| Did you know that
babies as young as 8 months old can start to communicate
using Sign Language? Using American Sign Language babies
can learn to communicate many of their basic needs and
consequently feel less frustrated. Research has indicated
that apart from learning a way to communicate before they
know verbal language, signing with babies enriches the
parent-child bond, increases interest in books and enhances
verbal language development.
My deaf step-sons who were diagnosed at 16 months old were exposed to Sign Language immediately and by the age of 2 were conversing in full sentences. Our hearing children both used Sign Language to communicate before they could talk. We have our daughter Claire on video signing "more", asking for more cake on her 1st birthday. Our son Marc used to sign "milk" every time he wanted his bottle. There were many times when having a sign to communicate what they wanted, we avoided a lot of tears.
Baby Sign classes run for 8 weeks and are 1 hour long. Apart from signs, songs and finger plays that you can share with your baby are incorporated into the class. The atmosphere is fun and informal and is a wonderful way to meet other parents who are also interested in teaching their baby to sign.
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Book Recommendation:
The Complete Guide to
Baby Sign Language |
At a very young age, children are like sponges, absorbing everything they see and do, learning at an unprecedented rate. This ability to learn so quickly is what allows them to start speaking in as little as two years and to pick up so many of your mannerisms in infancy. Sign language is the most recent discovery for infants and is a very popular way of working their brains and teaching them not only an early form of communication but the third most spoken language in the United States. For those parents that teach their baby sign language at a young age and continue into childhood, it is possible for their child to learn quicker in school and likely to be bi- or even tri-lingual before reaching High School.
The Complete Guide to Baby Sign Language will guide every parent through the process of teaching an infant the necessary steps to understand beginning sign language. You will learn first and foremost what you are going to need to expect from signing, from the basics of the program to the reactions you will get from your baby. You will learn how to get started by teaching yourself first and foremost and what the first signs you should focus on for your child are and when it is okay to start teaching. You will be given a complete troubleshooting section with common problems you may encounter to help you when things don't go according to plan. You will also be given details on how to instruct and teach babysitters and nannies to use the same sign language while teaching your child.
Sign language experts, both for adults and children, have been interviewed and have provided their insight into how signing can change the interactions between you and your child. Learn how to develop signs as your child gets older and more cognitive and how to combine signs into longer communications and even sentences well before they can speak. You will also learn how to start taming tantrums even before your child is a year old with sign language and how to carry on your signs into older childhood, teaching your child full American Sign Language and then branching out to additional options. For any new parent looking to get a jump start on teaching their baby, sign language is not only a great way to boost their intellect, it can help make your life much easier.
Click here to order
Here are some other great online resources:
www.cbc.ca/news/background/babysign/
www.Sign2me.com
www.signingstore.ca
Signing Time! Are premier videos that teach hearing babies and toddlers basic signs in ASL. Entertaining and educational at the same time.
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