Script: My Feeling Colors - Teacher Guide

Warm-Up: Zone Check-In (5 minutes)

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Welcome, Emotion Explorers! Today, we're going to dive deeper into our feelings and learn how to navigate them using our special 'feeling colors.' Has anyone ever noticed that not only do your feelings change, but your body feels different with different emotions? That's our body giving us clues!

Let's do a quick check-in. How are you feeling right now? Think about your emotion, and then notice what your body feels like. Is your heart beating fast? Are your shoulders relaxed? You can show me with a quiet signal, or just think about it. (Pause for students to reflect). Great! It's super important to notice how we're feeling, and today we're going to learn about the 'Zones of Regulation' which gives us a common language and some fantastic tools to help ourselves."

Introducing the Zones of Regulation & Strategies (10 minutes)

(Transition to Slide Deck: My Feeling Colors - Slide 2)

"As our slide shows, the Zones of Regulation are like a traffic light for our emotions. They help us understand ourselves better, communicate with others, and most importantly, choose strategies, or 'tools,' to help us get to, or stay in, our 'just right' zone.

(Advance to Slide 3)

"Let's start with the Green Zone! This is our 'just right' zone. When you're in the Green Zone, your body feels calm, your mind is focused, you're happy, and you're ready to learn. It feels good to be here! Can you all show me your 'green zone' face? (Pause for students to make faces). Excellent! What are some things that help you stay in the green zone? (Allow a few student responses). That's right, staying focused and being a good friend are great Green Zone Tools."

(Advance to Slide 4)

"Next up is the Blue Zone. This is when our energy is usually pretty low. We might feel sad, tired, sick, or even bored. Sometimes when we're lonely or disappointed, we can feel blue. It's totally okay to feel blue sometimes! Can you show me your 'blue zone' face? (Pause). What does it feel like in your body when you're in the blue zone? Maybe your body feels heavy or droopy, or you have a tummy ache? (Allow a few student responses). When we're in the blue zone, some helpful Blue Zone Tools might be taking a break, getting a drink of water, or talking to a grown-up about what's making us feel blue."

(Advance to Slide 5)

"Now, let's talk about the Yellow Zone. This is when our feelings get a little bit 'wobbly' or 'sped up.' We might feel frustrated if something is hard, worried about a test, or anxious about what's coming next. Sometimes we can even be in the yellow zone if we're too silly or too excited! Our body might feel wiggly, or a little nervous, like a warning light flashing. Can you show me a 'yellow zone' face? (Pause). When do you feel wobbly or in the yellow zone? (Allow a few student responses). These feelings are a sign we might be starting to lose control, but we have Yellow Zone Tools! Things like taking a few deep breaths, counting to ten, asking for a quiet space, or using an 'I feel... because...' statement can really help."

(Advance to Slide 6)

"And finally, the Red Zone! This is when we have really, really BIG, INTENSE feelings. Like when we're super angry, furious, terrified, or completely panicked. Our bodies might feel hot, or tight, and we might feel like yelling or stomping. This is when our body feels too big and strong, and we've completely lost control. Can you show me your 'red zone' face? (Pause, remind students that these are big feelings and it's okay to feel them, but we need to learn how to calm down). When you're in the red zone, it's super important to use Red Zone Tools. This might mean stopping, taking five deep breaths, finding a safe spot away from others, or asking for help from a trusted adult right away."

"Remember, all our feelings are okay to feel. The Zones just help us understand them, and these tools help us manage them and get back to that green zone!"

Activity: Zone & Strategy Sorting Game (10 minutes)

(Refer to Activity: Zone Sorting Game and prepare materials)

"Okay, Emotion Explorers! Now that we know our feeling colors and some tools, we're going to play a sorting game! I have these cards with different feelings and situations on them. Each card shows a different feeling or a scenario where someone might have a feeling.

I also have these four colorful mats/bins: a green one, a blue one, a yellow one, and a red one. Your first job is to look at your card and decide which Zone that feeling belongs in. Then, you'll also think about what tool or strategy someone could use in that situation.

Who wants to go first? (Call on a student). Show us your card! What feeling or situation do you see? Which zone do you think it belongs in, and why? And what's a good tool for that feeling or situation?"

(Guide students through sorting. Provide positive reinforcement and gentle redirection if needed. For example, if a student puts 'silly' in the green zone, you might say, 'That's a good thought! Sometimes silly can be fun like green, but if we're too silly and it's stopping us from learning, where might that feeling go? Perhaps a little wobbly in yellow? What tool could help us get back to green if we're too silly?')

"You all are doing such a fantastic job of thinking about these feelings and tools!"

Cool-Down: Zone Reflection (5 minutes)

(Refer to Cool Down: Zone Reflection materials)

"Wow, you all are truly feeling and tool experts! We've learned so much about our different feeling colors and the strategies we can use. Before we finish, I want everyone to think about one feeling you experience often. Which zone does it belong in, and what is one tool you can use to help yourself when you feel that way?

