I have mentioned in previous posts that Ladybug is learning sign language. While I am not an expert on the subject, I wanted to share the "Why" behind teaching baby sign language.
Even before I became a mom, I knew that I wanted to teach my babies sign language. I had the privilege of being around the children of friends who learned signs to communicate before they learned to speak. These children were precocious, expressive, and (to me) had less temper tantrums.
Babies show an understanding of spoken language long before they are able to speak themselves. Signing allows the child to communicate basic needs and wants before they learn spoken words. This lessens the frustration that babies/toddlers feel when their needs and wants are not being understood.
All babies learn to use gestures - waving, pointing, etc. Teaching a baby signs that are part of an already established language makes sense to me. We use American Sign Language. I started learning a few signs when I was in college for use with our worship team. Through the years, I have learned more ASL signs to use with worship songs. I have also picked up a few books along the way - two ASL dictionaries, and a baby signing book.
Here are few of the on-line resources that I have used:
http://www.signingbaby.com/main/
http://www.weehands.com/
http://www.mybabycantalk.com/index.aspx
I also love Signing Times, a video series for children that has aired on PBS and is also available on DVD. Ladybug and I watch some of the Signing Time video clips on YouTube. I'd like to share one of favorites.
Tomorrow, I will talk about the "How To's" of teaching your baby or toddler to sign.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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6 comments:
Just in case anyone has difficulty allowing a toddler to watch tv/videos, we watch together. The TV is never used as a babysitter in our house. Watching videos is a learning activity that we do together, just like reading and playing.
Just wanted to offer clarification if needed...
Great idea, Heather! We've been using baby sign language with our 16 month old toddler for the past 6 months. He can say about 30+ words already (he's persistent about making his needs known), but he still uses the signs for milk, more, and eat everyday!
It's very helpful for our sitters, because Milk sounds like "GIK."
All four of mine used sign as babies and they still love to sign. We love Signing Time too.
=0)
i think teaching your baby to sign is a great idea...It really works when they ar having a hard time communicating... We use it at school with the little ones!
Thank you for posting on this topic! My son signed back at 9 months and my daughter at 11 months of age. They were able share so much with us! Baby sign language is fantastic!
That's awesome!!! I worked in CSD's Telephone Relay for the Deaf division for 4 years and had daily exposure to the deaf world and culture. ASL truly is another language all unto it's own! If your children can grow up bilingual (learning english and ASL from the start) there are some very lucrative positions available as interpreters and such. Children do have an easier time learning hand signals for communication before their vocal abilities kick in (which is why it's so good to teach them). I had many deaf coworkers over the years, and watching their tiny children go back and forth between speaking to the "hearing" and then signing fluently to their parents was amazing!
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