The Zones of Regulation

Here at St Benedict’s, we use The Zones of Regulation, an emotion regulation program that teaches individuals to categorise the way they feel into four coloured zones. Feelings determine what zone they are in at any particular time. Students then learn strategies to manage their feelings depending on the zone they are in.

The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions.  A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, explosive behaviour, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. 

The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone.  A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone. 

The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone.  This is the zone where optimal learning occurs.  

The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored. 

The Zones can be compared to traffic signs.  

When given a green light or in the Green Zone, one is “good to go”.  A yellow sign means be aware or take caution. This applies to the Yellow Zone.  A red light or stop sign means stop, and when one is in the Red Zone this often is the case. The Blue Zone can be compared to the rest area signs where one goes to rest or re-energize.  

All of the zones are natural to human experience, but the framework focuses on teaching students how to recognize and manage their Zone based on the environment and its demands and the people around them.  

For example, when playing on the playground or in an active/competitive game, students are often experiencing a heightened internal state such as silliness or excitement and are in the Yellow Zone, but it may not need to be managed. However, if the environment is changed to the library where there are different expectations than the playground, students may still be in the Yellow Zone but have to manage it differently so their behaviour meets the expectations of the library setting.

At St. Benedict’s we are committed to ensuring all students at our school have the opportunity to participate in this program. Classroom teachers have been trained and will be delivering the program to their classes each week.  

For further information on the program, please reach out to Rhylie Mathiesen, Pastoral Care Coordinator or your child’s classroom teacher. 

Yours in Supoort 

Rhylie Mathiesen 

Pastoral Care Coordinator