Hey folks,
When I first heard about teaching your baby sign language, I
honestly thought that it was nearly impossible.
How on earth could a wee babe possibly comprehend the mechanics of
language and not to mention grasp the technicalities of sign language?? Since
then, I’ve learned that I have completely underestimated babies everywhere, and
baby sign language has become one thing that I am extremely passionate about.
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| Nugget at around 7 months |
Our signing story begins when our Nugget was 7 months old, and
we enrolled her in an 8-week “Wee Can Sign” class. For weeks, we steadily
signed with her and seemed to get no response in return. We were 4 weeks in and had nothing to show
for it. In a moment of frustration, I finally turned to her and asked, “Do you
know how to sign ‘milk’????” To my surprise, she waved. So, I asked again….She waved again. I decided to get daring and ask if she could
sign “eat.” This time, she brushed her chin… My child was signing!!!!
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| 7 month old Nugget |
By the time she was 9 months, she could tell me that she
wanted to drink or eat or if she wanted “more.”
By the time she was 10 months, she had a signing vocabulary of 25+ signs,
and by 12 months, it was up to 50+ signs, and she could mix her verbal
vocabulary and signs enough to almost form whole sentences (like “Mommy (verbal),
milk please (sign)”). It helped me
understand what she needed, and it helped her to feel understood.
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| 8 month old Nugget |
When we started our signing journey, we received a lot of
push back. Some people questioned
whether or not it would delay her ability to speak. Some people, like me initially, thought
infants were incapable of communicating so early and that we were wasting our
time. (I had a complete stranger tell me this after she saw me signing to
Nugget in public…) Or other people thought it was just plain weird.
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| My silly girl! |
If you are
remotely interested in teaching your child to sign, this is my advice to you:
#1. Be consistent! You’ll only reap what
you put into it. If you make it a point to sign all the time, you’ll child will
learn a lot quicker. If you make it a part of your daily routine, I guarantee
you’ll see results. If you are part of a two parent household, you BOTH have to
be equally consistent.
#2. Realize that infant’s signs may not look like your
signs. This was the biggest
roadblock in our journey. Remember, your
9-month-old doesn’t have the same fine motor-skill ability that you do! They
may be trying to sign to you but just can’t make the gestures perfectly. To
teach them ASL correctly, be sure to consistently use the “sign” for the word
rather than reverting to what your child is signing to you.
#3. Signing does NOT delay your child’s ability to
speak. Speaking from
experience, my Nugget said her first words around 10-11 months. As she learned
the “signs” of things, she began to associate the verbal names to those things
as she “signed” them. Although she
couldn’t physically formulate words, she understood what those words meant, and
over time, I watched as her “signs” morphed into verbal words. One day, she
would “sign” blanket, and the next, she could say “blanket” (or some derivative
of it. LOL!). Even more so, there is
even some research that suggests signing to your child has lasting intellectual
benefits. Signing can do a lot of good!
#4. Don’t give up! Give yourself some time
and give your child some time. Teaching
your child takes patience. So, don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t happen
overnight. Give yourself and your baby some grace. It will come with time!
Other great
articles
Baby Sign Language Resources
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Happy signing! I’ll be seeing y’all soon! Until then, take care!
Sincerely,
Heather
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