Regulation Station

What is a regulation station?     

A regulation station is a safe space for children (and adults) to regulate their feelings.  Typically, a regulation station is set up on a table, with regulating resources easily accessible. This is a positive intervention and should not be used as a punitive measure. 

A regulation station is designed to support a child’s regulation needs rather than used for problem solving discussions (save those for later, when the child is in a more regulated state).

Who is a regulation station for?

A regulation station is for all children, yet you might find that some children need to use it more than others.  Support children to understand this through discussions about equity.

How do you set up / use a regulation station?

• Find a space within your classroom that can be easily accessed and is not distracting to others.  Ideally, this should be somewhere that children can continue to feel a part of the class.  There should be a balance of the space being safe, inclusive and private. 
• Agree with your class how to use the regulation station so that they are clear about how many children can use it at one time, how to use it respectfully and how to leave it for others.  Children might be very keen to try this at first so plan ahead for this. 
• Before adding materials to the regulation station, be sure that children know how to use the tools within it – this will mean that you should practice them first. 
• Your class might want to think of a cool name for your regulation station that fits in with your class ethos, values or character.
• Review the tools within the regulation station frequently (such as every half term) to see if you need to take any away that are not effective or add any new ones you have discovered. 
• As a class, decide on the maximum length of time to be spent at the regulation station.  You might want to use a visual for this.  Remind your class that the tools within the regulation station help us to be able to get back to our learning, not replace the work.  A child may need to choose another tool if their time is up; support them to do this. 

The resources available to download can be used as a starting point in the development of your regulation station. Feel free to choose which resources are suitable for your class, and add to it as you see fit.