Threat System Brain Activity for Children
An interactive magnetic activity for children's emotional regulation, designed with a family psychotherapist. Children meet their guard dog (the amygdala), learn how their brain and body respond to overwhelm, and discover how to bring their thinking brain back online. A fun, interactive, visual resource for supporting children's mental health at home, in therapy, and in school.
Handmade in the UK
Over 2,000 5* reviews
Deliver worldwide
Printed onto metal
Description
Threat System Brain Activity for Children
The Guard Dog Brain Activity is an interactive magnetic resource for children's mental health and emotional regulation, designed in collaboration with a family psychotherapist who uses these concepts daily in her practice.
Through both a neuroscience and psychodynamic lens, this hands-on board helps children - and the adults supporting them - understand what's happening internally during moments of overwhelm.
What children learn:
Children identify their tigers (threats), meet their guard dog (the amygdala) - the part of the brain that keeps them safe by responding to perceived threats. They explore how their threat system activates when they feel frightened or overwhelmed, how this interacts with their body (heart racing, tense muscles, swirly tummy), and why they're no longer able to access their thinking brain in those moments.
They then learn how to calm their body, switch their thinking brain back on, and challenge the thoughts that triggered the response in the first place.
Why it works:
Children can't regulate what they don't understand. By giving them a visual, interactive map of their own brain and body, this resource gives children ownership over their emotional experience - so they can recognise what's happening, name it, and respond differently.
The magnetic format means children aren't just reading about their emotions - they're moving the pieces, pointing to what they feel, and actively engaging with the process. This is the difference between learning ABOUT regulation and learning TO regulate.
Who it's for:
- Parents supporting children with anxiety, anger, big emotions, or sensory overwhelm
- Family therapists and child psychologists working in private practice
- ELSAs and emotional literacy support assistants in primary schools
- Social workers, SENCOs, and pastoral staff supporting children's wellbeing
- Anyone working with children and big feelings who wants a visual, interactive tool
What's included?
→ 1 x A3 size (297 x 420 mm) magnetic brain board printed onto aluminium metal
→ 16 x metal magnetic picture tokens
→ 1 x A5 paper booklet that walks adults and children through every concept (guard dog, tigers, body reactions, fight/flight/freeze/fawn, calming the body, switching the thinking brain back on)
→ 1 dry-wipe pen
Delivery times
As a self-employed mum, I’ve created a system that keeps home life balanced while setting clear expectations for my lovely customers:
🖌️ Monday – I design all outstanding orders.
🛠️ Tuesday – Everything is prepped, made, and finished.
📦 Wednesday – Orders are packed and dropped off for shipping.
This routine runs like clockwork 99% of the time!
If you place an order on a Thursday, it will be designed the following Monday, made Tuesday, and shipped Wednesday.
You’ll receive a dispatch email once your order’s label has been created, please check your junk folder if you don’t see it.
International orders 🌍
The same making process above applies, but understandably it will take longer to get to you from the UK.
Waiting times once dispatched:
EU: 7-10 working days
USA: 7-16 working days
Australia/NZ: 14-21 working days
General rule for everywhere else: please allow up to 14-21 working days for it to reach you. You will have tracking in your dispatch email :)
See where we're at with orders here.
