Zones of Regulation
Zones of Regulation (ZoR)
The Zones of Regulation is an internationally renowned intervention, which helps children to manage difficult emotions, known as ‘self-regulation’.
Self-regulation can go by many names such as ‘self-control’, ‘impulse management’ and ‘self-management’. Self-regulation is best described as the optimal state of alertness for any given 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, all of us (including adults) find it hard 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 often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school. The Zones of Regulation aims to teach children strategies to help them cope with these feelings so they can get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’.
A person who can self-regulate is able to:
• Remain calm and organised in a stressful situation
• Cheer themselves up after a disappointment
• Knows when they are experiencing sensory overload and can make adjustments
• Understands when it is appropriate to cheer and shout and when to be quiet
At Houghton on the Hill Primary School, we have started the Zones of Regulation programme throughout the whole school. We want to teach all our children good coping and regulation strategies so they can help themselves when they experience anxiety and stress. By teaching them how to cope with these feelings might make them better at tackling learning challenges and build better resilience so they don’t give up so easily when faced with difficulty.
We want children at Houghton on the Hill Primary School to grow into successful teenagers then adults. Teaching the children at a young age about managing their feelings will support them in later life so that they do not turn to negative coping strategies which affect their mental and physical wellbeing.
Please click on the following link to see see how Zones of regulation can hellp your child in school AND at home. Mr Taylor is leading on this, and he has created a short presentation and information sheet to help you understand it a little bit more. https://youtu.be/vDrcYCpxW_4