Dear Families,
The students have been learning about the Zones of Regulation during my classroom lessons. We have worked on identifying the four Zones, having a working knowledge of them as well as coming up with tools to help aid in self-regulation. Self-regulation is something that everyone continually works on throughout their lives. We all face situations in which our limits are tested. The Zones language and tools give students the ability to more easily name their feelings and manage them.
The Zones offer a system to categorize our feelings into one of four different colors. This framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heighted and intense emotions. These may include: anger, rage, terror and elation.
The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however students have more control when they are in the yellow zone. Emotions in the yellow zone include: frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, nervousness and annoyance.
The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state that is optimal for learning. Emotions in the green zone include: happy, focused, ready to learn, calm and content.
The Blue Zone is used to describe low and slow feelings. Emotions in the blue zone include: sad, sick, tired, and bored.
All of the Zones are natural to experience, but the classroom lessons focus on teaching students how to recognize and manage their Zones' feelings based on the environment that they are in. The students will most likely be in the yellow zone, with heightened emotions, when they are on the playground. However, when expectations change and they are back in the classroom that same heightened emotion would not be conducive to a learning environment.
The students will also explore the tools that would be beneficial to them in each zone. We will discuss many calming options that are choices for the students. These include: taking deep breaths, exercising, stretching, talking to someone, taking a break, going for a walk, coloring, thinking happy thoughts, and using fidget tools. The students then think about which tool would be beneficial for them in each zone. This self-awareness helps students remember these tools when they are needed to help manage their emotions.
For more information you can visit Zonesofregulation.com and if you have any questions please feel free to email me at; jkleiner@sau66.org.
Sincerely,
Jackie Kleiner
