Helping Kids Recognize and Manage Emotions
The Zones of Regulation, created by Leah Kuypers, is a self-regulation framework that helps children identify and manage their emotions using four color-coded zones. It teaches kids how to recognize their feelings and use strategies to stay in control.
🎨 What Are the Zones?
🔵 Blue Zone – Low Energy, Down Feelings
Examples: Sad, tired, sick, bored
What helps: Rest, comfort, quiet time, gentle movement
The BLUE ZONE describes low states of alertness and down feelings, such as when a person feels sad, tired, sick, hurt, lonely, or bored. Our energy is low, and our body is moving slowly when we are in the Blue Zone.
When in the Blue Zone we often need to rest and recharge to meet our goals. We can regulate by seeking (or co-regulate by offering) comfort, energizing, or resting. If we are feeling sick in the Blue Zone, we may need to rest. If we are feeling tired, we may need to energize (depending on the contest). If we are feeling sad, we may need comfort. In all these situations, the common theme 1s noticing our lower energy and or down feelings and options for managing them.” (Kuypers, 2011)
🟢 Green Zone – Calm, Ready to Learn
Examples: Happy, focused, content
What helps: Healthy snacks, movement breaks, mindfulness
“The GREEN ZONE describes a calm, alert state. We may be feeling happy, focused, content peaceful, or calm in the Green Zone. The nervous system feels safe, organized, and connected in the Green Zone, helping us be primed to learn. However, we can learn in other Zones too.
When in the Green Zone we regulate by using tools and support that keep us moving forward comfortably, helping us feel ready to go! In the Green Zone, we might regulate by choosing to eat a healthy snack, exercise, take a break, or pause for a mindful moment. These restorative actions help us proactively care for ourselves so we can move forward with ease.” (Kuypers, 2011).
🟡 Yellow Zone – Elevated Emotions, Extra Energy
Examples: Frustrated, silly, nervous, excited
What helps: Deep breaths, stretching, calming tools, breaks
“The YELLOW ZONE describes when our energy is higher, and our internal state starts to elevate. Our emotions get a little stronger. We may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, confusion, nervousness, be overwhelmed, or have the wiggles, when in the Yellow Zone.
In the Yellow Zone we may need to take action to regulate to manage our energy and feelings as they get stronger. For example, if we are feeling energetic at the lunch table it helps to use caution and take a deep breath, so we do not spill something. If we are feeling nervous before our performance, we can slow down our racing thoughts and speech by using a mindfulness tool. When we are frustrated, and pause to take notice, we can decide to take a break to collect ourselves before we say something we regret.” (Kuypers, 2011).
🔴 Red Zone – Intense Emotions, Out of Control
Examples: Angry, panicked, elated, overwhelmed
What helps: Counting to 10, safe space, calming strategies, adult support
“The RED ZONE describes a state of extremely high energy and intense, very overwhelming feelings. We may be in an extremely heightened state of alertness, potentially triggering our fight, flight, freeze or flee protective response. We may feel elated, euphoric, anger, rage, devastated, out of control, panicked, or terrified when in the Red Zone
When in the Red Zone we might need to pause and assess if we need to regulate and gain a sense of control of our strong feelings and high energy. For example, if we are feeling angry it may help to pause and count to 10 before we act. If we are panicked, we can stop and use our self-talk to help us gain a sense of control of our thoughts in order to meet our goal. If we are elated, such as when a teammate scores the winning point, we might need to pause and take a big breath to regulate our impulse to run out on the field to celebrate if there is still time on the clock.” (Kuypers, 2011).
🎯 What Are the Goals of the Zones of Regulation Curriculum?
The Zones of Regulation curriculum is designed to help children build the foundational skills they need to understand and manage their emotions. Here are the key goals of the program:
🧠 Increased Self-Awareness
Children learn to recognize what triggers their emotions and how those triggers can shift them into different Zones.
🌡️ Understanding Emotional Influences
Kids explore how internal factors like hunger, tiredness, or sensory overload—and external factors like their environment—can impact their emotional state.
🗣️ Expanding Emotional Vocabulary
The curriculum helps children build a rich vocabulary of emotional terms, enabling them to express their feelings more clearly.
👥 Developing Social Awareness
Children gain insight into how their actions affect others, fostering empathy and stronger social connections.
🧩 Building Problem-Solving Skills
Through guided practice, kids learn how to navigate challenges, build resilience, and make thoughtful decisions.
🧘 Practicing Regulation Strategies
The program introduces calming and alerting techniques that children can use to return to a regulated state when emotions run high.
🏡 Supporting Emotional Regulation at Home
Helping your child manage their emotions starts with understanding what triggers them. By identifying these emotional triggers, parents can guide children in recognizing patterns and predicting how certain situations might make them feel. This awareness is the first step toward emotional regulation.
