (how feelings arise, internal body signals) they begin to learn a variety of tools to use in order to manage their feelings in the zones.

Blue zone is used to describe a low state of alertness and low energy. Some blue zone feelings are: Sad, lonely, tired, sick, or bored.

Green zone is used to describe the ideal "just right" state of alertness - one's energy is just right for the situation they are in. Some green zone feelings are: happy, relaxed/calm, confident, focused, and proud.

Yellow zone is used to describe a heightened state of alertness, one's energy level is starting to go up. Some yellow zone feelings are: Excited, worried, frustrated, nervous, upset, and silly.

Red zone is used to describe an extremely heightened state of alertness, one's energy level is very high. Some red zone feelings are: Mad/angry, very frustrated, very excited, and out of control.

It is very important to teach your child that experiencing their feelings, and being in any of the zones is not bad/wrong. The important skills that the students need to learn are how to recognize their feelings, and how to use tools to manage their feelings in the different zones.

In a very informative article discussing how to manage your zones (click here for complete article) Leah Kuypers writes: "Feelings are innate; they make us human and are part of the fabric of life. Our feelings are windows into the thoughts and perspectives we hold toward a situation, a person, or an event. As a mom and therapist, I catch myself from time to time telling someone, “Don’t worry…” or “Don’t be sad…” only to remind myself “It’s too late, the other person is already worried or sad.” Rather than offering support in the form of telling others not to feel this way or that, we can help people manage the feelings they are experiencing in an adaptive and prosocial way. I created The Zones of Regulation (The Zones) to help us do just that: support people in managing all the feelings they experience, without passing judgment on what people are feeling or how they are behaving."

Here are 2 charts which we use to help students:
This first chart helps students learn to label some of the different feelings in the 4 zones:

This next chart helps students learn a variety of tools they can learn and practice to help manage their feelings in the different zones. It is very helpful to practice the strategies with your child when they are calm, and have them pick the strategies that will work best for them.

Additional Resources:

1) Reading books about feelings is a great way to introduce your child to all different feelings. One of our favorites is: The Way I Feel by Janan Cain.

2) More feelings books to explore - click here!

3) Go to this zones of regulation blog to explore some video clips of different characters in the different zones!

4) Here are some fun Pinterest ideas if you are looking for some visual tools to use at home!