The Zones of Regulation Series
Meet the Mind Behind a Global Self-Regulation Framework
Celebrating Authors We Love: Leah Kuypers
About Leah Kuypers
Creator, The Zones of Regulation and Founder & CEO, The Zones of Regulation, Inc.
Leah Kuypers, MA Ed., OTR/L, is the creator of The Zones of Regulation, a framework designed to foster regulation. She is the author of The Zones of Regulation® Digital Curriculum (zonesofregulation.com, 2024) and the new companion print book Getting Into The Zones of Regulation™: The Complete Framework and Digital Curriculum Companion (Think Social Publishing, 2024). In addition, she is the author of two Zones of Regulation apps, as well as co-creator of Navigating The Zones and Advanced Pack, a game and it’s expansion deck, the Zones storybook set, and Tools to Try card decks, all published by Think Social Publishing. Leah provides trainings and consultation to districts, professionals, and caregivers on regulation and social learning and conducts workshops on The Zones of Regulation framework to groups around the world.
This popular, easy-to-use regulation framework and award-winning curriculum builds safe, supportive environments that foster learning and well-being for all.
Learners benefit from:
- Increased self-awareness and social and emotional skills
- A common language for communication, problem solving, and emotional understanding
- More time spent on learning instead of on behavior management
- A healthier, more inclusive school climate
Regulation is something everyone continually works on whether we are aware of it or not. We all encounter trying circumstances that can test our limits. If we can recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes more naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs more attention and practice. This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation.
Publications & Press on The Zones of Regulation
3 Easy Ways to Make Feelings Visible in the Classroom
January, 2026
As educators, we often discuss how to “make thinking visible.” It’s a way to empower students to build self-awareness about cognitive processes—and enable us to assess their learning and respond with appropriate instructional moves. Making feeling visible is equally important. When we incorporate consistent practices for surfacing students’ emotions, we support them in building and maintaining the motivation for academic engagement, growth, and success. Emotional literacy tools—like Zones of Regulation, the Mood Meter, or the Feelings Wheel—help to build students’ schema about emotions based on how they are organized. Zones of Regulation group emotions based on how much energy they bring. Educators of students with emerging literacy skills appreciate this tool for its color-coded simplicity and its inclusion of visual facial cues in addition to printed emotion words.
Evaluating the effectiveness of key components of Zones of Regulation™ curriculum training on teachers' self-efficacy at managing self-regulation needs in autistic pupils
December, 2023
There has been a rise in autistic pupils in the mainstream classroom. Teachers have often reported frustration caused by a lack of training on managing autistic pupils' presentations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an online training programme comprising the main paradigms and resources of the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum on teachers' sense of self-efficacy when managing autistic pupils' self-regulation needs in the mainstream primary school classroom.
Adelaide Fringe Festival artist Mali Isabel using art to help teach self-regulation at Carlton School
September 2023 ABC North and West SA / By Isabella Carbone
Read how artist Mali Isabel, known for the 2022 Adelaide Fringe Festival poster, helped Aboriginal children develop emotional literacy using The Zones of Regulation.
James Van Der Beek just dropped a shockingly good parenting hack
Today's Parent July 2022 / By Jessica Pollack
With six kids at home, it's no wonder James Van Der Beek has some savvy tricks in his parenting arsenal. The trick definitely calls to mind the Zones of Regulation, a framework and curriculum that educators use to help kids identify and regulate their feelings by attaching colors to different emotions.
How to Check on Your Child's Emotional Health
Sonoma County Gazette, March 2021
If you have a child with ADHD, you are probably intimately aware of the fact that people with this diagnosis often have trouble managing their feelings. There is an app from The Zones of Regulation curriculum that may be very helpful for educating children about their emotions and about learning to regulate them.
The Zones of Regulation and the Brevard Public Schools School Safety and Climate Study
April, 2020
“77% reported doing better in school after program participation, and 81% reported that they are better at handling daily life.”
Calming Down and Cooling Off: Helping Children with ADHD Learn to Manage Their Emotions
Attention Magazine, August 2020 | By Judith M. Glasser
If you have a child with ADHD, you are probably intimately aware of the fact that people with this diagnosis often have trouble managing their feelings. There is an app from The Zones of Regulation curriculum that may be very helpful for educating children about their emotions and about learning to regulate them.
Integrating Social Emotional Learning and Academics in Every Grade: Social And Emotional Learning Strategies Help Kids Focus on Their Classes
Edutopia, October 2015
Through a mosaic of schoolwide strategies and practices focused on social-emotional learning, Symonds Elementary provides students with a safe, supportive space and ensures that they're ready and available for deeper learning.
