Have
you ever wondered why parents are so pleased when their baby learns to wave
bye-bye?
This is one of the first natural forms of communication between you and your
baby. This may be your baby's first
sign. Your baby will recognize what you are saying before your baby is able to speak. Using signs provides you with the ability to understand your baby and reduce frustration. Babies who are taught to communicate with signs naturally learn to speak sooner. Teach you baby to sign and your baby will begin adding words to their signs as soon as your baby is developmentally ready to speak.
All babies use their hands naturally in an attempt to communicate before they
can speak. Your baby is likely to learn to wave bye-bye, clap her hands to
express delight, shake her head to communicate "no" and point at objects that
she wants. The problem is that the number of signs that your baby will use
naturally without your help is very limited. The My Baby Can TalkTM
video series fills that learning gap by offering you a resource to take
advantage of this opportunity in a fun and entertaining format for both you and
your baby to enjoy.
When to start
Just as all babies begin speaking at different
ages, babies begin signing at different ages. You
can begin signing with your baby at any time and
your baby is likely to show a great deal of interest
in your hand movements from a very young age.
However, keep in mind that, on average, the motor
skills necessary for babies to sign back to you
mature at around 10 months of age.
Start with a few signs
Identify a few words that represent objects or actions that your baby is most
interested in and begin with the signs for these words first. Your baby is more
likely to be interested in signing with you if you focus on words that are of
interest to her. Perhaps your baby has a favorite teddy bear (teach the sign
for bear) or enjoys a story about a cat (teach the sign for cat) or loves to
play with your shoes (teach the sign for shoes.)
Say the word whenever you sign
Signing with your baby is a bridge to speech. You will want to maintain a
strong connection between the sign and the word so that once your baby learns
to speak she will have already learned that signs and words are
interchangeable. You will also want to give your baby the opportunity to sign
or speak a given word as she grows older and is ready to speak.
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