(Ask students to either draw a picture of a feeling, color it the correct zone color, and write one strategy, or go around the room and have each student verbally share).

"Great job, everyone! Understanding our feelings and having tools to manage them helps us learn better, get along with our friends, and know what we need to do to feel just right. Give yourselves a pat on the back for being such amazing emotion explorers!"

Warm Up: Zone Check-In

Instructions for Students:

1. Take a moment to check in with your body and mind. How are you feeling right now?
2. Think about what clues your body is giving you about this feeling (e.g., fast heartbeat, relaxed shoulders, tense muscles).
3. Silently identify which Zone of Regulation your feeling belongs to.
4. Think about one tool or strategy you could use if you needed to adjust your feeling.

Teacher Notes:

• Observe student engagement. You may ask a few students (who are comfortable) to briefly share their feeling and one body clue, or a tool they might use.
• Emphasize that simply noticing how we feel is a powerful first step in managing our emotions. Introduce the idea that we all have a 'tool belt' of strategies.

Activity: Zone & Strategy Sorting Game

Goal: To help students connect various feelings and scenarios to the four Zones of Regulation and identify appropriate coping strategies.

Materials:

• Printed "Feeling/Scenario Cards" (pictures or short descriptions of faces/situations showing different emotions like happy, calm, frustrated, worried, angry, excited, tired, silly, disappointed, overwhelmed).
• Printed "Coping Strategy Cards" (simple strategies like 'take deep breaths', 'ask for a break', 'count to ten', 'talk to a grown-up', 'draw a picture', 'get a drink of water', 'stretch').
• Four large colored mats or bins: one blue, one green, one yellow, one red.

Instructions:

1. Lay out the Zones: Place the four colored mats/bins (blue, green, yellow, red) on the floor or a table, clearly visible to all students.
2. Lay out Strategies: Place the "Coping Strategy Cards" in a pile next to the zone mats.
3. Distribute Feeling/Scenario Cards: Give each student one or two "Feeling/Scenario Cards." If there are more cards than students, you can have some students do multiple cards or pass them around.
4. Explain the Game: "Alright, Emotion Explorers! Now it's your turn to be feeling and strategy detectives! Each of you has a card with a different feeling or situation on it. Your job is to:
   • First, decide which 'Feeling Color' or Zone that feeling/situation belongs in.
   • Second, think about what tool or strategy someone could use to manage that feeling or situation, and pick a 'Coping Strategy Card' that matches.
   • Remember:
     • Green Zone 🟢: Happy, calm, ready to learn. (Tools to stay here!)
     • Blue Zone 🔵: Sad, tired, sick, bored. (Tools to boost energy or seek comfort)
     • Yellow Zone 🟡: Frustrated, worried, silly (too much), wiggly, excited (overwhelmed), annoyed. (Tools to slow down or problem-solve)
     • Red Zone 🔴: Angry, furious, out of control, panicked. (Tools to stop and get help)
5. Sorting & Strategizing Time: Call on students one by one, or in small groups. Each student will:
   • Show their "Feeling/Scenario Card" to the class.
   • Name the feeling they see (or describe the situation).
   • Place their card on the colored mat/bin they think it belongs to.
   • Choose a "Coping Strategy Card" from the pile that they think would be helpful for that feeling/zone, and place it near their feeling card.
6. Facilitate Discussion: After each card is placed, ask questions to encourage critical thinking, empathy, and strategy identification:
   • "Why do you think that feeling/situation goes in the [color] zone?"
   • "What clues did your body give you if you felt this way?"
   • "That's a great strategy! Why did you choose that coping card for this feeling?"
   • "Has anyone felt this way before? What did you do?"
7. Review (Optional): Once all cards are sorted, quickly review a few cards from each zone and their chosen strategies to reinforce the learning.

Cool Down: Zone Reflection

Instructions for Students:

1. Think about all the different feelings, zones, and coping tools we talked about today.
2. On a piece of paper (or in your mind), choose one feeling you learned about or one feeling you often have.
3. Draw a picture of that feeling, and then color the background the color of the zone it belongs to!
   • 🟢 Green Zone
   • 🔵 Blue Zone
   • 🟡 Yellow Zone
   • 🔴 Red Zone
4. Below your drawing, write or draw one coping strategy (a "tool") that you could use if you felt that way.

Teacher Notes:

• Alternatively, for a quicker cool-down, go around the room and ask each student to verbally share:
  • "Tell us one feeling you learned about today."
  • "Which zone does that feeling belong to?"
  • "What is one tool you can use if you feel that way?"
• Reinforce that all feelings are okay and that understanding them, along with having strategies, helps us grow and manage ourselves.