Childrens’ ability to use emotional labels like “happy” or “sad” for how they’re feeling has been shown to predict their interactions with peers, ability to tamper extreme emotions, and educational success.

A recent study from Princeton University looked at language production and input with toddlers to explore if emotional labels help children learn their meaning, as well as if parents and caregivers are able to support the apprehension of these labels. Their research found that children are more likely to understand an emotional label if related valenced (positive/negative) words are used with it in context, and that parental/caregiver support helps. For example, parents can support their child’s learning of the label “happy,” by pairing “happy” situations or actions, like a birthday party, with their discussion.

Further research conducted on this matter analyzed the development of valenced words in over 5,000 toddlers and found that learning of emotional labels begin at neutral labels and later extends to positive and negative labels. This research also demonstrated that when caregivers consistently link emotional labels to valenced words, it facilitates children’s learning.

Overall, while this topic of study is relatively new and needs to be further researched, evidence has so far shown that children can benefit from learning emotional labels when they are paired with valenced words.

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

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