Thinking Feels Like What?
Close your eyes for one second and think about your favorite animal. Did you just SEE a picture of it in your mind? Did you hear its sound? That little picture-in-your-head is your brain thinking, and it happens so fast you almost didn't notice it happen at all!
What You'll Learn
- That thinking happens inside your brain, even when you can't see it - Three different ways thinking can feel: pictures, words, and feelings - That everyone's brain thinks a little differently
Your Brain Is Always Working
Even right now, while you read this, your brain is busy! It is turning these little black squiggles (letters) into sounds and meanings inside your head. That is thinking. You cannot see thinking happen, the way you can see your hand wave. But it is just as real. Sometimes thinking feels like a picture, like when you imagine a birthday cake and you can almost see the candles. Sometimes thinking feels like words, like a little voice in your head saying "where did I put my shoe?" And sometimes thinking feels like a feeling, like a warm happy feeling when you think about your best friend.
Think about eating your favorite food. Did you picture it? Did you almost taste it? That's your brain using memory to make thinking feel real, even though the food isn't actually there.
Everybody's Brain Thinks A Little Differently
Some kids say thinking about a dog feels mostly like a picture of a fluffy dog. Some kids say it feels mostly like the word D-O-G. Some kids say it feels like the happy feeling of petting a dog. All three are real thinking! There is no wrong way to think — brains are like fingerprints, every one is a little bit different.
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
When you imagine a picture of a birthday cake in your head, what is happening?
Two kids both think about a dog. One sees a picture, one hears the word 'dog.' What does this tell us?
Draw Your Thinking
Close your eyes and think about your favorite place. Notice: was it a picture, a word, or a feeling? Then draw what your thinking felt like on paper, and tell a grown-up or friend about it using the words 'picture,' 'word,' or 'feeling.'
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