Baby Signing

I started to teach my children sign language when they were basically born.  Before having children I was an Educational Interpreter for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  I worked in all grades between PreK and senior in high school.  I interpreted Dr. Suess books (very challenging) and CAD classes (just as challenging).  In the end, I found sign language to be a wonderful tool for me to use with my own children.  It limited their tantrums because I knew when they were "finished", needed "mom, dad, food, or a drink".  It really takes very little time because your child is a sponge!  My sister-in-law is now enrolled in a baby sign class with my 7 month old niece. 

Signing Time www.signingtime.com has been my website of choice when I have worked with classroom teachers or local parent/child groups on incorporating sign language into their daily lives.  They also have a great list of National Educational Standards http://www.signingtimekids.org/uploads/images/lessonplans/NationalEducationalStandards.pdf

When discussing Baby Sign the site states:

Your baby can communicate with you before he can talk. Children learn to point, wave goodbye and blow kisses before they speak. Your child uses gestures to communicate while his verbal abilities catch up with his intellectual abilities. Baby sign language enables your child to tell you if he is hungry, thirsty or needs a diaper change. Baby sign language research suggests that infants who use sign language speak sooner and score higher, when tested after second grade. Baby Signing Time encourages signing and speaking together. hear the word, see the word, say the word, and model the word with their hands. You do not need to become fluent in baby signing, even learning a few signs like ‘milk’, ‘more’ and ‘diaper’ can help. Baby Signing Time teaches American Sign Language signs because if you are going to learn signs, you should learn signs for a real language rather than a made up signs. Learning ASL will enable your child to communicate with thousands who are hard of hearing or deaf. ASL signs are natural, easy and fun for babies.

Baby Signing Time is recommended for babies 3 to 36 months. Our baby sign language DVDs are educational. Infants and toddlers learn about mealtime, sharing, manners, animals, feelings and more.