Sign Language Made Simple: Benefits of Teaching Sign Language to Babies and Toddlers:
Teaching a baby or toddler sign has many benefits including:
- Increases socialization, you can start communicating with your baby as early as 9-10 months.
- Reduces frustration by giving a baby a way to request a drink or a hug besides crying.
- A closer bond with your baby as you can communicate and can understand their wants, needs and interests.
- Increases in vocabulary because you can have two way communication before speech and expand on ideas.
- Encourages speech development by combining the spoken word with gestures and sign language
Babies develop understanding, motor skills and the ability to imitate before they learn to speak. They learn to wave before they can say "bye-bye" and young children with or without speech delays can learn gestures and sign language. When a child is in speech therapy parents typically respond to the idea of teaching sign language to develop communication and reduce frustration with the comment that they want their child to speak and question whether or not sign language will further delay their child's speech development. My experience and research in this are find that this is not the case and it will encourage not discourage verbal communication.
How and when to begin teaching sign language
You can make sign language part of your way to communicate with your baby from the start. Demonstrate the sign and spoken word "bottle" or "drink" when you give the bottle or the sign for kiss. Around 9-10 months babies begin to babble and imitate gestures and your baby will begin try to imitate the signs.
Start with items or actions of interest to the child. The sign "more" can be paired with getting more food or getting more tickles. Say the word along with the sign and remember that babies need much repetition and it must be fun to be engaging.
There are many sign language resources available. One of the best series of DVDs I have used for the last several years as a Speech Pathologist, is from Signing Times. It is a series of DVD’s that show children signing, and saying the word and matching it with the object or action. It not only teaches children to learn but also teaches other family members or classmates. I highly recommend this product.
For more information on sign language please read:
- Rocket Language - American Sign Language. This is all video. It takes the frustration out of learning. It is an interactive sign language package.
- Sign Language for Babies and Beyond.
- Discover how baby sign language can help you.
- How one woman taught her 6 month old baby to tell her exactly what he wanted.
- Teach Your Baby to Sign: An Illustrated Guide to Simple Sign Language for Babies
- SIGN with your BABY - Baby Sign Language: Includes Book, How-to DVD, Quick Reference Guide
- The Baby Signing Book: Includes 350 ASL Signs for Babies and Toddlers
- Baby Signs Complete Starter Kit: Everything You Need to Get Started Signing With Your Baby
- Otitis Media and Children
- Hearing Loss in Children
