Flipping Your Lid: The One Brain-Based Strategy Every Teacher Needs

blog Jul 22, 2025

Flipping Your Lid Student Dysregulation Trauma Informed Approach

We’ve all had that student burst into the room, tip a chair, mutter a swear (or shout one), and leave us standing there thinking… what the actual heck just happened?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried to reason with them, maybe calmly ask them to step outside, offer a reset, explain the consequences, only to be told to “F off” or watch the situation spiral even further.

Here’s why: when our students are in the thick of dysregulation, their thinking brain is offline. Their emotional brain is running the show.

Their lid is flipped.

And once you understand this simple, brain-based concept, it can completely shift how you respond to big behaviours, and how students start to understand (and manage) their own emotions, too.

What Does “Flipping Your Lid” Actually Mean?

The phrase comes from Dr. Dan Siegel’s “hand-brain model,” a highly visual and simple way to understand and explain what happens in the brain during stress.

Here's how you can model it for your students 👇

Hold up your hand like a brain:

Your palm = brain stem (basic functions, survival mode)

Your thumb tucked in = amygdala (your “guard dog”)

Your fingers folded over = prefrontal cortex (your thinking brain)

When a student is calm, these parts of the brain are “connected.” The thinking brain is in charge.

But when they feel unsafe, stressed, triggered, or overwhelmed?
The fingers fly up. The lid is flipped. The guard dog (amygdala) is now running the show.

Here's a visual I prepared earlier if my written explanation does quite hit the mark👇

Why Reasoning Doesn’t Work With a Flipped Lid

Once a student’s lid is flipped, their prefrontal cortex is offline. That means:

They can’t access logic or problem-solving
They won’t respond to reasoning or consequences
They’re not being defiant. They’re dysregulated

And that’s where most of us, understandably, go wrong. We try to talk them down, impose consequences, or tell them to calm down, when what they really need is help reconnecting their brain.

What to Do Instead: Regulation First, Reflection Later

You can’t coach a brain that’s in crisis. So instead of going straight to discipline, focus on:

Helping the student feel safe
Use a calm tone and open body language
Avoid power struggles or threats
Use phrases like “You’re safe. I’m here.”
Regulating the nervous system
Invite them to breathe, stretch, or sit somewhere quiet
Let them know they can come back when they’re ready
Give time before talking about what happened
Reflecting when calm
Use restorative conversations or reflection sheets
Explore what triggered the behaviour
Plan together for what to try next time

Want the Tools to Teach This in Your Classroom?

Once your students understand why they flip their lid, they’re far more likely to take ownership, regulate themselves, and engage in restorative reflection.

The SEL Starter Bundle gives you everything you need to teach this concept with confidence.

Inside, you’ll get:
✔ A full Flipping Your Lid SEL lesson (with editable slides + student tasks)
✔ 23 emotional regulation strategy cards for calm-down moments
✔ 7 restorative reflection templates to help students unpack, reflect, and repair

Perfect for middle and high school, this bundle helps embed emotional literacy and regulation into your daily classroom culture.
👉 Check it out here

Why This Model Builds Empathy and Accountability

Teaching students about their brains does more than help them self-regulate. It also:

Removes shame around behaviour
Gives language to what they’re feeling
Builds empathy among classmates (“I think their lid is flipped”)
Creates a shared framework for restorative conversations

This means you're not just managing behaviour, you’re helping students understand themselves and others on a deeper level.

How to Introduce the Flipping Your Lid Model in Your Classroom

You don’t need a full-blown assembly or unit plan. Here’s how to start simple:

👉Use the hand model during morning meetings or class discussions

👉Refer to flipped lids when talking with students one-on-one

👉Embed the language into your classroom culture (“Let’s take a moment to reconnect our thinking brains”)

👉Use visuals or posters to keep the model visible

There are even YouTube videos demonstrating the hand model, like this one here, but honestly, your own explanation (even if it’s imperfect) will resonate more deeply.

Final Thoughts: From Reactivity to Regulation

Helping students understand why they behave the way they do is one of the most powerful gifts you can give them. And it’s not about excusing behaviour—it’s about empowering better choices, deeper reflection, and long-term change.

So next time a student flips their lid, try flipping your own response—from discipline to curiosity, from control to connection.

The shift is small, but the impact? Massive.