Benefits of signing
Reduce Frustration
Any parent that has ever attempted to console their crying baby understands the frustration if they are unable to help their baby.
Suppose your baby wants her favorite teddy bear but is unable to tell you this with words and is unable to point to her bear because it is not in sight. Because she has no other means to tell you what she wants, she begins to cry. So you begin to guess. Perhaps she is hungry, thirsty, has wet diapers, too cold, too warm, etc. If you finally guess that she wants her bear then you are both happy. If you never guess what she wants, you are both left extremely frustrated.
But what if your baby could make the sign for bear? You would simply go and get the bear. You and your baby would then be satisfied and a great deal of wasted time and frustration would be avoided.
Strengthen the Bond
The ability to communicate is one of the most important bonds between any two people. Teaching baby sign language provides babies with the ability to communicate before they can speak and strengthens the bond of love and trust between you and your baby. You are likely to feel closer to your baby once she begins to speak because she can now communicate with you. If she can communicate with you earlier, then the bond between the two of you will be strengthen earlier. Each time your baby uses a sign and you respond, you share a common world of perceptions and experiences and the connection between you and your baby becomes stronger.
Teaching baby sign language to your baby allows you to share your baby’s world without waiting for her to speak. You are likely to be surprised by what your baby sees, hears and feel. She is looking at the world for the first time.
Boost Baby’s Self-Esteem
Success builds upon success. Your baby can communicate wants and needs sooner using signs, speak sooner with the help of signing, and learn more at an earlier age. The more you and your baby communicate, the greater the opportunity for positive interactions and this leads to higher self-esteem and self-confidence for your baby. Your baby is able to influence her world from a very young age by initiating and participating in conversations while her non-signing peers are limited to grunting, pointing and crying. Your baby is also likely to be more stable emotionally since she feels understood and validated long before she is able to speak. Using signs to express emotions such as happy, sad, mad and scared also helps your baby to recognize and label emotions in a constructive way.
Increase IQ
Research has also shown that babies who use signs to communicate pre-verbally score higher on IQ tests. In fact, studies have shown long term benefits as well. Children at the age of 8 who signed when they were babies scored, on average, 12 points higher on IQ tests when compared to their non-signing peers. Perhaps this is because signing allows babies to learn more about the world at an earlier age by getting feedback from their primary teachers – their parents. If your baby signs the word “cat” while looking at a “dog” you can easily explain the difference. Your baby has now been presented with a real world distinction and thereby given the opportunity to learn. A baby who cannot communicate what she is thinking, cannot be offered such distinctions and consequently cannot learn at the same level as a baby who can sign.
Enhance Memory
Parents and teachers have been using tactile and movement activities (kinesthetic anchors) with children of all ages for many years to enhance a child’s ability to retain and recall information. Put simply, adding a touch and a movement to a word or song helps children remember. This is why almost every child in the US can recite the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “I’m a Little Teapot.” This is also why most preschool performances add physical movement to the songs that they present. Movement is simply another way for a child to remember and later access information that they learn. The same advantages can be given to your baby by teaching your baby to sign.
Speak Sooner with Larger Vocabulary
Research has shown that those babies who are taught to use signs to communicate before they can speak actually begin speaking sooner. In addition, these babies are likely to have a larger vocabulary once they begin to speak. This is not surprising since babies that sign have been able to successfully communicate from a very young age. Babies who learn to sign have already forged the link between abstract symbols (signs and words) and experiences in their world. Success with signing is likely to encourage your baby to attempt the next form of communication when her ability to verbalize matures.
When your baby is able to communicate with you by signing, you are more likely to speak with your baby since you will be interacting more with her. If you respond to your baby’s signs and repeat the word and sign many times then you are teaching your baby the symbols (signs and words) precisely at the time that your baby is most interested in learning that word. You are also more likely to clearly mark a specific word that you are teaching her by offering a sign and repeating the word. This allows your baby to identify a single word out of an endless stream of sounds that your baby hears when you speak in sentences. To understand what your baby hears when you speak in full sentences, simply listen to someone who speaks a language that is foreign to you.
