Creating a Regulation Area in the Classroom

We hear these areas in a classroom called by many names; "calming corner", "regulation station", or "break area." Whatever you decide to call it in your classroom, the essential factor is that students have a place to go when they need to use regulation tools and strategies. 

We all experience a wide range of feelings during our day, and these areas provide students with a safe and supported climate in the classroom. Here are some tips for creating an area in your classroom from The Zones of Regulations creator, Leah Kuypers:

• These areas are not punitive spaces, and should not be seen as a negative place for students. It is not where you send students that are in trouble. It should be a space to manage their feelings, energy, or states of alertness. 

• Have the class come up with a name for the regulation area. This helps make it part of their community space.  

• The area can be a strategy to use for any of emotion or state of alertness. The area can help support students who are quick to escalate by proactively using it as a tool to help them maintain a sense of well-being by giving their nervous system a chance to relax.

• How to use the area must be explicitly taught and practiced. Also, teaching and practicing how to use each tool in the area before it is introduced is important. 

• Create expectations on:

  • How to use

  • How often

  • How many students 

  • Appropriate use

  • Clean up

  • Respecting materials in it

  • Equity vs. equality. Some students may need to use it more frequently than others

• Placement:

  • Off to the side of the room, but not in the back

  • Students should still be able to see and hear instructions

  • Find a balance between privacy and safety/inclusion

• All students will be curious when it is first introduced. Give them time to explore the area. 

• Establish a reasonable time for how long students use the area and practice transitioning back to their spots. A timer or visual is preferred. If a student needs more time to regulate, encourage them to use a different tool.

• Remind students, "Tools help us do our jobs as students and regulate, but don't replace the work we need to do."

• Reflect as a classroom on which tools seem to be most effective, and if tools should be added or taken away. 

• Model using tools as an adult, you can use the area yourself. You can say, "I'm feeling ________. Can anyone give me an idea of which tool might help me take care of my feelings?"

• Avoid having problem-solving conversations in the area as some students need the lower sensory load that the space provides. The area primarily supports regulation needs, and these conversations can happen after a student is in a more regulated state outside of this area.