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Baby Sign Language

Sarah is greeted at the door of the toddler’s room by her 15 month
old daughter, Peyton. “I love you,” Peyton says.
Sarah replies
“I love you.”
“Hungry,”
says Peyton. “
“We will eat
when we get home.”
Just after
finishing her Cheerios, Peyton says “more” to her mother.
“You want
more Cheerios, Peyton.”
Peyton nods her
head yes. Then tells her mom she would like a drink.
Amazingly this is
a very realistic scenario for any 15 month old child. At the age of 18 months,
my son had a vocabulary of over 40 words. Some of his most common words were
“I love you”, “light”, “hungry”,
“drink” and “more”. So are you asking yourself “How is this
possible?” Baby sign language. Honestly, this was one the best things I did for
myself and my son.
Baby sign
language, is a form of non-verbal communication that develops between a young
child and the people who care for that child. Many young children master the
“bye-bye” wave, yes and no nodding and blowing kisses. But, young
children have a capacity for learning and communicating so much more. Because
of the difficulty in mastering the use of the vocal chords, many children are
hindered in their communication with the other people in their lives. Young
toddlers are able to understand many concepts and words that they are not able
to communicate verbally. By utilizing hand gestures and facial expressions,
toddlers are enabled to express themselves.
So are you
interested in getting started? Consider taking a formal class with Marie
from My
Smart Hands of Metro Detroit
.  Marie is a great instructor who uses
ASL to teach young children and parents how to communicate before verbal skills
are acquired.  Being in a formal class will give your and your child a
routine and regiment that will make the process progress much quicker than if
you do it on your own.  However, if you want to get started on your own
here are my tips below. 
I usually start
with “more” as my first sign. Keep in mind, the sign does not need to
be perfect. This is communication between you and your child. Some of my day
care children signed “more” with all of their fingers in their palm.
I knew what they meant, and that is what is important.
So, using
“more” as my example, I will walk through the steps I used to get my
babies “talking”. First you need to introduce the sign. For
“more”, I have usually done something fun for the child, a lift into
the air, a spin while you hold them, something quick that they really like.
Right after; make the sign for “more” and say “more?” Then
do it again. Repeat a few times. Then take your child’s hands and show them how
to make the sign, while you say “more?” After a few minutes most
toddlers (age 14 months and up) will make the sign on their own. If not, it is
okay. Work with them they will pick it up.
Younger children
with pick this up a little more slowly. A few sessions may be necessary before
the child starts to sign on their own. After your child has successfully signed
on his/her own, reinforce as much as possible. Tell other care givers what the
sign means, so the child does not become frustrated. Slowly add new signs.
Keep your eyes
open for your child to develop their own signs. This happened with my son who
panted with his tongue out to say “dog”, sniffed for
“flower”, put his hand in the air for “light” and put his
hand in the air and turned it for “fan”.
As a child care
provider, this method can prove to be very useful. Parents are amazed that
their child can now communicate with them, after one day. “I love
you” is a parent’s favorite. 
Some parents may
express concerns that using signs may stunt their verbal communication skills.
On the contrary, signing actually helps the child’s verbal communication
skills. Many of the children I have cared for, and used baby signs with, have
had advanced verbal communication skills for their age.
Baby sign language
is great way to enable children to communicate in a non-verbal way and is
currently being used in many child care program, special needs programs and by
parents. For more detailed information please visit My Smart Hands
of Metro Detroit
.

Amber Louchart
Author: Amber Louchart

Amber is the proud mother to four beautiful children, Damian (27), Rosaleigh (14), Carlyn (11), and Naomi (8). Her family also includes four cats. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and feels blessed to be able to care for her children full-time and provide them with so many opportunities through Metro Detroit Mommy. In addition to Metro Detroit Mommy, Amber has a passion for hosting karaoke with Malibu Entertainment.  She enjoys the metro Detroit nightlife especially, singing, dancing and meeting new people.