Following on from our recent Junior assembly about The Zones of Regulation, we thought it would be great to share some information with parents. 

The Zones of Regulation is an internationally-renowned tool which helps children and adults to manage emotions, known as ‘self-regulation’. It is used very effectively in many schools here in the UK and internationally. 

Self-regulation can go by many names, such as ‘self-control’, ‘impulse management’ and ‘self-management’.  It is best described as the best state of alertness for a situation.  For example, when your child takes part in a sports game, they would need to have a higher state of alertness than when, for example, they were working in a library and this varies during the whole day, be it at school or at home.  

From time to time, all of us (including adults) find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, and this can stop us from getting through our day effectively. Some children who are feeling these emotions may find it hard to learn and concentrate.  At Lady Barn House School, we are launching The Zones of Regulation throughout the school this academic year. The Zones help pupils to recognise different emotions, and teach them strategies to help them cope with these different feelings.

We aim to help children to:  

• Recognise when they are in the different Zones and learn how to change or stay in the Zone they are in.  

• Increase their emotional vocabulary so they can explain how they are feeling.   

• Recognise when other people are in different Zones, thus developing better empathy.   

• Develop an insight into what might make them move into the different Zones.  

• Understand that emotions, sensory experiences such as lack of sleep or hunger and their environment might influence which Zone they are in.  

• Develop problem-solving skills and resilience  

• Identify a range of calming and alerting strategies that support them (known as their personal ‘toolkit’).   

Mrs J Nesbitt