Zones of Regulation

Social skills and self-regulation go hand in hand. At Camp Amicus, we teach campers about the Zones of Regulation to help them be more aware of how they are feeling and learn strategies to get themselves to the green "good to go" zone. 

Our goal is to coach campers to become aware of their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs and develop strategies to problem solve. Each Amicus staff member carries visual aids that campers can use to identify which zone they are in so that they can work with the counselor to get back to green. 

Reinforcing these concepts at home with your child will help them use these skills far beyond camp. Check out the resources below to help you use the Zones of Regulation at home! 

So what are the zones? There are four main zones, they each have a colour and associated feelings/emotions. 

Red Zone - used to describe heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. 

Yellow Zone - used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, one has some control when they are in the Yellow Zone.  A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone. 

Green Zone - used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone.  This is the zone where optimal learning occurs.  

Blue Zone - used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings, such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.  

Zone check in's are important throughout the day, not only when emotions are heightened. The visual tracker below helps campers become aware of their emotional patterns during the day. You can use this at home with your child as well! 

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Once a camper is able to identify their zones they are also able to start thinking about strategies and tools that work for them to help move out of negative zones and into the green zone. Each person is different and will have to experiment to find what works best for them to calm down. For example, it might be a quiet space, a special toy or taking a break. 

We find that breathing exercises are effective strategies for calming down and cheering up that work for many people. At camp, we use the two exercises below respectively called "Lazy 8 Breathing" and "The six sides of breathing". We encourage you to try out these tools at home and practice the breathing exercises with your camper when they are in the Green Zone, familiarizing them with the breathing strategies to help if they find themselves feeling like they are in the Red, Yellow or Blue zones. 

Check out this website for more information about the Zones of Regulation. 

Using the Zones of Regulation at home with your camper is a great way to prepare them for what they will be seeing at camp and to continue their development in self-regulation, awareness and social skills after camp is finished.