The pandemic may be several years away now, but for many young pupils, it is only fairly recently that the impact of that time has been seen.

At our international school in China, for instance, we saw clearly in 2024 that among our Grade 1 and 2 primary pupils (equivalent to Years 2 and 3 in England), things were different.

For instance, behaviour incidents and emotional outbursts were increasing and attention spans were shorter.

In one way this was not surprising. These were children whose earliest experiences of school had been interrupted, fragmented or moved online during a crucial period of social and emotional development.

Many had missed large parts of kindergarten, where routines, turn-taking, emotional language and self-regulation are normally established. They arrived in primary school expected to cope with demands they had never properly been taught.

At our school, it quickly became clear that traditional behaviour systems were not the answer. Rewards and sanctions assume a level of emotional control that many of these children did not yet have.

This was why, in January 2025, we introduced the Zones of Regulation for our younger primary pupils.

What are the Zones of Regulation?

The Zones of Regulation are a framework designed to help children recognise, understand and manage their emotions and levels of alertness. Rather than labelling feelings as “good” or “bad”, it groups emotional states into four colour-coded zones.

The blue zone represents low states of alertness such as being tired, sad or bored. The green zone is the optimal learning state, where children feel calm, focused and ready to engage.

The yellow zone includes heightened emotions such as excitement, frustration or anxiety, where control is starting to slip. The red zone describes intense emotions like anger, panic or elation, where behaviour is often impulsive or unsafe.

The strength of the approach lies in its simplicity and shared language. Even very young children can learn to identify which zone they are in and understand that all zones are normal, though not all are appropriate for learning.

How we implemented the framework

We began with whole-class teaching sessions embedded into personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) lessons. Teachers introduced the zones using stories, images and role play. Adults modelled the language themselves, naming their own zones appropriately and reinforcing that emotional regulation is a lifelong skill.

Visual prompts were placed in classrooms so the language remained consistent.

Each class developed a toolkit of regulation strategies linked to each zone, including breathing techniques, movement breaks, quiet corners, sensory tools and short reflection activities.

We made the zones visible in every classroom. Each child has a small personal avatar that they can move to the zone they are in at the start of the day and again as needed.

This normalises emotional fluctuation and reinforces that all zones are part of everyday life.

Children quickly see that everyone moves between zones and that being in blue, yellow or red is not a failure, but a signal that support or a strategy may be needed.

Parents were brought on board through workshops and simple guides that were sent home. Many told us they appreciated having a shared language to talk about emotions at home.

The impact

Many post-Covid behaviour challenges stem from children being dysregulated rather than deliberately disruptive.

Emotional overwhelm, poor impulse control and difficulty with transitions are all signs of underdeveloped self-regulation.

As such, by explicitly teaching emotional awareness, we gave children something they had missed: time, vocabulary and strategies.

Instead of asking, “Why did you do that?”, staff could ask, “Which zone were you in?”

That small change lowered defensiveness and increased reflection, even for six-year-olds. Over time, children began to recognise early warning signs. A child might say, “I’m going into yellow,” or ask for a break before reaching red.

Within a semester, teachers reported fewer escalations, smoother transitions and an improved classroom climate.

Behaviour incidents did not disappear, but responses became calmer and more proportionate. Children recovered more quickly and required less adult intervention.

Perhaps most importantly, staff confidence increased. Teachers felt they had a framework to understand behaviour rather than simply manage it.

What schools can learn

The Zones of Regulation framework is not a quick fix.

It works best when embedded within a whole-school commitment to emotional literacy and wellbeing, supported by training, consistency and adult buy-in.

For schools grappling with post-Covid behaviour in the early years and primary phases, it offers something essential: a way to rebuild foundations that many children missed.

Before we can expect children to behave, we must first teach them how to regulate. For a generation shaped by disruption, that lesson may be more important than ever.

Adam McRoy is the headmaster of Cogdel Cranleigh School Changsha with over 20 years of experience in international education