The Zones of Regulation is an internationally recognised approach that helps children develop their understanding of emotions and learn strategies to self-regulate. Everyone experiences a range of feelings throughout the day, such as happiness, excitement, worry, frustration, anger or tiredness. At times, these emotions can make it harder to concentrate, focus and engage effectively with learning.

The Zones of Regulation teaches children to recognise and identify how they are feeling, understand that all emotions are normal, and learn appropriate strategies to help them manage their feelings. By developing these skills, children become better equipped to regulate their emotions, solve problems and return to a calm and ready-to-learn state.

The four Zones are:

• Blue Zone – Feeling sad, tired, unwell, bored or low in energy.
• Green Zone – Feeling calm, happy, focused, proud and ready to learn.
• Yellow Zone – Feeling worried, excited, frustrated, nervous, silly or overwhelmed.
• Red Zone – Feeling angry, furious, terrified, panicked or out of control.
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How Parents Can Support at Home

You can help your child develop their emotional regulation skills by:

• Talking about feelings and emotions as part of everyday conversations.
• Helping your child identify which Zone they are in.
• Modelling healthy ways to manage your own emotions.
• Encouraging your child to use calming strategies such as deep breathing, mindfulness or taking a short break.
• Using consistent language about the Zones at home and school.
• Celebrating when your child successfully recognises and manages their emotions.
• Reminding your child that all feelings are okay, but some behaviours may not be.

By working together, home and school can help children build the confidence and skills they need to understand their emotions, develop resilience and achieve their full potential.