A feeling that has a name is easier to manage. Children who can say “I feel frustrated” are far less likely to act out that frustration in other ways.

Build a feeling vocabulary the same way you build any other: a little every day. Name feelings in stories, in play, and in your own day (“I felt nervous before my meeting”), and invite your child to do the same.

With ten Feeling Faces, P.A.T.C.H.E.S. gives children a ready-made word bank. Happy, sad, frustrated, angry, hurt, cool, yucky, fluttering, afraid, and hope cover much of what a young child feels in a day.