K-5 Social Thinking

In Social Thinking/Speech, we are talking about the Zones of Regulation (Leah Kuypers). We learned that all four zones are tools to identify feelings and energy levels in our bodies. This week we specifically talked about the "yellow zone" – how it can be both welcome (e.g., excited or silly) and unwelcome (e.g., frustrated or stressed), all of which interfere with our readiness to learn. The group watched a YouTube video about the zones geared specifically towards elementary students. Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore yellow/red zone situations and some tools that can help calm and refocus us as we move through the school day or at home. Some tools students have already shared that help them are: going to the "quiet room," asking for a break, deep breathing, playing in a separate place if a friend/classmate is bothering us, and using fidgets and movement as needed. We are looking forward to learning about other strategies to help guide us through the Zones, as we experience them all throughout our days.
– Tricia Keener, Speech Language Pathologist