Teaching sign language is not just a trendy thing to do, it is being used by many parents/caregivers. Parents are sharing their results and it is now becoming part of a respected form of education for earlier communication with nonverbal infants.
Signing with your child is very easy and it is a natural process for your child. In fact, we teach babies sign language without even thinking about it! Without even realizing it there may be many nonverbal gestures, like: nodding head "yes" or "no" blowing kisses, lifting arms to be picked up, etc. You will learn so much just by becoming aware of your baby's surroundings and what they are motioning for and how you can easily turn this into a sign for what he/she wants. You will be amazed at just how quickly you and your baby can communicate using signs.
It's never too late to start signing. A baby's mind is very much like a sponge, learning comes so very easy to them. Also, it is important to share your knowledge with the whole family and this makes it very easy for everyone to encourage the use of sign language for early communication.
When signing with your child keep these points in mind:
- Start simple with one or two easy words "milk" or "more"
- Always say the word with each gesture
- Follow your baby's lead by using an extention of what they already know
- Use signs as part of a daily routine
- Always praise your child's attempts
Don't worry about how many signs you use. It will be easier when you are comfortable using two to three signs at the beginning. The most important thing to remember when introducing signs is that - Simple is Best and be Excited. All babies learn at their own pace. Choose signs that are motivating and useful which will encourage faster learning.
There really are so many benefits to babies and parents who use sign language. If you are will to take the time to practice repetition, baby sign language (bsl) can definitely be a powerful way to communicate with your baby months before they are able to speak.
If you've started using sign language with your child tell me how it's going?
Our grandson was introduced to signing when he started preschool at 16 months. His parents were leery at first but he picked it up very quickly and now the whole family uses it with him. We found it fascinating that our 16 month old grandson was teaching us how to sign. We now know a lot now that he is 2 years old and he continues to use signing even though he speaks very well. We are now expecting a new grandson and he is going to be taught signing starting probably at 6 months based on the research my daughter has done and we are excitably looking forward to the signing interaction between the two boys!
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