By the time your baby begins to speak she has already passed an important milestone thanks to her ability to sign. A baby who signs has made the connection between symbols that she can create and objects and events in her world. She knows that a movement of her hand can represent an object in her world such as an animal. She has already received confirmation of her ability to correctly label objects and events as well as being able to place these objects and events in the correct category. For example, a signing baby has already learned through trial and error that the word cat can represent a real cat, a picture of a cat in her favorite book or a stuffed animal cat that she sleeps with. Basically, a signing baby hits the ground running when she is ready to speak because she now only needs to replace the sign with the word or simply add the word to the sign.
When your baby can sign you are better able to encourage and reward her first attempts at speaking. If your baby says “at” and also signs the word for cat then you can recognize the word she is trying to say and her first attempt is a success. Without the sign for cat you may wonder whether she is saying “hat” or “cat” or “bat” – and the list goes on. It is also sometimes difficult for parents to understand the words of a much older toddler and signing provides an additional clue to what your child is trying to say, ensuring the effectiveness of that specific communication and the continuing accelerated development of speaking.
Remember that your baby will prefer speech over signing as soon as she is able to speak. This is because as your baby matures she will use her hands more to play and will not want to put down objects to communicate with you. Speech also allows your baby to still communicate with you when you are unable to see her and as she grows she will naturally tend to wander further away from you. Your baby also lives in a speaking world and will want to be able to communicate in this manner.
How babies sign
The way in which your baby learns to sign is very similar to the way in which she will learn to speak. Your baby will first understand a sign before she uses the sign. This distinction is referred to as receptive versus expressive language (or passive versus active vocabulary.) Older babies will move more rapidly from receptive (passively understanding) language to expressive (actively using) language.
Signs that have similar hand movements will start out looking very similar. For example, the signs for the words more and shoes will look very much the same in the beginning especially if your baby is very young. This is similar to a baby saying “ba” to refer to a bottle, ball and balloon. As your baby matures and gains more control over her hands you will then begin to see a marked difference between previously similar signs.
Just as babies begin speaking at different ages, so too will babies begin signing at different ages with some starting as early as six months. The more control your baby has over her hands and the more interest she has in communicating with you, the more likely she is to begin signing back to you.
There are two milestones in baby education of sign language that most babies will pass through in learning. The first milestone is the first time that your baby signs to you. This moment will be as thrilling to you as your baby’s first spoken word. Once your baby learns a given sign, she will notice the object that represents the sign everywhere. Your baby may also use this first sign to refer to many different objects and actions. This is similar to a baby saying “da” to refer to everything in her world because she finally has a way to communicate.
The second milestone or education is often referred to as a signing explosion or signing cluster. This usually occurs after your baby has learned her first five to ten signs. At this milestone your baby has assimilated one of the most powerful symbolic actions that distinguishes our species from all others on our planet – the link between abstract symbol (the sign) and the experience it represents. Once this monumental achievement is in place, she is likely to learn additional signs very rapidly. The ability your baby to learn additional signs will most likely only be limited by your ability to provide her with the signs.
Signs that cross arms
Your baby may have difficulty crossing her hands or arms when she is young. For example, the ASL sign for the word bear involves the crossing of your arms. Your baby may approximate the motion of this sign without crossing her arms. Remember to continue to teach the correct motions for this sign. Your baby may think that she is in fact making the same sign as you are and may become confused if you change the sign.
Preference for index finger
Your baby may use her index finger for signs that formally involve the use of her thumb. For example, the ASL sign for cow involves the thumb touching the temple of your head to represent the place where the cow’s horn connects to the cow’s head. Your baby may use her index finger in place of her thumb. This is also very common for signs such as mommy and daddy.
Initial movements
Depending upon how young your baby is when she begins to sign, she may make most of her signs with all five fingers extended or clenched in a fist. Younger babies may not have the motor skills to select only a few fingers for a given sign. Her initial overall movements will reflect her motor development. Younger babies are likely to move their hands and arms in a jerky motion as opposed to a smooth and controlled motion. Young babies may also slam their hands together instead of tapping lightly for signs such as shoes and more. Your baby’s signs will become more refined as her motor skills mature.
