The Zones of Regulation have become a fundamental tool for helping children identify and manage their emotions at school. It is also excellent tool for teachers to use to help understand how pupils are feeling each day, allowing them tailor their teaching approach if needed.
The Zones of Regulation, with its colour-coded framework of green, yellow, red, and blue, provide a simple yet effective means for children to express and understand their emotions. Young children can often struggle to articulate their feelings verbally, but through colour they have a method to communicate their emotional states and, by extension, their needs.
Building On The Zones Of Regulation
Identifying emotions is only the first step towards improving wellbeing, and Stix Mindfulness is aiming to build on the zones with technology that not only helps children identify their emotions, but helps them take them a step further with wellbeing coping strategies, such as mindful breathing and calming visualisations.
The Stix Remotes are designed to provide families with the tools to support and maintain mental wellbeing at home. Using audio and sensory feedback to guide kids through activities, kids learn mental health coping strategies during activities they enjoy playing.
Before and after each activity, the app asks children to identify how they are feeling on a scale from Great - Upset. This helps kids reflect on how they're feeling before an activity, which then takes them through techniques to support their wellbeing, with the aim of improving their mood!
In the school setting, teachers can identify which of their pupils are struggling with their emotions currently, and then deploy the Stix in a calm corner or sensory room. This intervention offers children a respite, aiming to aid relaxation and potentially enhance their well-being.
Further Development to Improve Mood Identification
We're excited to be developing this mood feature further, integrating zones of regulation into the app to make it easier for children to identify what their mood is. We've recognised that choosing between 'good' and 'ok' has it's limitations, therefore by using colours to select their mood, we will make it easier for kids to identify their emotions and take that into their Stix Mindfulness practice.
Beyond Identification to Active Management:
Stix has worked with leading psychologists to create a programme of 12 activities that teach the fundamental skills of mindfulness. Ranging from deep breathing exercises to methods of identifying how your body feels, exploring different emotions and learning about gratitude.
These activities engage multiple senses - audio, vibration feedback, and calming lights - The Stix Remotes transform mindfulness into an interactive adventure. We believe mindfulness should be enjoyable - not just something you sit and listen to - and by infusing fun elements into each activity, Stix creates an environment where children willingly participate in wellbeing exercises.
Fostering emotional intelligence in children is a dual journey—first, identifying emotions, and second, actively engaging in wellbeing activities. While the ability to name and understand feelings is foundational, it is the practice of mindfulness through tools like the Stix Remotes that propels children toward continued emotional intelligence development.
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