Sabrina was only 11 months old when she began communicating with me using the sign language our family had been showing her since she was born. Well before she learned to talk, Sabrina used signs to tell me exactly what was on her mind. All she needed was her hands.
Whether we learn to sign from a book, a DVD, or a baby sign language class, we can help babies express themselves through signing. We can begin as soon as we like, focusing first on signs for favourite objects such as milk, crackers, cereal, if our babies really enjoy mealtime, or dog, fish, cat, if our babies are fascinated with animals.
We can also use signs for frequent activities in baby’s day. Choose four to six signs for activities that happen every day such as eat, change, sleep, and play.
Speak and sign
The trick is to say the word as you sign it. Try to narrate your baby’s day with speech and signs. Before you give your baby milk, say and sign the word. While your baby is drinking milk, say and sign the word. After your baby is finished drinking milk, say and sign the word.
Babies usually start signing back between eight and 12 months of age. Babies who are younger than eight months may understand what a familiar sign means but it is only at about eight months that they have the physical coordination needed to sign. This physical ability develops earlier than a baby’s physical capacity for speech, which requires coordination of the lips, tongue, breath, and vocal chords.
Show and sign
When your baby starts to sign back to you, you’ll find that her world opens up to you. You’ll discover what interests her and even what is bothering her! I remember looking at a mural of a tree that Sabrina was interested in and showing her the sign for tree. She looked at me and signed butterfly and pointed again. I looked closely at the picture and sure enough what held her interest was not the tree, but the picture of a pink butterfly on one of the branches! At 14 months, Sabrina knew what interested her and she knew how to share it with me!
Use speech and sign together
1. Use signs to name preferred objects.
2. Use signs for frequent activities.
3. Show signs before, during, and after activities.
4. Sign, sing, and have fun!
5. Visit www.weehands.com for more information.
Sara Bingham founded WeeHands, offering baby sign classes across North America. She is the author of The Baby Signing Book (Robert Rose, 2007) and contributes frequently to parenting magazines and websites.