Signing in reverse
Your baby may make some signs in reverse. Remember that your baby will be seeing a sign backwards if you sign on your body and in front of your baby. It is yet another developmental milestone for your baby to recognize that the sign needs to be reversed in order to make the same movement as you are making from her perspective.
First signs look similar
Your baby’s first signs may look very similar. This is more likely if your baby is younger. Although the movement of the hand may be similar, the location where the sign is made will give you a good clue as to the sign that your baby is trying to make. For example, the signs for milk, bye-bye and duck all have very similar hand movements but the location of the hand movement will allow you to determine the sign that your baby is making. Your baby may sign milk to the side of her body, bye-bye in front of her body, and duck close to her face.
Also, look for the objects around your baby for a clue to what she might be signing.
Creating categories
It is a natural and very important developmental step, in learning language and more generally symbolic manipulation, for your baby to begin placing objects into categories and testing the objects that are included or excluded from those categories. This developmental milestone begins at a very young age for babies who have been taught to sign since they do not need to wait until they can speak to begin creating these categories. As your baby begins creating, testing and recreating categories you may find that she may use one sign for many different objects or she may use one sign for only one object within a larger category. For example, your baby may use the sign for “cat” to refer to all animals with four legs or she may use the sign for “car” to refer to only one toy car.
Remember to reward her attempts, recognize the amazing learning that is taking place and then help her to clarify the category:
Yes, that does look like a “dog” but it is really a “cat.”
Isn’t that a cute “cat”?
Yes, that is a “car” and this is also a “car.”
That is a little toy “car” and this is a big “car” that we ride in.
Your baby may also use a sign or create a sign that she then uses for everything. This is equivalent to a speaking baby who learns the word “that.” Suddenly everything becomes “that” either spoken or by using a sign. This is because of the way in which you speak to your baby – she often hears you saying sentences such as “Do you want that?” or “Is that what you want?” Your baby intelligently concludes that the word “that” is a variable that potentially stands for everything. You can help her to move through this phase by asking for more information and offering choices that include signs in the following way:
“I don’t understand what you want?”
“Do you want the dog (make the sign for the word dog) or the train (make the sign for the word train)?”
“Show me with your hands.”
How to know if your baby is signing
It is very common for you to miss your baby’s first attempts at signing with you. The following are some indications that your baby is ready to sign or is already signing with you.
Your baby probably understands signing as a form of communication if she looks at your hands even if you are not signing or if she looks between an object and your hands or if she makes an inquiring expression and looks at your hands. If you think that your baby understands the concept of signing, you may be able to confirm your assumption by playing a game with your baby. Place two favorite toys in front of your baby – for example, a teddy bear and a dog. Make sure that you have taught your baby the signs for both of the toys. Now tell your baby with words and signs the name for each toy. Next, ask your baby “where is the (make the sign for the word bear)” – but do not say the word. If your baby looks at, points to, or picks up the teddy bear you can be certain that she understands that signs are symbols for objects and actions.
Your baby is almost certainly signing with you if your baby looks at you or looks at your hands or looks at her hands or looks at an object and makes small movements with her hands. If you think that your baby is signing, you may be able to confirm your assumption by playing another game with your baby. Place the same two favorite toys in front of your baby – for example, a teddy bear and a dog. Make sure that you have taught your baby the signs for both of the toys. Now tell your baby with words and signs the names for each toy. Next, pick up the teddy bear and ask your baby “what is this?” If your baby makes any movements with her hands then you can be reasonably certain that she is signing with you.
Signing after speaking
Your baby will probably use fewer and fewer signs as she is able to successfully communicate with you by speaking more and more words. However, once your baby is speaking, signing is an invaluable tool for allowing your baby to complete a sentence that requires a word that is difficult to say such as crocodile or alligator. Even at two to three years of age, many very bright toddlers still have trouble pronouncing certain spoken words and can become very frustrated because they are not able to completely communicate a simple idea.
Your signing baby is also likely to continue to sign after she have begun speaking in the following situations: in response to a confused look on your face to clarify what she is trying to say, when she is unable to speak such as when she is eating, when she is too upset to speak, when she is asked not to speak such as at a library or at a live performance, to emphasize an important point, to communicate with you in a place that is too loud to hear or with the birth of a baby brother or sister to be able to communicate with her new sibling.
