Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation is an internationally renowned intervention designed to help children to manage difficult emotions. This skill is called 'self-regulation'.

Self-regulation is also known as ‘self-control’, ‘impulse management’ and ‘self-management’.  Self-regulation 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.

From time to time, we all (including adults) find it difficult to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, and this stops us from getting on with our day effectively. Children who feel these emotions frequently, can often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school.  The Zones of Regulation approach aims to teach children strategies to help them cope with these feelings and how to develop their own 'toolkit' of ways they can use to get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’. 

Here are two short video clips to explain this idea to children and one, with more detail, for the adults.