Sign Language for Kids – baby sign language
Many parents are curious about baby sign language. Sign language was made popular by the movie “Meet the Fockers” where Robert De Niro’s character was teaching his grand child to communicate using sign language. So the question is: Is sign language effective and helpful to children or is it just a novel child minding strategy that is popular at the moment?
Let’s look into it: Baby sign language means signing to a child who understands but still does not have the ability to verbally communicate the needs. A toddler or a baby can get frustrated when no one can understand them and since they are physically able, yet not verbally able, children lash out physically – by hitting, biting or crying. Sign language can get the message across successfully and immediately.
Too often I have seen children who comprehend so much on what is going on around them and are in turn calm. Often we do not give enough credit to children that they can understand more than we think. We try to communicate to them at about 8 months and think they can’t understand what we are saying. It is not that babies do not understand, it is that they cannot respond. Watch and you will see children’s comprehension in their eyes.
Teaching your baby sign language
A child will often point to what he wants and the adult will immediately run to his aid. This works as a way for children to express their needs, but imagine pushing this a little further by having special signs to help express themselves. Instead of just pointing, encourage the children to also verbalise and attempt to say in words what they want.
A child can’t exactly point at a toilet if it is not nearby, or tell you he is thirsty if there is not a drink in sight. So how do we make this stage in a child’s life just a bit easier? Use sign language – this language need not be the official sign language that the deaf people use, it can just be some understanding within your family and carers for your child. It can be the most obvious actions that one may do to indicate thirst, hunger or tiredness. It can start being a way of you communicating to your child, using both actions and words to get your message across. For example, making a small wave to say ‘good night’ as they are led to their bedroom to indicate that it is rest time as part of their routine, or even making a gesture of drinking from an imaginary cup to indicate thirst.
Another specific example of a situation when sign language could be useful: you would see a toddler with a busy mother who just wants her child to do something, for example to get the shoes on, but there is protest from the child. The child screams, wails and refuses to follow instructions. The adult have a desperate look on her face as this goes on and stress increases. It is only found out later on that it was not the result of the child refusing to go home, but that it was her socks being wet so she did not want to wear wet socks. Imagine if this was averted and instead of wailing making a sign for wet. As soon as it was discovered, the child put on her shoes without socks on.
Working and being with babies and toddlers is often a guessing game. One becomes a master of signs and reading expressions and communicating the same way back to them. As babies’ language develops it turns into a game of deciphering what they are trying to say. Sign language can be a way to help at this stage of the child’s life and make this stage a bit easier for all parties.
There are however some pitfalls and dangers if sign language is not used properly. It has to be used in conjunction with verbal communication at all times. Remember, we are using this method only until the child can communicate verbally so sign language has to be combined with verbal communication. The main goal is to develop their verbal communication and sign language is just a stage of development in the communication line. Learning how to sign is also a multisensorial method of learning, which makes the experience more concrete for the child as it engages more parts of the developing brain.
Children’s frustration is often a result of them not knowing what is going on and in inability to respond while they are already aware of their surroundings and society. You can make the stage of being unable to speak and communicate easier with baby sign language. Communication is said to be 80% body language anyway, so why not exaggerate it? But never forget that it is just a phase towards verbal communication.
Thank you for the article.
Tracey,
Do you remember what book you used?
Hi coleen,
If you are in Australia, try:
Baby Sign Language Australia.
Good Luck.
i want to learn how to do sign language
I have a 3.5 yo who has not yet had a tantrum because we taught him a far more effective way to communicate and avoid frustration.His language and eye contact skills are astonishing and I credit the baby sign language for teaching him the power that comes with communication. We got a book from the library, started at eight months, remained consistent and had success at 10 months. It’s wonderful to see him teaching our 1.5 yo daughter and how empowering it is for them both!
This is really one of the best articles about baby sign language that I have read. Thank you for sharing this information. My first exposure to baby sign language was from the “Meet The Fockers†movie and have been very impressed with all that I have learned since then. Thank you!
Jenn
interested in sign language, i work with a special need in my daycare which consist a total of three toddlers in the group, the little boy has speech/ hearing impaired. he is assigned a coordinator at the centre /home. can u help me in learning the signs that are required to communicate with him.{etc. eat,play,bathroom,don’t bite…….
In a Montessori presentation I would suggest not to use sign language as the hand movements may confuse the children during the presentation.
Sign language sounds great! I will definitely use it.
In infant/toddler Montessori classroom, do you suggest directresses to use sign language as well as spoken language in the presentation? Would it be helpful or would it be too confuse for the children?