Primary 5/6/7 have had a wonderful start to the new school year. We have spent the first week getting back into our daily routine, having fun, learning and developing emotional awareness.
We have been exploring the Zones of Regulation program in our daily routine to help students build emotional awareness and self-regulation skills. We have used the four coloured zones to help the children identify and express their “zone” and use “tools” to manage and regulate feelings.
In class, we use a variety of tools to help students identify their zones. We have a chart to understand which zone they are experiencing and have a check-in system for throughout the day. The students have explored and developed specific "tools" or strategies they can use to move from one zone to another.
These tools include:
Breathing exercises: To move from the Yellow or Red Zone to the Green Zone.
Taking a break: Stepping away from a frustrating task.
Using a fidget toy: To help with focus and anxiety.
Talking to a teacher: To get help or express a feeling.
Our goal isn't to eliminate any zone; it's to teach children that all feelings are okay, and they can learn to manage them in a healthy way.
We have had such a great start and we are looking forward to the term ahead!
