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The zones of regulation
- 1-5 Years
- 5-11 Years
- 11-19 Years
- SEND
- Speech, language and communication
Parents and carers can use this information at home to support their child. Education staff can also use this information with children in their school or setting.
Please try these ideas and advice before making a referral to the Speech and Language Therapy Service.
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Understanding the zones of regulation
Understanding the zones of regulation
The zones of regulation is a visual method of representing emotions and how to regulate them. The zones of regulation organises feelings, alertness and energy levels into 4 coloured zones:
- blue zone - includes sad, tired and bored
- green zone - includes happy, content and proud
- yellow zone - includes worried, excited and silly
- red zone - includes angry, terrified and elated
All the zones are ok to be in, and we often experience several of the zones during each day.
Steps for using the zones of regulation
- Choose visuals - Pick something that works for the child. This could be:
- a chart with favourite film characters
- pictures on their desk or bag
- a photo of the child that can be moved between the zones
- Spot emotions in others - Use photos to help the child notice emotions in others.
- Model the zones regularly - Check-in at certain times of the day or when behaviour significantly changes. Say what you notice, such as "I see you're very quiet, that might mean you're in the blue zone". Then move the child’s photo to that zone. Remember to model this with others who are around. Over time, let the child move their photo between zones.
- Share your strategies - Once the child can say which zone they are in, talk about what works for you when trying to manage your emotions. For example, how you return to your green zone. Make a note of anything the child comes up with for themselves.
- Build a toolkit - Add the child's strategies to the chart. Over time, if they are in the blue or yellow zone, they can choose something to get them back to their green zone. If they are in the red zone, they will need to be told what to do to calm down, rather than being offered choices.
Top tips
- Make it personal to the child - Every child is unique. What works for one child may not work for another. You can personalise the way the zones, emotions and the activities are represented. In the video there is a poster which displays the different zones, similar to road signs, including ‘rest area’, ‘go’, ‘slow’ and ‘stop'. These might be helpful for children who are interested in transport. But you can use different ideas, such as film characters, like from the Inside Out film, Emojis or symbols. Some children might prefer a vertical chart rather than horizontal.
- Model it often - Build check-ins into their regular routine. Talk about what you see when people experience an emotion, such as eyes, eyebrows, mouth and body language. Explain common phrases that may be hard to understand, such as 'feeling blue'. Remind them that it's normal to be in zones other than green. For example, being in blue before bedtime, and being in yellow before a birthday.
- It’s ok to not be ok - Explain feelings don't always need to be ‘fixed’, but they should still be noticed. Everyone experiences things differently, so do not assume you know what someone else is feeling. Explain how feelings affect thoughts and actions, and how that can change how others respond. Remember, some children may spend very little time in the green zone.
>> Narrator: Welcome to this video about The Zones of Regulation.
In this short video, we will look at what The Zones of Regulation are, how to use them and some top tips about how to do this.
The Zones of Regulation help to support a young person's ability to recognise their feelings and emotions and then act to regulate themselves in situations they find difficult to manage. It is a visual method of representing emotions and how you can use strategies to regulate them.
The Zones of Regulation organises emotions into four coloured zones: blue, green, yellow and red. The Blue Zone describes low states of alertness and down feelings such as when a person feels sad, tired, or bored. Our energy is low, and our body is moving slowly when we are in the Blue Zone. The Green Zone describes a calm yet alert state. We may be feeling happy or peaceful in the Green Zone. 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 frustration, anxiety, excitement, or confusion when in the Yellow Zone. 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 or freeze protective response. We may be angry, overjoyed, panicking or out of control when in the Red Zones.
You can access The Zones of Regulation website.
Please watch this video to give you an example of how to get started.
Although the green zone is a good zone for learning, there are other situations where being in the red, yellow, or blue zones are more helpful. All the zones are OK. For example, it may be appropriate for you to be in the blue zone when you are resting or getting ready to go to bed, and it’s fine to feel sad when sad things happen. It may be appropriate for you to be in the yellow zone ahead of a new situation for example your first day of school or being excited about going on a trip. It may be appropriate for you to be in the red zone when you have won a football match or if a lion was chasing you.
If you have any further questions or would like to find out more information you can:
- watch the other videos on our website including introduction to social communication, how to support social communication, comic strip conversations, social stories and emotional regulation.
- access the Neurodiversity Support Pack
Speak to the 0-19 team, setting or school.
For more information on supporting children and young people’s speech and language needs, please visit our website.
Our Facebook page contains lots of useful tips for supporting speech, language and communication.
Thank you!
Last reviewed: 25 November, 2025
