“WE ALL ENCOUNTER TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT TEST OUR LIMITS FROM TIME TO TIME.  IF WE ARE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE WHEN WE ARE BECOMING LESS REGULATED, WE ARE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TO MANAGE OUR FEELINGS AND GET OURSELVES TO A HEALTHY PLACE. THIS IS THE GOAL OF THE ZONES OF REGULATION.”​
– LEAH KUYPERS, CREATOR OF THE ZONES ​OF REGULATION

We use Leah Kuyper’s Zones of Regulation to help children to name the emotions they are feeling and take action to self-regulate if possible. We recognise that for effective learning to take place, children ideally need to be in the Green Zone, feeling calm and ready to learn. When children come in to the classroom in the morning, they are given the opportunity to show which zone they are in and to take action to help themselves get towards the Green Zone, knowing that adults are available to help if needed. This approach teaches children that sometimes strong emotions are inevitable in life and learning and that naming and recognising them helps us to deal with them at the time rather than allowing them to build up. Your child’s class teacher can explain more about this approach, should you wish to adopt it at home. For children who regularly experience strong emotions, a consistent approach between home and school can really help.

To find out more about Leah Kupyer’s work, click here.