
Zones of Regulation


The Zones of Regulation: Overview
Leah Kuypers created The Zones of Regulation in 2011. She and her team provide training and resources for schools and individuals looking to use the Zones Framework with children.
This article is an overview for parents. It covers a brief explanation of what the Zones of Regulation are, how they’re taught to children, and how you can begin using the concepts in your own home.
It does not serve as a replacement for the official Zones Framework, simply a starting point for parents who want to find out more.
What Does The Zones Teach Children?
This program teaches a variety of social-emotional skills to children, starting with early emotional skills and advancing on to self-regulation and navigating social situations..
Here are some skills taught during The Zones of Regulation:
- Identifying your emotions by categorizing feelings into four zones (more on this below)
- Self-regulation: Achieving the preferred state of alertness (zone) for a situation. This is all about regulating your body and emotional regulation.
- Identifying triggers: Learning what makes you “tick” and why
- Coping strategies: Various techniques and strategies that help achieve emotional regulation and manage strong emotions
- Size of the problem: Introduces the idea that the size of your reaction should match the size of your problem, how to identify the size of your problem, and strategies for problem-solving.
- Expected behavior vs unexpected behavior: This also covers perspective taking and how your behavior affects the thoughts and feelings of the people around you
What Are The Zones Colors & Their Meanings?
The Zones of Regulation uses four colors to help children self-identify how they’re feeling and categorize it based on color.
The curriculum also helps children better understand their emotions, sensory needs, and thinking patterns.
They learn different strategies to help them cope and manage their emotions based on which color zone they’re in.
Additionally, the Zones of Regulation helps kids recognize their own triggers, learn to read facial expressions, develop problem-solving skills, and become more attuned to how their actions affect other people (Kuypers, L.M, 2011).