Teach toddlers emotions to help them behave better

New York: Helping your toddler understand and express emotions may reduce behavio ural problems later on, says a new study. The research, part of a larger study funded by a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, involved 89 toddlers (ages 18 months to about two years) from low-income families.

Mothers were asked to look at a wordless picture book with their toddlers. The book included many emotional undertones as illustrations depicted a girl who lost and found a pet. The researchers focused on mothers' "emotion bridging" with the child. That involves mothers not only labelling the emotion (for example, sad) but also putting it into context and tying it back to the child's life.