Supporting Big Feelings: How We Use Zones of Regulation
How We Use Zones of Regulation
At Pop Up Day Nursery, supporting children’s emotions is just as important as supporting their learning.
One of the ways we do this is through something called Zones of Regulation – a simple but really effective approach that helps children begin to understand their feelings and, over time, learn how to manage them.
What Are the Zones of Regulation?
Zones of Regulation is a framework that helps children recognise their emotions and understand how they’re feeling using colours.
You might have heard your child talk about:
Green Zone – calm, happy, ready to learn
Yellow Zone – excited, worried, a bit overwhelmed
Red Zone – angry, upset, out of control
Blue Zone – tired, sad, low energy
The idea isn’t that any zone is “bad” – we all move between them throughout the day. The aim is simply to help children recognise where they are and what they might need.
How We Adapt It for all of our ages
Because we work with younger children, we make this really simple and practical.
For our babies, it might look like:
A spoon with a red side and an angry face
Simple facial expressions
Naming emotions as they happen (“You’re feeling cross”)
For our older children, we build on this with:
Colour visuals
Simple conversations about feelings
Beginning to talk about what might help them
It’s all about meeting children where they are developmentally.
Why We Use It
Young children feel big emotions, they just don’t always have the words or tools to manage them yet.
Zones of Regulation gives them:
A simple way to recognise their emotions
The language to begin expressing how they feel
The foundations for managing those feelings over time
It’s widely used in education because it helps children develop self-regulation skills, which are essential for learning, relationships and overall wellbeing.
Building Their “Toolbox”
Recognising feelings is just the first step.
Over time, we support children in learning what helps them regulate, for example:
Taking a moment
Having a cuddle or reassurance
Engaging in calming play
Using movement or sensory activities
Every child is different, so we help them find what works for them.
Working Together
You might start to hear us use this language with your child, and we always encourage you to use it at home too.
Even something as simple as:
“Are you feeling a bit yellow today?”
“What could help you feel green again?”
can make a big difference.
Our Overall Aim
At the heart of it, Zones of Regulation is about one thing:
Helping children understand their emotions and giving them the tools to manage them.
This doesn’t happen overnight, especially with under 5s, but by introducing it early, we’re helping to build skills they’ll carry with them for life.
If you ever have any questions about how we support your child’s emotional development, we’re always happy to chat.