It’s incredibly important for children to be able to manage their own emotions. But in order to do it effectively, they first must understand what they are feeling. That’s where the Zones of Regulation come in.
Last week, I had the pleasure of sharing Feel Like Eggs? during a virtual read-aloud with second graders at Runkle School, a preK-8 public school in Brookline, Massachusetts.
These students engage in weekly social-emotional learning lessons with the school’s K-4 guidance counselor, Lauren Snickenberger, who helps them to figure out how they are feeling, why they might be feeling a certain way, and what to do to recalibrate when things aren’t right.
Before the virtual reading, students took turns doing “Zones check-ins” during which they identify their current status in the Zones of Regulation, created by Leah Kuypers:
Blue: sad, sick, tired, bored, moving slowly
Green: happy, calm, focused, feeling OK, ready to learn
Yellow: frustrated, worried, silly/wiggly, excited, loss of some control
Red: mad/angry, mean, terrified, yelling/hitting, out of control
It was amazing to watch the students draw connections between their daily experiences and their feelings. Their emotional intelligence skills informed their inquiries about Feel Like Eggs? during our post-reading Q&A session.
Thanks to Runkle School for a wonderful day!