Baby Signing ? 10 Easy Ways To Start Signing With Your Baby
|
Babies can communicate their needs and desires a lot earlier than we think. They have an instinctive need to communicate. Baby signing is a pre-verbal form of communication. Babies can control their movements much earlier than mastering speech and can express all sorts of emotions, desires and wants with their hands! Baby sign language is key to learning how to interpret what your baby is telling you, eliminate the guesswork and to bond and enjoy life with your baby.
Imagine your baby being able to tell you they're thirsty or hungry. Or that they'd like to read a book or tell you that they've just seen a bird in the garden. Or for you to be able to guide them on safety using signs like 'hot' or 'stop'. All this is possible by talking to your baby and using appropriate baby signs. There are so many new experiences for your baby every day ? new sights, new sounds, new objects, new people. And so much to talk about!
Scientific studies show baby sign language to be effective and beneficial for hearing babies in amazing ways. Research shows that signing babies had larger vocabularies, learned to talk earlier, showed less frustration, had more self-confidence, understood more words and scored higher in intelligence tests than non-signing babies
Signing with your baby is also rewarding for you. Imagine your joy seeing your baby 'talking' to you with signs. Of course it doesn't happen overnight. It's a new skill for you and baby to master. But the months of learning together helping your baby to discover this skill will bring you closer together.
10 easy ways to get started with baby sign language.
1. Start early. Start using baby signs in your everyday routine with your baby, even from a few weeks old. Remember to say the word as you make the sign and point to the object. Over time it will just come naturally. Babies tend to develop the gross motor skills to be able to shape their hands and make signs sometime from 6 months upwards.
2. Keep it fun! The more relevant the signs are for your baby the more likely your baby is to want to 'talk' to you. Most babies enjoy pointing at objects they like in books. Use those visual clues to build your baby sign language vocabulary. Sign and say words from the books that you're reading together.
3. Concentrate on a few signs at a time. Start with some simple signs like milk, car, home. You can build more and more signs into your baby sign language vocabulary over time.
4. Always say the word that you are signing. Baby signing helps with early language development as the signs are always done at the same time as the word is spoken.
5. Involve the family. Encourage older siblings, your partner, grandparents and other people that care for your baby. The more your baby is exposed to baby sign language the quicker he or she will learn.
6. Get together with a group of friends to sign. Better still go to a baby signing class if there's one local to you. It's very motivating to see other babies signing and it's a great social activity to get out and about and meet other mums in your area.
7. Don't let the sceptics get to you. People may try and tell you that baby signing slows down speech development. Baby signing was developed for hearing babies. If you're learning signing based on your country's deaf community language ? e.g. BSL or ASL ? then an added benefit will be that your baby is learning a skill that will enable them to communicate with the deaf community in later life.
8. Do what comes naturally. Adapt signs to suit you or your baby if you want. Above all have fun bonding!
9. Give it a go. If you don't you'll never know whether you could have reduced the frustration of the terrible twos, helped your baby's development or been a happier parent of a more confident, happier baby.
10. Don't give up. All babies develop skills and reach milestones at their own pace. Your baby will sign back to you when they're ready. And when that moment happens, you and your baby will feel like you've shared your own eureka.
© Jenny Davis Baby Experiences 2005
Jenny Davis is the founder of Baby Experiences which offers UK parents ideas on the world of activities, experiences and gifts to inspire, enjoy and bond with their babies. Baby signing is just one of the activities on offer at http://babyexperiences.co.uk
|
|
|
Six Ways To Save On Your Baby Shower
It's time to celebrate the baby! As Keepsake Favors' resident baby shower expert, I've learned how to plan a great party without draining your bank account. Here are my top choices for fun, fest...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Baby Shower For Mom And The Ladies
Baby Shower for Moms who just wanna have fun! This type of baby shower is not the only type of shower given today. Traditionally, baby showers have been thrown for mommy-to-be and the guest list was strictly women.These days, many families choose to have different types of showers, including back-yard barbecues to include the men. These are a nice idea since they remember that Daddy is a part of the new baby's life, too.But there is something to be said for a Sunday afternoon gathering of women to ooh and aah over Mommy's belly without disparaging looks from the men. One reason to plan a baby shower for mom only.When you have only women at the shower, you have the opport...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Honor Grandma With A Baby Shower For Grandma
Throwing a baby shower for grandma could be a great way to commemorate the excitement of becoming a gr...(related: Babies Help Articles)
How To Choose A Diaper Bag
Even though it's a popular shower gift, you may want to choose a specific type of diaper bag, either because you've learned through experience what works and what doesn't, or your friends and relatives have given you tips on what to look for or avoid.It's pretty elementary to figure that you're going to need room. Lots and lots of room. For little things, babies at times seem to need an endless supply of items that you may not have space to carry.When looking for a diaper bag, space is going to be your first consideration, but th...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Baby Development - But What Role Do Parents Play?
It is truly amazing the development that a baby experiences in the first year of life. Every week seems to bring another milestone for parents as well as baby! The primary way a baby learns is through play and baby games, it is how they start to make sense of their world. By providing a nurturing and safe environment for our babies we help to promote this learning that aids their early development.The main groups for baby development in the first year are1.Cognitive- relating to learning ...(related: Babies Help Articles)
How To Make A Diaper Cake
Hosting a baby shower or looking for a great gift for a new mom? A diaper cake makes a fantastic centerpiece for any baby shower and is also a very nice gift that the new mom will find useful. Here...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Scheduling Your Baby Naming Ceremony - The Right Time Makes All The Difference
If you're at the stage of wanting to organise a naming ceremony for your baby, then you already know that babies have their own schedule, which doesn't always align with yours. At certain times of the day they are more sociable, more alert, and more amenable to the sort of activities a naming ceremony involves. For a baby this means being clean, being rested, and not being hungry.Your firs...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Baby?s First Shoes: How To Choose The Right Ones
Any parent of an active toddler has asked this question: "When should my child start wearing shoes?"There is no clear consensus. Some parents buy shoes as soon as their baby pulls herself into a first tentative stand; others wait as long as...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Couples Baby Shower Honors Both Mom And Dad
If having a Couples Baby Shower seems odd to you, consider this: Mom-to-be did not get pregnant on her own. Nor will she likely be raising the baby on her own. So why should she get to celebrate on her own?Dad-to-be plays a very big role in the new baby's life so he should be a part of the baby festivities as well. A couples baby shower (also referred to as coed baby showers) doesn't just include dad-to-be in the honors. It also includes all of the other important men in the new baby's life.Grandfathers, uncles, cousins, and even godfathers will be able to join in a c...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Reading To Children ? Are We Doing It Right?
Setting the Stage - Reading is One of the Big Boosts to Life:Several studies over several years in several settings have all shown a high correlation between reading to young children and academic competence throughout their traditional school years. We all know by now that reading stories to a child is an important part of the child's early development, and so we read to them. Some parents read becaus...(related: Babies Help Articles)
Theory Of Child Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget has allowed us many insights into child cognitive development and his valuable research made great inroads concerning brain functioning in general. According to Piaget and his theories on child cognitive development, children are born with a great desire to interact with and understand the world around them.The term child cognitive development refers to how a " child perceives, thi...(related: Babies Help Articles)
site-map - Copyright © 2008 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Babies Help Articles