Last week, Summit kindergarten students had the opportunity to welcome two special guest speakers, Dr. Jessica Walker, OTD/OTR/L, and Michaela Brown, OTR/L, both occupational therapists. They taught our students about the Zones of Regulation and helped them understand that all emotions are okay and that we can learn strategies to help regulate our bodies. Students learned how to identify the zone they are in, recognize the emotions they may be feeling, and notice the clues their bodies give them. They also explored different strategies they can use, including calming strategies and strategies for managing times when they feel especially excited or energetic.
To put their learning into practice, students participated in a fun game where each student drew a character from a movie and thought about what mood or emotion that character might be experiencing. They then selected a bean bag that matched the color of the appropriate zone and hopped their way down the hopscotch mat before tossing the bean bag into the bucket that matched their zone. This hands-on activity gave students an exciting way to practice identifying emotions and connecting those emotions to the Zones of Regulation.
We are incredibly grateful to Jessica and Michaela for taking the time to visit our kindergarten classroom and share their expertise with our students! Their lesson helped our students understand that they have tools and strategies they can use to regulate their bodies and emotions and work toward getting into the Green Zone, where they are ready to learn and participate. We loved seeing our students learn, move, laugh, and grow together during this special visit!
