Inspire

The school holidays are rapidly approaching. The holidays can be a great time of bonding, relaxing and feeling grateful. They can also be a time of frustration, worries or even boredom. 

As an Inclusive Education teacher, I have had many interactions with children about the ‘Zones of Regulation’ and asking the children “What zone are you in?” 

The Blue zone, feeling tired, bored or sad? 

The Green zone, ready to learn and feeling calm, happy and comfortable? 

The Yellow zone, filled with worry and anxious thoughts and feelings? 

Perhaps some big feelings in the Red zone, feeling out of control and angry? 

School holidays can be a time where families are often in and out of the four different zones. All thoughts and feelings are ok, we all have them, it is how you choose to behave when you have these thoughts and feelings that matter. Being able to regulate yourself to make ‘A’ (positive) choices can sometimes be difficult.

Recently, I have been reading “What every child should know about prayer” by Nancy Guthrie and the topic of ‘God wants us to talk to him’. “God wants us to talk to him about everything. He wants us to talk to him about things that make us feel afraid, and the things that make us feel happy. He wants us to tell him what we need, and thank him for everything he has done for us. Nothing is too small or too big to talk to God about in prayer.” 

Talking to God through prayer is a great way to acknowledge your thoughts and feelings and to ask for guidance when going through the blue, yellow or red zones. It is also important to thank God and to tell him what has made you grateful or happy when you are in the Green zone.

These holidays, take a few moments when you are in the different zones and let God know what you need and thank him. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” PHILIPPIANS 4:6

Have a (mostly) Green Zone holidays! And if you would like to find out more about the Zones of Regulation you can visit here https://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html

Submitted by Marisa Cameron