Helping kids understand their own emotions is such an important part of learning — and these Zones of Regulation activities are a great way to introduce emotional regulation in a fun, hands-on way.
Whether you’re working with young students at home, in therapy sessions, or in the classroom, these free printables are a powerful self-regulation tool that support social-emotional learning across different age groups.
This printable set includes a variety of visual supports, play-based learning activities, and calming tools that help children identify different emotions, learn to cope with strong feelings, and develop problem-solving skills. They’re perfect for setting up a calm-down corner, working through a cognitive behavior therapy approach, or using alongside a Zones of Regulation curriculum.
And here’s something even more exciting — we’re also hosting a $600 giveaway to support homeschool families with resources, supplies, or whatever your learning environment needs most. Scroll down to learn more after grabbing these printables!
Free Printable Zones of Regulation Activities for Kids
Take a look through all of the included activities within our free printable pdf pack.
Mood Monster Activity
This simple yet powerful printable encourages kids to express how they’re feeling by drawing a facial expression and coloring their monster using the zones language. They’ll choose a different color — red, yellow, green, or blue — to represent their current mood. This is a fantastic self-regulation strategy to use during morning meetings or as part of a daily emotional check-in. It’s a great representation of all learners, especially those with sensory needs or complex feelings.
Emotion Fortune Teller (Cootie Catcher)
A playful zones game that also doubles as a quick-access regulation tool! Kids pick numbers, explore different feelings, and discover calming strategies like taking deep breaths, stretching, or using a fidget toy. This activity helps support critical thinking, social thinking, and coping strategies in a user-friendly way. It’s especially helpful for unexpected behaviors or big emotions during the day.
Color Emotion Match-Up Cards
These visual arts-style cards break down various emotions by zone. You’ll find sets for the blue zone (sad, bored, sleepy), green zone (happy, calm, focused), yellow zone (excited, worried, silly), and red zone (angry, yelling, out of control). They’re excellent zones of regulation posters to display, laminate, or use in therapy practices and direct instruction when teaching about the size of the problem and how to regulate accordingly.
Calm-Down Toolbox Craft
Let your child build their own regulation station! This free resource includes a printable calm-down toolbox and a set of “tools” like count to ten, stretch your body, do a fun activity, and listen to music. Great for occupational therapy or anger management work, it’s an engaging way for kids to create their own personalized self-regulation kit and practice using the right tool for the right emotional state.
Calm-Down Toolbox: Blank Tools
We’ve also included a blank version of the toolbox tools so kids can customize their own self-regulation tools based on their personal needs. Whether it’s writing “drink water,” “hug my stuffed animal,” or “jump on the trampoline,” this is a great way to build ownership and autonomy in their regulation station. This printable supports sensory needs, visual arts, and creative thinking, while helping young learners connect with their own emotions in a user-friendly way.
How Would You React? Zones Board Game
Turn social interactions into teachable moments with this play-based learning spiral board game. Each space represents one of the different zones, and as players move along, they’re asked to explain how they’d regulate emotions in that color’s situation. This activity supports problem-solving, understanding of emotions, and navigating different scenarios. It’s ideal for middle school, high school, or challenging students who benefit from active learning styles.
How Would You React? Board Game Situations
This printable sheet is the heart of the How Would You React? game — it includes a variety of different scenarios tied to the four Zones of Regulation. Each situation describes an emotional moment and assigns points based on the difficulty of regulation. These prompts are ideal for encouraging conversation around size of the problem, unexpected behaviors, and coping skills. Kids can reflect on different emotional states, think through self-regulation strategies, and strengthen their social skills as they learn to match emotions with actions.
Board Game Dice and Record Sheet
Print and cut the included dice, then use the tally sheet to track points as kids play the game. It reinforces emotional regulation through a digital download that combines visual supports and social-emotional learning in a fun way. This is a great add-on for educators, social workers, or parents looking for free downloadable visuals that work with Zones of Regulation curriculum.
Download the Printable Zones of Regulation Activities PDF
You can grab the entire Zones of Regulation Activities pack as a free printable PDF! These digital products are easy to print, accessible, and make a great addition to your emotional regulation toolbox at home or in school. Whether you’re using them for therapy sessions, homeschool, or just day-to-day emotional learning, they’re a great resource for supporting self-regulation.
Using the Zones of Regulation framework is a wonderful way to support your child’s social-emotional development in a meaningful and interactive way.
These free zones of regulation printables give kids the tools they need to recognize their own emotions, respond appropriately, and thrive in various situations. From visual supports to coping skills, you’ll be able to meet your child right where they are with activities that encourage calm, confidence, and clarity.
$600 April Showers Homeschool Giveaway
We know homeschool families spend lots of time and heart investing in their child’s education and we want to help!
We’re giving away $600 to support a homeschool family with whatever they need, from books and curriculum to sensory tools and learning materials. It’s our way of saying thank you for doing the hard, beautiful work of raising confident, emotionally healthy kids. Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms & Conditions:
The 2025 April Showers Homeschool Giveaway is hosted by Hope In The Chaos and will run from Monday, April 7, 2025, through Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 11:59 pm EST. Entrants must be 18 years old or older and be a member of a current homeschooling family. Participating bloggers and members of their households are not eligible to win. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating blogs represented here. The winners will be drawn randomly via Rafflecopter and notified by email no later than April 18, 2025. They will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited. Hope In The Chaos reserves the right to draw new winners if a winner is found ineligible or if the winner forfeits their prize. Prizes are non-transferable. Void where prohibited.
More Emotional Regulation Resources for Families
- Effective Emotional Regulation Games for Young Kids
- 5 Effective Emotional Regulation Strategies to Use With Kids
- Empathetic Discipline – Guiding Children with Understanding and Connection
- Empowering Emotions Activities for Kids
- Emotions Pixel Color by Number
- Emotions Playdough Mats
If you found these free Zones of Regulation activities helpful, please take a moment to share this blog post with other families, educators, or therapists who might benefit too. Sharing is a simple way to spread emotional learning tools that support all kids!
1 thought on “Support Emotional Growth with These Free Printable Zones of Regulation Activities for Kids”