Fletcher was barely four when we introduced Zones of Regulation, but his response to the structure it provided was wise beyond his years. We had been struggling with tantrums. Some were over as quickly as they started and others could be classified as colossal. They were often around transitions, but also when his body was having a hard time regulating itself or organizing around disappointment, fear, sadness or anxiety. There are other models out there that are similar to Zones and I think they all have basically the same principle… provide kids with words to put to their feelings so they can effectively communicate how they’re feeling.

This also gave my husband and me consistent language to use to help Fletcher understand how WE were feeling.

Two years later, we’re still saying “Fletcher, how does your body feel?” several times a day and he responds with “yellow because I’m excited to play with my cousin”, “blue because I’m nervous about going to school”, “red because I’m upset that I can’t watch my favorite show” or a simple “I’m GREEN!”

Zones of Regulation is empowerment. It’s providing littles with words to put to feelings and a vehicle to communicate how they’re feeling. And when their energy isn’t being used on a meltdown, there is far more space for having dialogue, coming up with effective strategies, and implementing strategies that work.

We keep a Zones of Regulation poster on our refrigerator and one that’s visible in our basement and near our bedrooms. While Fletcher doesn’t need the visual anymore to identify his feelings, he does still reference it. I think on some level, he recognizes that the Zones was really the first tool he had that aided in his independence – a pathway to evolving into our fiercely independent boy.

There are tons of free printables online, so no need to create your own.  My personal favorite come from the Crafty OT.  Because who doesn’t love Star Wars, Pokemon, Emojis and Inside Out!