Ask a child what is wrong and the most common honest answer is "I don't know." P.A.T.C.H.E.S. was made for that answer.

A Bear With Two Pockets

Ten Feeling Faces live in the bear's side pocket. A child chooses one and moves it to the front pocket, where everyone can see it. The feeling has been communicated and not one word has been spoken.

Where It Is Being Used

Classrooms use the bear for morning check-ins. Counsellors use it in first sessions, when a child has no reason yet to trust the room. Shelters and family programmes use it with children who have been asked far too many questions by far too many adults.

Why It Works

Choosing is easier than explaining, and it can be undone. A child who knows the face can be swapped will show one far sooner than a child who believes they are committing to an answer.

The aim has never been to replace conversation. It is to make sure a child who cannot start one is still understood.