At Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, we hold a strong belief that all students are valued individuals who are capable of finding success at home, at school and in our community. Much of that success is dependent on the child be able to identify and regulate their emotions and behaviours. To facilitate the development of these skills in a consistent manner across the Early Years sector, OLSCC delivers a curriculum called The Zones of Regulation across all classes from Prep to Year 4.

You may have heard your child refer to this as “the Zones”, a curriculum geared towards helping ALL students gain skills in consciously identifying their emotions and regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem-solving abilities. Using a cognitive behaviour approach, the learning activities are designed to help students recognise when they are in different states called “zones”, with each of the four zones represented by a different colour. Students engage in activities to learn how to use strategies or tools to stay in a zone or move from one zone to a more desirable zone. To assist with learning how to self-regulate, the lessons also teach students how to read others’ facial expressions and recognise a broader range of emotions, perspectives and how others see and react to their behaviour. This includes specific lessons on calming techniques, as well as thinking strategies to identify the size of a problem – is it a big or a little issue?

If you haven’t heard your child talk about the zones at home – ask them about it tonight! You may find some tips that could help you at home as well!