Teaching kids about the brain is a part of growing up. It helps them to understand more about themselves, the actions they take, and the feelings they have. To know what’s happening in the brain when certain situations arise can give kids a sense of calm and understanding and better equipped to be able to deal with it. It can also be considered as the first step to being able to make our own choices.
Children like to be able to make sense of things, and it can be extremely helpful in their development. Knowing how to teach kids about the brain is not something that everyone will be familiar with, but if you keep reading you will get an insight into one tried and tested method that seems to work quite well. It’s an idea that is derived from a book by Dr. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson entitled, The Whole-Brain Child.
First, paint a picture of the child and tell them that the brain is similar to a house in that there is both an upstairs and downstairs. Make it as simple or as elaborate as you like, but make it something that will stick in the child’s head. Inventing stories about people that live in the upstairs and downstairs of the brain is often a good way to capture their attention and get the point across. They hear a mesmerizing story when actually you are talking about more serious issues such as the functioning of the neocortex (upstairs part of the brain that involves our thinking) or the limbic system (downstairs part of the brain that deals with our feelings).
Next, explain to the child that the brain functions best when upstairs and downstairs get along and work together. Get the child to envision that the stairs are constantly carrying the message from the upstairs brain to the downstairs and vice versa. This is what allows us to make good choices and get along with people. But, sometimes one of the parts of the brain has a little panic, and as a result, the connecting stairs are shut, and that part doesn’t listen to the other part. Create different scenarios and ask the child what they think each part of the brain would do in a particular situation (i.e. what would your upstairs brain do if you saw a lion in the playground?)
Another good way to teach children about the way the brain works when stressed is by using your own situations as an example. For instance, by explaining how you started to become irritable and looking over and over in the same place when unable to find it straight away. Explain to the child this happens when the brain isn’t working correctly. But, going back to the house theory, it works best if you can introduce different characters into it such as Bossy Bill, Calming Caleb, and Screaming Sally. It just helps kids remember a little easier. Here are a few other tips to help you out:
- Draw all the characters and the brain house
- Draw what the brain looks like inside when in a panic or angry
- Cut out comic book characters to use in the house
- Come up with stories about the characters in the house
- Use a doll’s house as a real life example if you have one
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