The Power of Thought on Feelings

The Power of Thought on Feelings, was previously titled What is a Thought?

Why the title change?

A core message of this beautiful poem is how our thoughts impact our feelings and that we can learn to manage our thoughts to help us better manage our feelings. We felt the original title did not convey this message.

What other changes were made to the book when the title changed?

Small changes were made in the introduction and in the back of the book, where some lessons about the content in the book are shared. These changes encourage the adult interventionist to consider how metacognition is important for learning to regulate oneself. We also explain the process through which we learn to manage our thoughts to help us learn to better manage our feelings.

Overview for kids

The wonderfully illustrated and engaging book introduces young readers to the abstract concept of thoughts and how our thoughts are linked to feelings. By helping children explore metacognitively how our thoughts create our feelings, we also learn to make choices that help us to manage our feelings (e.g., self-regulate based on our personal goals) across different situations in a day.

It gives children hope that they can learn to rise above whatever situation they may feel “stuck” in. It teaches them that their feelings do not come directly from what happens to them or what other people do to them; instead their feelings come from the way they interpret what happened to them in that situation. This helps them learn how to understand and manage their thoughts, which then provides them with the power to also manage their feelings to foster their own well-being.

We all have the power to learn to self-regulate in a way the feels better to us—and it all starts with exploring The Power of Thought on Feelings!

Transform this book into a teaching tool! Download the 10 Lesson Plans and Activities to explore Social Thinking concepts, such as perspective taking, abstract language, empathy, and human relatedness. The CD that used to accompany the book contained these materials, but now you can access them digitally. The first 4 lessons are also included in the printed book.

Suitable for ages 7 – 10

The thoughts of Michelle Garcia Winner

The Power of Thought on Feelings is a charming children’s book with a two-fold purpose. First, it is an engaging story that introduces the concept of thought and the amazing power our thoughts have on our lives. As a read-aloud book it is perfect for parents to read with their children at home and is a valuable and important book for all early elementary school teachers to share in their general education classes.

Second, the 10 Lesson Plans and Activities transform a simple children’s story into a teaching tool that explores perspective taking and abstract/inferential language and introduces abstract visual images to its readers. Whether we are parents, teachers, or clinicians, we strive to help our children grow and develop social competencies. Before we can fully support different types of learners and social communicators, it is important to understand where communication originates: from our own creative power of thought!