Co-Regulation Script for Adults
What to actually say (and not say) when a child is dysregulated. Phrase by phrase, based on the principles of co-regulation. Useful for the staff briefing.
Preview
Page count: 9. Print-ready PDF โ letter / A4 friendly. Click image to see all pages.
Learning objective
Use co-regulation language effectively when supporting a dysregulated child.
About this resource
- Subject: Trauma-Informed Practice
- Type: Template
- Grade levels: Kindergarten (ages 4-6, โ Reception / Y1), Grade 1 (ages 6-7, โ Year 2), Grade 2 (ages 7-8, โ Year 3), Grade 3 (ages 8-9, โ Year 4), Grade 4 (ages 9-10, โ Year 5), Grade 5 (ages 10-11, โ Year 6), Grade 6 (ages 11-12, โ Year 7)
- Pages: 9
- Date added: 2026-10-03
- Credit: Qualified primary teacher
Reading on co-regulation
Convenience links if you'd like to look any of these up. We've recommended these books in the resource above.
Co-regulation in practice
- A A Therapeutic Treasure Box for Working with Children โ Karen Treisman
- S Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle โ Stuart Shanker
- N No-Drama Discipline โ Daniel Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson
Disclosure: Links above go to Amazon. LessonKind may earn a small commission if you buy via these links โ at no extra cost to you. We only link to books and items we already recommend in our resources. We are not paid by Amazon to recommend specific titles.
Part of these collections
Curated bundles where this resource appears alongside related ones.
Read more about this
Articles that go deeper on the topic this resource covers.
Classroom culture ยท 5 min read
Five Minutes That Change the Day
A short, deliberate morning circle changes how the rest of the day runs. Here's why it works โ and why teachers who skip it end up paying for it.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 8 min read
When the Kids Who Need You Most Are the Ones You Find Hardest
The marble jars and traffic lights work for the children who didn't really need them. Here's what actually moves the kids who keep blowing the system up.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 9 min read
What Trauma-Informed Teaching Actually Means in Year 4
'Trauma-informed' has become a school slogan, sometimes deployed by leadership without actually changing anything. This article is about what genuinely changes when the framework is taken seriously โ and what doesn't.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 8 min read
When a Child's Behaviour Is Communication
Most adult responses to children's behaviour assume the behaviour IS the message. The trauma-informed reframe is simpler and more demanding: the behaviour is a SIGNAL of something underneath. The shift in response that follows is enormous.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 7 min read
Why Your Child Is Different at School and at Home
If your child is angelic at school and a wreck at home (or vice versa), the explanation isn't about parenting failure or spoiled behaviour. It's about a phenomenon called 'after-school restraint collapse,' and once you understand it, almost everything makes more sense.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 9 min read
Anxiety in Primary Children: What's Normal and What's Not
Most primary-aged children worry. Some of them worry in ways that affect their lives. The line between these is the most consequential thing for parents to get right โ and the most often blurred by anxiety culture going in both directions.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 9 min read
Screen Time and Primary Children: What the Evidence Actually Says
Screen time is the parenting topic with the loudest opinions and the weakest evidence base. Most of what people believe is more confident than the research warrants. Here's what's actually known, what's still debated, and what actually matters for primary-aged children.
Behavior & classroom management ยท 6 min read
The Child Who Disrupts Everything
Most teachers can name the one child whose behaviour can wreck a whole lesson. Here's what's actually going on, and the strategies that genuinely help โ beyond the obvious.
You might also like
Selected based on subject, grade, and type โ with a free option always included.
Trauma-Sensitive Family Meeting โ Prep Guide
Preparing for a meeting with the family of a vulnerable or trauma-affected child โ what to flag, what to avoid, how to share concerns without retraumatising or shaming the family.
Looked-After and Adopted Children โ Classroom Strategies
Practical strategies for children in care, post-adoption children, and children with previous looked-after status. Common patterns, what helps, and how to work with the adults around the child.
Trauma-Informed Teaching โ A One-Page Introduction
What trauma-informed teaching actually is, what it isn't, and the four shifts that make a classroom safer for children with trauma backgrounds. Useful as a CPD opener.
ACEs Explained for Teachers
Adverse Childhood Experiences โ what they are, how they affect children's brains and behaviour, and what teachers can actually do. Based on the original Felitti and Anda research and subsequent decades of follow-up.
Building Safety โ Daily Routines Checklist
The small daily routines that build felt safety for children with trauma backgrounds โ entry rituals, transitions, exits. Audit your day.
The 'Safe Person' Role โ A Practical Guide
What it means to be a child's 'safe person' at school โ for vulnerable children, this single relationship can be the difference between thriving and not. With practical guidance and what NOT to do.