Teaching a Baby to Sign

As a woman that is married to a deaf man, we sign ALL the time. So natually, when we had children, they would pick up the sign, too. I am often humored when people ask me "Do your kids sign?". Even now, I'm sitting her laughing just thinking of it.

In the picture that I have chosen for this article, that is our son, Gavin, and he is signing "Dad" for the first time. He was only a year old. Not like ALMOST two years old...he was less than 13 months old.

A child learning sign language is as easy as them learning to speak YOUR language. What is the key to them learning your language??? Repetition. The more and more a child hears a word, the more and more they learn what it means. The concept is the same with sign language. I'm not sure why it takes children so long to speak, but to learn to sign, they will be signing before they can speak! The most amazing thing I have ever seen was a 1 year old signing to his parents, "Milk, please!". The ONE YEAR OLD already knew how to say "please"!

How do you get started? It's simple, really! Go out and buy an American Sign Language dictionary. You can get them for less than $10.00 at a Barnes & Noble or other book store. "Baby Einstein" also has a couple sign language videos out that are great to have. You could watch this with your child and then work on the signs together later.

The first sign I always tell people to start with is "more". It's the PERFECT sign for a child to pick up! Look up the sign "more" in your dictionary. They get that concept SO easily! So get their favorite treat and sit them in a high chair in front of you. Give your child one treat. After they eat it, ask them if they want more. While you are saying the word "more", you should sign it to them. Then take your child's hands and help them sign more. Repeat that step only a few times. Then, wait until your child does it themselves before they get another treat. Before you know it, your baby will be signing "more"! It's a sign that sticks with them for a LONG time!

After you do that sign, move onto another sign. Another good one is "eat". Use the same formula as I have listed above. The sign for "food" and the sign for "eat" are the same thing. From there, move onto the sign for "milk". Get them a bottle or sippy cup of milk and work on that. It is always best to pick a sign at a time and don't overwhelm the child. Make it FUN!

Before you know it, your child is going to be able to tell you what they want in sign language before they can tell you in your spoken language. It's an amazing sight to see! Make sure you're picking words that they will use on a daily basis. Below is a list of other words you can teach your child. ENJOY!

More Signs:
Please
Thank You
Yes
No
Sorry
Stop
Sit
Cup
Cookie
Candy
Mom
Dad
Grandma
Grandpa

This list could go on and on! Feel free to contact me with any questions. Some kids are easier to teach than others. The biggest thing is to have patience!