How to Help Your Child Navigate Emotions: Understanding Dr. Dan Siegel's Hand Model
- Ready Rocket Resources
- May 25, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: May 22
After reading this article, you will:
Gain a deeper understanding of the body’s natural stress response and its role in emotional regulation
Learn about Dr Dan Siegel’s Hand Model of the Brain and what it means for children’s emotional development
Explore child-friendly concepts from The Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket
Discover practical strategies to support children through emotional intensity
Learn how to create a supportive, neuroaffirming environment that fosters regulation and resilience
Understanding the Stress Response
We all have an inbuilt safety mechanism: the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. When the brain detects a threat (real or perceived) it prioritises survival. For children, whose emotional regulation systems are still developing, this can result in overwhelming reactions.
Dr Dan Siegel’s Hand Model of the Brain
To help children and adults alike understand this, Dr Dan Siegel created the Hand Model of the Brain. It’s a simple, visual way to show how the brain’s different parts work together (and sometimes disconnect) when we feel stressed or dysregulated.
🧠 The wrist represents the brainstem (our survival instincts)
✋ The palm is the midbrain (our emotional centre)
🤚 The fingers folded over symbolise the prefrontal cortex (our logical thinking brain)
When a child “flips their lid,” their thinking brain disconnects from the emotional brain.
Logic takes a backseat.
This is not a choice; it's the body in protection mode.
Reasoning, instructions, or punishments won’t land. What the child needs is co-regulation: your calm presence to help their brain reconnect.
How The Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket Brings This to Life
The Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket uses space-themed metaphors to turn complex neuroscience into something children can understand, enjoy, and use.
It's neuroaffirming, playful, and inclusive of all emotional experiences.
One powerful metaphor is the idea of "foggy goggles", a symbol of those moments when the connection between the thinking and feeling brain gets blurry. This helps children understand that it’s okay to feel confused, overwhelmed, or out of control, it just means their goggles need a clean, and their rocket needs some attention.
Another key strategy is the "Planet Pause." When emotions become too big, the child is invited to pause, just like an astronaut preparing to land. It’s a gentle moment to notice what’s happening in their body, breathe, and make a choice that feels safe.
These tools are not about "fixing behaviour", they’re about giving children the language and strategies to understand their inner world.
Practical Support for Parents and Therapists
When children show what we might label as “challenging behaviour,” it's rarely about being naughty. It’s often their way of saying: “Something doesn’t feel right inside.”
Whether it's hitting, yelling, shutting down, or running off; these responses aren’t about defiance. They’re protective. The nervous system is doing its job of keeping them safe in the only way it knows how.
Instead of asking “How do I stop this behaviour?” we invite you to ask:👉 “What is this behaviour telling me about what my child needs?”
This mindset shift helps all children feel seen and understood, but it’s especially powerful for children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, trauma backgrounds, or sensory processing differences.
Understanding the natural stress response helps adults become co-regulators; the external emotional anchor children need. The more we stay regulated ourselves, the more we teach children that all feelings are safe and manageable.
Creating safe environments - where emotional expression is not punished but guided - is essential.
This includes:
✨ Predictable routines that support nervous system regulation
✨ Space for emotional recovery (e.g., calm corners, sensory tools)
✨ Emotional language that invites curiosity rather than shame
✨ Visuals and metaphors that support understanding across all neurotypes
Want to Learn More About These Strategies in Action?
💻 Ready Rocket has a range of supports for parents, professionals, and educators who want to confidently guide children through big emotions in a way that’s supportive, science-informed, and truly neuroaffirming.
Choose the Path That’s Right for You:
👨👩👧👦 Online Emotions Workshop – Parents & Carers 🕒 4-hour self-paced training Gain the tools and knowledge to support your child through emotional dysregulation with confidence and compassion.
🧠 Online Emotions Workshop – Therapists & Allied Health Professionals 🕒 4.5-hour self-paced training
Learn a developmentally-informed, neuroaffirming approach to regulation support for diverse clients and therapy goals.
🏫 Ready Rocket School Learning Program – Educators
A classroom-ready, whole-school emotional regulation program built on the same powerful framework with extension into these concepts and more! Includes developmentally tailored content for Kindergarten, Pre-Primary, Year 1, and Year 2.
Perfect for early childhood and primary teachers looking for practical, evidence-aligned emotional literacy education.
References: Conte, C., Koch, S. C., & Perry, A. (2019). Emotion regulation in children: The contribution of co-regulation in early development. Child Development Perspectives, 13(4), 251-257. Siegel, D. J. (2017). The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind. Bantam.
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