Andi And Lilo's ‘Acting 101’ Lesson Is A Fun Way To Teach Toddlers About Emotions

Andi Eigenman has surely passed on her acting genes to her middle child Lilo, who comes after Ellie and before Koa.

Lilo is quite an actress in a short video clip posted on Instagram by her and her little brother's father Philmar Alipayo, who's also Andi's fiance. Philmar wrote in the caption: "Acting 101 with mommy."

The two-year-old girl gamely acts out whatever descriptive word her mom, and at one point her dad, tells her. She goes from scared, angry, excited, sad, and so on, with the same adorable result. Thus, the unanious reaction in the comments section: Lilo is the cutest ever!

But beyond cuteness, Andi is actually teaching Lilo about different emotions. One of the most criticial responsibilities of parents, according to parenting experts, is to help their children identify their emotions. This will help kids express themselves, they point out.

Research has proven that children who have high emotional intelligence are kinder, happier, healthier, and more successful. Here are the reasons:

• It helps children get along with others.
• It helps them cope better with problems.
• It lessens the likelihood of tantrums.

How to start teaching your toddlers about emotions

Just like Andi, you can do an activity anytime and anywhere. First, you need to choose an emotion, name it, and show your child how the feeling may manifest or look like in a person's face or body.

If you choose the word excited, talk to your child about the time you felt the emotion, and mention some instances that your little one may feel excited, too. For example, she might be excited to go to the park to play or meet is friends. (As your child grows, you can introduce similar feeling words, too.)

Then, show how excited looks like in your face and how your whole body may express the feeling of excitement. You can make a face with big eyes, and maybe the person is jumping up and down. Model the emotion and ask your child to show you the same feeling. 

Reading a book about emotions can help. You can draw the feelings, show videos, and use puppets to help you act out certain emotions. It's also crucial to keep your emotions in check, as well. Your kids will learn more, seeing you than hearing you tell them what to do. 

Make it a point to ask your child how he feels. This practice reinforces the idea that their feelings matter. Feelings are not good or bad, but they play a significant role in how we act.

Read here for more tips.

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