Zones of Feelings

Context and Curriculum Alignment

This lesson introduces Year 3 students (aged 7-8) to the Zones of Regulation, a framework that helps children identify their emotions and regulate their responses. It aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh’s Health and Physical Education learning area, focusing on Personal and Social Capability — understanding self and others and managing self in social contexts. The lesson supports students to develop emotional awareness and self-regulation skills, crucial competencies for well-being and learning according to the NZ curriculum.

Specifically, it meets these NZ Curriculum objectives from Health and Physical Education, refreshed framework:

Understanding about self: Recognise and describe emotions and thoughts in themselves and others.
Managing self: Begin to self-regulate emotions and behaviours in a range of contexts.
Participating and contributing: Communicate effectively in social situations and show empathy.

The lesson also helps develop the five Key Competencies of the curriculum, especially Managing Self, Relating to Others, and Using Language, Symbols, and Texts.

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

22 students

Learning Intentions (WALT)

We are learning to identify and name our emotions using the Zones of Regulation.
We are learning to recognise different types of emotions and how to respond to them in helpful ways.
We are learning to sort real-life scenarios according to the feelings they might cause.

Success Criteria

I can name the four Zones of Regulation (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red) and the feelings they represent.
I can recognise emotions from scenario cards and place them in the correct Zone.
I can talk about what I might do to help myself when I am feeling in each Zone.

Materials Needed

Large, simple Zones of Regulation chart with colours and symbols for each zone (see Design below).
Scenario cards (22 cards, one per student) with simple descriptions and illustrations.
Zone sorting mats or areas labelled with each Zone’s colour.
Whiteboard and markers.
Optional: Emotions emoji/doodle faces for visual cues.
Dyslexia-friendly scenario cards (clear font such as Open Dyslexic, large text, simple sentences).

Lesson Structure and Timing

1. Introduction to Zones of Regulation (10 minutes)

Gather students in a circle.
Present the Zones of Regulation chart with four colours:
Blue Zone: Feeling sad, tired, or bored (low energy emotions).
Green Zone: Feeling calm, happy, and ready to learn (ideal zone).
Yellow Zone: Feeling worried, frustrated, or excited (heightened but controlled emotions).
Red Zone: Feeling angry, out of control, or very upset (high energy, difficult to control emotions).
Use clear symbols – e.g., a sleepy face for Blue, a smiley face for Green, a worried face for Yellow, and an angry face for Red.
Explain that everyone feels different emotions, and there’s no ‘bad’ feeling — it’s about noticing how we feel and what we can do.

Differentiation Tip: Use visual aids and emotion dolls or emoji cards for students needing extra support.

2. Scenario Sorting Activity (25 minutes)

Give each student a scenario card — simple situations describing feelings (examples below).
Each student reads (or listens to read) their card and decides which Zone matches the emotion(s) in the scenario.
One by one, students come forward to place their card on the matching Zone’s area or mat.
After each placement, have a brief discussion:
Why does this scenario fit this Zone?
What are some ways we could help ourselves or others when feeling this way?

Sample Scenario Cards:

Scenario	Indicative Zone
"I forgot my lunch and feel hungry and sad."	Blue Zone
"I’m feeling calm and ready to learn at school."	Green Zone
"I’m worried about a test tomorrow and feel a bit nervous."	Yellow Zone
"I’m angry because my toy broke."	Red Zone
"I feel happy because I played with my friends."	Green Zone
"I’m tired after playing outside all day."	Blue Zone
"I feel excited but a little bit restless before a school trip."	Yellow Zone
"I lost a game and feel frustrated."	Yellow Zone
"I’m very upset and yelling because my brother took my book."	Red Zone

Dyslexia-friendly Tip: Use simple language and include a matching facial expression illustration on each card.

3. Wrap-Up and Reflection (10 minutes)

Gather students back in the circle.
Revisit the Zones chart.
Ask a few students to share:
Which Zone do they spend most time in?
What can they do if they notice they are in the Yellow or Red Zone?
Suggest simple strategies for moving back towards the Green Zone, e.g., deep breaths, talking to a friend or teacher, taking a break.
Reinforce that recognising feelings helps us take care of ourselves and others.

Differentiation Strategies

For diverse learners:
Use plenty of visuals and clear, simple language.
Provide scenario cards with picture supports and highlight key words.
Allow students to pair up if reading independently is difficult.
For English language learners:
Pre-teach key emotion vocabulary with visuals.
Use gestures and role-play to demonstrate emotions.
For high-achieving students:
Challenge them to come up with additional scenarios and suggest their own strategies to manage emotions.
Encourage them to explain why different strategies might work for different Zones.

Extension Activity (Optional for Homework or another lesson)

Ask students to draw their own “Feelings Zone” chart at home or draw a picture of a time they felt in each Zone.
Invite them to share their stories and strategies with the class the next day.

Design of Zones of Regulation Chart for the Classroom

Zone Colour	Symbol	Description	Examples of Feelings	Helpful Strategies
Blue	Sad face, droopy eyes	Low energy, feeling down or tired	Sad, tired, bored, sick	Take a rest, drink water, ask for help
Green	Smiling face, thumbs up	Calm, focused, happy, ready to learn	Happy, calm, content, focused	Keep going, keep learning, play nicely
Yellow	Worried face, slightly wide eyes	Heightened emotions but still in control	Worried, frustrated, excited, silly	Take deep breaths, count to 5, take a break
Red	Angry face, clenched teeth	Very strong emotions, out of control	Angry, mad, terrified	Ask for help, move to quiet space, use words to express

Display this chart prominently during and after lessons to support ongoing emotional literacy.

References to New Zealand Curriculum

Health and Physical Education, Strand: Relationships with Other People - Personal and Social Capability — recognising and responding to emotions and behaviours.
Supports Key Competency: Managing Self by developing self-awareness and self-regulation techniques.
Encourages the use of precise vocabulary to describe emotions and reactions, consistent with Te Mātaiaho English learning expectations for Year 3 students（ages 7-8）to use and recognise words about feelings and relationships.
Incorporates explicit teaching strategies for self-regulation and metacognition as recommended in the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh.

If you would like, I can generate the downloadable and printable scenario cards and a Zones of Regulation chart artwork tailored for easy classroom use, including dyslexia-friendly fonts and visual supports. Would you like me to prepare these files?

Teaching Instructions