Once a child can identify what sets off their emotions, you can work together to:
- Explore what those emotions feel like in their body
- Discuss the size of the problem versus the size of the reaction
- Practice strategies to calm down or cope in the moment
This approach empowers children to better understand themselves and builds the foundation for lifelong emotional resilience.
👨👩👧 Strategies for Parents
🧠 Name the Feeling
Help your child label their emotions: “It looks like you’re in the Yellow Zone—are you feeling frustrated?”
🧰 Create a Toolbox
Build a “calm-down kit” with items like stress balls, fidget toys, headphones, or drawing supplies.
🕒 Practice Daily Check-Ins
Ask, “What zone are you in right now?” to build awareness and normalize talking about emotions.
🧘 Model Regulation
Show how you manage your own emotions: “I’m feeling a little Red Zone—I’m going to take a few deep breaths.”
📚 Use Visuals
Post a Zones chart at home and refer to it during emotional moments.
💬 More Tips for Everyday Moments
🗣️ Talk About All Zones
Celebrate the Green Zone too! “You’re really focused right now—great job staying in the Green Zone!”
✅ Validate Emotions
Let your child know it’s okay to feel all emotions. Then brainstorm ways to self-regulate.
🔄 Link Behavior to Zones
Help them understand how their actions affect their emotional state.
🌟 Positive Reinforcement
Praise your child when they recognize their zone or use a strategy to manage it.
🧠 What Does the Research Say About the Zones of Regulation?
The Zones of Regulation program is grounded in a rich blend of neuroscience, cognitive development, and social-emotional learning theories. Developed by Leah Kuypers (2011), this framework draws from:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Polyvagal Theory
- Neurodivergent learning principles
- Positive mental health models
It’s a practice-based framework that incorporates evidence-informed strategies to help children build emotional awareness and self-regulation skills. While it is not yet classified as “evidence-based” due to the rigorous peer-review process required, it is widely implemented across the globe in schools, therapy clinics, and homes by occupational therapists, counselors, and educators.
📚 “The Zones of Regulation is not just a curriculum—it’s a language and a mindset that supports emotional growth.” — Day, 2022
🔬 Ongoing Research
Numerous research projects are currently underway to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. These studies are in various stages of peer review, a process that can take years. However, existing literature and anecdotal evidence suggest that when the Zones framework is used consistently and developmentally appropriately, it can significantly improve children’s ability to:
- Recognize their emotions
- Communicate their feelings
- Use tools to regulate their behavior
🧠 A Whole-Brain Approach
One of the most powerful aspects of the Zones of Regulation is its bottom-up approach. This means it starts with the lower parts of the brain—the brainstem, limbic system, and amygdala—which are responsible for body sensations and emotional responses.
🧩 Children must feel safe before they can learn to regulate.
By addressing these foundational brain systems first, the Zones framework helps children stabilize before moving into higher-level thinking and reflection. This integrated brain approach supports long-term emotional health and resilience.
🧠 “The benefit of the bottom-up approach is that it integrates the entire brain. It allows one to analyze their feelings after stabilization and safety have been built.” — Spigelmyer, 2022
🌐 Learn More
For more insights and resources, check out:
- The Zones of Regulation Official Website https://zonesofregulation.com/
Written by: Kaylyn Calhoun OTAS
References
Day, N. (2022, October 20). The Zones of Regulation overview: Curriculum and learning outcomes. Raising an Extraordinary Person. https://hes-extraordinary.com/the-zones-of-regulation/
Dunn, M. (2019). The impact of a social emotional learning curriculum on the social-emotional competence of elementary-age students (Doctoral dissertation, Clemson University). Clemson University TigerPrints. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2457
Kuypers, L. (2011). The Zones of Regulation. Social Thinking Publishing.
The Zones of Regulation. (2023, June 21). Our research-backed approach. https://zonesofregulation.com/research/
Quale, M. (2019). Effectiveness of components of the Zones of Regulation on student behaviors (Publication No. 22622385) [Doctoral dissertation, Green River College]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Shibadih, D. (2019). Harmonizing social emotional learning for students with special needs (Master’s thesis, Dominican University of California). Dominican Scholar. https://scholar.dominican.edu/education/5
Suarez, M., Atchison, B., & Bush, E. (2019). Increasing self-regulation for ADL independence in children: Feasibility study and coregulation curriculum description. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(S1). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610762122/AONE
Spigelmyer, L. (2022, July 22). Emotion regulation with the top-down or bottom-up approach. The Behavior Hub. https://www.thebehaviorhub.com/blog/2020/11/30/top-down-bottom-up-approach-to-emotion-regulation
Woodford, J. (2020). Self-regulation in the classroom: An action research study (Master’s thesis, Vancouver Island University). https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.863.1177&rep=rep1&type=pdf