11/09/2023
The ZONES of Regulation.
Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self management, and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for the specific situation.
• For example, when your child plays at a playground or in a competitive game, it is beneficial to have a higher state of alertness. However, that same state would not be appropriate at the dinner table.
The lessons and learning activities are designed to help your child recognize when they are in the different Zones as well as learn how to use strategies to change or stay in the Zone they are in.
In addition to addressing self-regulation, your child will gain an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading other people’s facial expressions, perspective about how others see and react to their behavior, insight into events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, and problem solving skills.
A critical aspect of this curriculum is that all team members know and understand The Zones language. This creates a comfortable and supportive environment for your child to practice his or her self-regulation skills.
It also helps your child learn the skills more quickly and be more likely to apply them in many situations.
You can support your child during this process by doing the following:
• Use the language and talk about the concepts of The Zones as they apply to you in a variety of environments. Make comments aloud so your child understands it is natural that we all experience the different Zones and use strategies to control (or regulate) ourselves. For example, “This is really frustrating me and making me go into the Yellow Zone. I need to use a tool to calm down. I will take some deep breaths.”
• Help the child gain awareness of his or her Zones and feelings by pointing out your observations.
• Validate what Zone your child is in and help them brainstorm expected ways to self-regulate so their behavior is expected for the context.
• Share with your child how his or her behavior is affecting the Zone you are in and how you feel.
• Help your child become comfortable using the language to communicate his or her feelings and needs by encouraging your child to share his or her Zone with you.
• Show interest in learning about your child triggers and Zones tools. Ask your child if he or she wants reminders to use these tools and how you should present these reminders.
• Ask your child to frequently share his or her Zones Folder with you and talk about what he or she has learned.
• Make sure to positively reinforce your child for recognizing their Zone and managing their behaviors while in it, rather than only pointing out when students are demonstrating unexpected behaviors while in a Zone.
It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the Zones—the Red and Yellow Zones are not the “bad” or “naughty” Zones. All of the Zones are expected at one time or another. The Zones of Regulation is intended to be neutral and not communicate judgment.
The ZONES of Regulation™ Glossary
Self-regulation: The ability to achieve the preferred state of alertness for the given situation. This includes regulating one’s body’s needs as well as one’s emotions.
The Zones: A concept used to help students learn how to self-regulate. The Zones of Regulation creates a system to categorize how the body feels and emotions into four colored Zones with which the students can easily identify.
Blue Zone: Used to describe a low state of alertness. The Blue Zone is used to describe when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.
Green Zone: Used to describe the ideal state of alertness. Your child may be described as calm, happy, focused, or content when he or she is in the Green Zone. Your child feels a strong sense of internal control when in the Green Zone.
Yellow Zone: Used to describe a heightened state of alertness. Your child may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, or fear when in the Yellow Zone. The student’s energy is elevated yet he or she feels some sense of internal control in the Yellow Zone.
Red Zone: Used to describe an extremely heightened state of alertness. A person may be experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, panic, extreme grief, terror, or elation when in the Red Zone and feels a loss of control.
Toolbox: A collection of calming and alerting strategies a student can pull from depending on the present need. Tools or strategies: Used interchangeably to refer to a calming or alerting technique that aids the student in self-regulation.
Trigger: An irritant that causes a student to become less regulated and increases the likelihood of going into the Yellow or Red Zone.
Stop, Opt, and Go: A concept used to aid your child in controlling impulses and problem solving better solutions. This phrase is paired with a stoplight to provide additional cues for students.
Expected behaviors: Behaviors that give people around you good or comfortable thoughts about you.
Unexpected behaviors: Behaviors that give people uncomfortable thoughts about you.
Doer: The person or persons doing the expected or unexpected behavior in a situation.
What is the size of the problem? and Is this a Big or Little Problem?: Questions posed to help students measure the size of the problem they are experiencing (Big Problem, Medium Problem, or Little Problem).
Big Problems: Problems that many people share and that have no easy, quick, or pleasant solution.
Medium Problems: Problems some people share that are able to be resolved in an hour to a couple of days.
Little Problems: Problems that only affect one to two people and can be ignored or solved in a matter of minutes.
Inner critic: Used to describe negative, self-defeating thoughts.
Inner coach: Used to describe positive thoughts.
Superflex thinking: A flexible thinking pattern in which a person is able to consider different points of view or ways to do something.
Rock Brain thinking: A rigid thinking pattern in which a person gets stuck on an idea and has difficulty considering other options or ways to do something.
