Upstairs/Downstairs Brain

Almost every day, I get to teach social emotional lessons based on the Second Step curriculum and the particular needs of a class/grade.  Most of these involve some aspect of self-awareness and self-regulation.  One useful illustrative tool in helping kids understand their brain and its emotional response is to use your hand - the thumb and palm of your hand is the "downstairs" part of your brain, aka the fight or flight part that can have big, out of control reactions to small problems.  If you fold your thumb in and lay your fingers over your thumb, those top fingers are the "upstairs" part, aka the thoughtful part that can regulate reactions, help us learn, and help us foster more positive relationships.  When we get so frustrated that we lose control, we call this "flipping our lid" as the thumb pushes the fingers up so they are no longer putting a lid on that downstairs brain.  WSU put out a fantastic video illustrating this concept, and how to get from the downstairs brain to the thoughtful, more relaxed upstairs brain:

The Brain Video