Baby sign language is a way to for your baby to communicate with you before they are able to talk. Before babies are able to talk they cry or throw a tantrum to communicate to a caregiver that there is something they need or want. This is frustrating for the baby, who simply wants something, and for the parent who has to deal with a screaming, crying child. Baby sign language gives your child a way to constructively communicate so that crying and tantrums, that are a result of attempted communication, are reduced. This is in no way will stop your baby from crying and throwing tantrums but rather will decrease the moments when a caregiver is trying to guess what a screaming child wants.
Benefits of signing with your baby
- It is fun!
- Reduces tantrums
- Studies have shown that families that sign with their babies and non verbal children have a closer bond
- Baby sign language is associated with a range of long term cognitive benefits, including a higher IQ, better grades in school, earlier reading, and a larger vocabulary.
Myths
Sign language will delay my child's speech.
FALSE
All research done points to the opposite. Babies and children that sign usually develop language earlier and have a larger vocabulary faster. Sign Language is commonly used by speech pathologists with children having difficulties speaking.
FALSE
All research done points to the opposite. Babies and children that sign usually develop language earlier and have a larger vocabulary faster. Sign Language is commonly used by speech pathologists with children having difficulties speaking.
When a baby signs it is a bridge to full speaking that helps them develop some of the mental processes that will be used when they speak. In much the same way that crawling helps a baby to walk, baby signs helps a baby understand the basics of communication. When they start speaking they will sign simultaneously, which lets you figure out what they are saying and avoids frustration. When their word pronunciation is good, they naturally drop signing and just use speech because it is quicker and faster (in the same way that a toddler that can walk with stop crawling).
This is especially the case when parents and caregivers speak while they sign using the word and the sign further helps to convey the meaning of the sign. Babies and toddlers tend to mimic everything the people around them do and say. This includes speaking and signing, babies will attempt to vocalize language while they are signing if their parents and caregivers do.
Babies do not have the motor skills necessary to sign
FALSE
Although babies may not be able to master signs they are capable of doing them. Children will often make up their own variation of the using the motor muscles that they do have. As long as parents continue to use the correct sign and do not adapt to using the sign that children use, when they develop the motor skills, they will begin to use the correct sign.