Colors help kids connect with their feelings

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Local News

September 15, 2018 - 9:28 AM

James Newland, a student at McKinley Elementary School, felt a little bit “on yellow” Thursday. That’s because another student kept bothering him while he was trying to do his work.

What does it mean to be “on yellow”?

“Furrr-rustrated,” James said, drawing out the first syllable and shaking his head at the unpleasant memory.

While “frustrated” is a pretty big word for a kindergartner, the concept is all too real for a 5-year-old just beginning school.

What can de-escalate James’s situation from becoming a catastrophe is to be able to recognize and verbalize such feelings.

 

MCKINLEY’S new “Zones of Regulation” system does such a thing, principal Angie Linn told USD 257 Board of Education members at a meeting Monday night.

The system uses four colors — blue, green, yellow and red — to help students recognize emotions associated with the colors.

Blue is for those times when you’re just not feeling good. Maybe you’re sad, bored or tired, or depressed or sick.

Green is a happy color. It means you are ready to learn, relaxed and focused or proud and thankful.

Yellow means you feel crabby, overwhelmed, confused, anxious or frustrated. It also could mean you’re feeling excited or silly.

Red means you’re angry or scared. Maybe you feel mean or aggressive or want to yell. But it also can represent other extreme emotions, like feeling elated or out of control, that also interfere with learning.

“Children need to learn to recognize their emotions and recognize when they are tired or stressed or sad, and be mindful of that and learn how to calm themselves,” Linn said. “They don’t know how to express themselves so when they’re upset they act out. That’s when we have the crying, the tantrums, the hitting and kicking and biting.”

The program also offers a “Chill Zone,” with bean bag chairs where students can go sit for two or three minutes when they feel upset and need to calm down.

“They can de-escalate and get themselves regulated,” Linn said. “Adults, when we are stressed out, we can do something about it. We can go to our happy place in our head. Kids need a concrete place they can go where they feel safe.”

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