The COLOURS of Regulation

Kents Hill Junior School have adopted a Zones (Colours) of Regulation approach to help support children to self-regulate and learn about their own and others emotions. We currently have a push towards ensuring this approach is used in all classes, as well as with individuals and in small group interventions. The pupils will record this in the Home/School diaries.

Zones (Colours) of Regulation  

The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum geared toward helping students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities. Using a cognitive behaviour approach, the curriculum’s learning activities are designed to help students recognise when they are in different states called “zones,” with each of the four zones represented by a different colour. (Zones of Regulation— A Curriculum to Foster Self-Regulation & Emotional Control, 2011).

At Kents Hill Junior School, we call it the ‘Colours of Regulation’ to make it easier for children to link their self-regulation techniques to colours.

Leaning about our emotions, how to recognise, label and then learn to regulate them can be very challenging. Using this visual support system has a positive impact on pupils’ understanding and ability to communicate emotions appropriately. We are sending you the information below to give you an idea of the language we use and how the Colours of Regulation can support communication and understanding around emotions and regulation. You may want to use this language at home as well. 

A person who is feeling Red is in a high state or alert or experiencing very intense feelings. When we are Red, we can be angry, panicking, terrified or elated. Feeling Red means you have lost control of your body.

When we are Blue, we can be sad, tired, bored, poorly. This is when one’s body and/or brain is moving slowly. Often when pupils say they are Blue, it is because they are tired. 

When we are Green, we can be calm, happy, focused or content. This is the zone pupils generally need to be in for schoolwork and social interaction. When we are Green, we are ready to learn. 

When we are Yellow, we can be frustrated, anxious, excited, silly, worried and many more slightly elevated emotions. When we are Yellow, we are starting to loose some control. 

Each class has a Colours of Regulation board showing the different zones. They also have a Class Toolkit where the children have decided, as a class, on strategies and resources to use in order to regulate their emotions. The children will have regular class assemblies recapping the Colours and the language is used around the whole school.