The zones of regulation are a conceptual framework to teach students self regulation and self control to build awareness of their feelings and internal states. For us as educators, this is vital for the success and happiness of ourselves and our students. Through the zones of regulation, children learn the ability to adjust their levels of alertness and direct how emotions are revealed. These states of alertness and emotions are categorized into four coloured zones:
- Blue zone: sad, sick, tired, bored, moving slowly
- Green zone: happy, calm, feeling okay, focused, ready to learn
- Yellow zone: frustrated, worried, silly/wiggly, excited, loss of some control
- Red zone: mad/angry, terrified, yelling/hitting, elated, out of control
These zones can be compared to traffic signs, where green is "good to go", yellow means be aware or take caution, red means stop, and blue can be compared to a rest area sign where one goes to re-energize. I think zones are important for educators to be aware of so that we know where our students are at and can work together to adjust their zones accordingly or meet their immediate needs. For example, if a student is in the red zone, a way for them to adjust their zone could be going for a walk, or going to take a drink of water at the fountain.
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