At school, we have recently been doing some SEL work around learning about our brain and the Zones of Regulation. These Zones are defined to help students recognize what state of mind they are currently in, and strategies they can use to get back to a state that helps them be ready to learn and engaged in class (the Green Zone).
We also want you to have the opportunity to use this same language at home for these self-management skills so I am attaching a blank copy of this chart that you can make a copy of and fill out to use at home: At Home Zone of Regulation Chart
If you have any questions, be sure to ask your kiddos! They are experts now on the zones and have started to use these strategies in class.
We have done some work around this in class by identifying what it looks like to be in all four zones and what strategies they can use that are appropriate at school.
| BLUE ZONE | GREEN ZONE | YELLOW ZONE | RED ZONE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How Someone Could Look or Act | • Sleepy | |||
| • Unmotivated | ||||
| • Grumpy | ||||
| • Sad | ||||
| • Sick | ||||
| • Depressed | ||||
| • Bored | • Working hard | |||
| • Energized | ||||
| • Happy | ||||
| • Social | ||||
| • Content | ||||
| • Excited | ||||
| • Focused | ||||
| • Calm | • Uncontrolled Figety-ness | |||
| • Annoyed | ||||
| • Biting nails | ||||
| • Worried | ||||
| • Anxious | ||||
| • Frustrated | ||||
| • Stressed | ||||
| • Bouncy | ||||
| • Waiting for recess | ||||
| • Avoiding eye contact | ||||
| • Talking out loud | ||||
| • Seeking attention | • Fear | |||
| • Overwhelming sadness/anger | ||||
| • Rage | ||||
| • Random outbursts | ||||
| • Impulsive thoughts | ||||
| • Mental breakdown | ||||
| • Seeking attention | ||||
| • Battling inner demons (Included by popular request) | ||||
| What you need to do | Get my energy up. | |||
| Get more engaged. | I’m good! I’m ready to learn and connect. | I need to grab some green. I’ll use some strategies to settle back down. | Use strategies to calm down. | |
| Strategies That Help | • Talk with someone about something exciting | |||
| • Stretch/Exercise | ||||
| • Take a brain break | ||||
| • Breathing | ||||
| • Drink Water | • Help others | |||
| • Avoid the talkative | ||||
| • Practice gratitude | ||||
| • Organize | ||||
| • Reading | ||||
| • Drawing | • Talk to someone about problems. Close friends or | |||
| • Doodle for a minute | ||||
| • Read | ||||
| • Exercise appropriately | ||||
| • Counting to 20 | ||||
| • Deep breaths | • Talk to someone about problems. Close friends or | |||
| • Doodle | ||||
| • Read | ||||
| • Exercise appropriately | ||||
| • Counting to 20 | ||||
| • Deep breaths | ||||
| • Have a conversation with yourself | ||||
| • Write problems down |