Communicating Emotions: Zones of Regulation
Communicating Emotions: Zones of Regulation
Most children, especially neurodiverse children, struggle at some point with communicating emotions. Children with speech and language delays, and children who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems (AAC devices), may also struggle with frustration when trying to communicate how they are feeling.
One strategy that pediatric therapists can utilize to help children communicate emotions is a technique known as the Zones of Regulation.
The Zones of Regulation consists of four colored zones: Blue, Green, Yellow and Red. Each zone provides a visual for different kinds of feelings and energy levels. Organizing emotions into four simple sections can be a helpful visual for children, allowing them to communicate their emotions by simply pointing to one of the color blocks that hold the emotions they are feeling.
1. The Red Zone
Emotions: Elated/overjoyed, angry, terrified, devastated, panicked, out of control
The Red Zone is a high energy zone, characterized by strong or intense emotions of either sadness, joy, anger or fear.
2. The Yellow Zone
Emotions: Stressed, worried, excited, silly, frustrated
The Yellow Zone is still a higher energy zone, but not quite as high as the red zone. The Yellow Zone characterizes emotions that often represent an unbalance in our nervous system, including stress, frustration, excitement, confusion, overwhelm, and nervousness.
3. The Green Zone
Emotions: Focused, happy, content, proud, calm, comfortable.
The Green Zone is a calm, but alert state. Our energy is balanced and present, and our nervous system feels safe.
4. The Blue Zone
Emotions: Sad, fatigue, bored, sick, tired
The Blue Zone is the least alert state. It describes down feelings, such as boredom, hurt, loneliness or illness. In the blue zone, most often the main thing that we need is rest and comfort.
The movie, Inside Out, does a great job of personifying emotions in a way that children can understand. Each character embodies a different emotion, making it easy for children to grasp how different emotions carry different actions or energy levels
In therapy, most commonly occupational and speech, the Zones of Regulation can be a great tool to help kids communicate their emotions and energy level. The ability to identify and point out how they are feeling is a very important first step.
For children utilizing AAC devices, the Zones of Regulation can help with the building of core words, giving individuals the autonomy to express and communicate how they are feeling, even if they cannot speak.
Have you tried the Zones of Regulation? How do you help your child communicate their emotions?
References: The Zones of Regulation