Combining words
You will be amazed at how quickly your baby will begin combining signs with or without a little encouragement from you. Some of the signs that are easily combined with other words and likely to be of interest to your baby are the following:
Combining words with “more”
“More” is a great sign to combine with other signs because this word helps your baby to ask for more of something that she wants. Some examples are: more to drink, more to eat, and more balloons.
Combining with words “where”
The sign for the word “where” helps your baby ask for objects or actions that she cannot see. Some examples are: where is the cat, where are we going, and where is the drink. This sign allows your baby to let you know that she is not just commenting on a particular object or action but wants to know where it is.
Combining with words “all done” or “all gone”
Because your baby is likely to want to clearly mark the end of activities such as reading a book or comment on something that is no longer in sight, “all done” or “all gone” is a great sign to teach. Your baby may enjoy signing that the milk is all gone, or the airplane is all gone, or the book is all done. This sign also helps you to transition your baby from one activity to another or emphasize that you do not have any more of something that she wants.
Combining other words
The signs for the words “mommy” and “baby” are favorites to combine with animal words such as a mommy duck and a baby duck. The signs for the words “big” and “little” can be used to describe almost anything such as the big cow and the little horse. In addition, signs for the words for colors are also a great choice to combine with other words as all objects have a color.
Signing stories
A Unicorn is a Cow-Horse (12 Months)
One day while we were shopping at a toy store Jessica turned to me with a very confused look on her face. She had been looking up at a very large unicorn stuffed animal. I asked her what she thought it was and she made the sign for “cow “and then hesitated and made the sign for “horse.” After a few moments she appeared to have come to a conclusion about this new animal and made the sign for “cow” immediately followed by the sign for “horse.”
Jessica’s Grandpa (14 Months)
Jessica’s Grandpa was and is one of her favorite people in the world. One night shortly after Jessica’s Grandpa had gone home, we were all sitting at the dinner table. Jessica was sad because her Grandpa had gone home. Suddenly her expression changed and with a brilliant smile Jessica signed “shoes” and then “car.” I responded by agreeing that I also liked shoes and cars, much to her disappointment. Quickly she added the sign for “go.” Now realizing that she wanted to put on her shoes and go somewhere in the car I asked her where she wanted to go. With a twinkle in her eye she signed “Grandpa.”
The Scared Bear in the Tree (15 Months)
I had just finished our nighttime routine and placed Jessica in her crib. As I was walking out of her bedroom, Jessica called to me “ba, ba” – this was my first given name by my daughter. I returned to her crib and saw that she was clearly upset.
She made the sign for “bear.” I was very surprised because her favorite stuffed animals were horses and she did not ever sleep with a bear. However, I was certain of the sign that she had made so I took the bear from her dresser and gave it to her. She threw the bear out of the crib and signed “bear” and then “scared.” So I asked her where the scared bear was and she signed “tree.” In response to my confused look she made the sign for her brother John. That was the final piece to the puzzle that I needed. I realized that she was talking about the bear that her and her brother had been playing with near the tree on the front lawn earlier in the day.
I told her that I understood, grabbed a flashlight and went outside to the tree in the front lawn. Sure enough, there was the little bear that Jessica had been playing with hanging upside down from a low branch on the tree and yes he did look rather scared. I returned to Jessica’s room and gave her the bear. As she snuggled the bear close to her and covered the bear with her blankets she signed “thank you” and “I love you.” Sometimes I think about this night and what would have happened if she had not been able to use her hands to tell me what was bothering her.
A Chihuahua is Not a Dog (15 Months)
It was Christmas and we were visiting our family for the holidays. Jessica was very pleased with her ability to recognize and label the difference between dogs and cats as these are two of her favorite animals. A friend of the family had brought her Chihuahua with her to our family gathering. As we entered the house, Jessica immediately spotted the dog, turned to me and made the sign for the word “cat.” I said that this animal did look very much like a cat (the size and the ears) but was in fact a dog and made the sign “dog.” Jessica looked at the dog again and then back to me and signed “cat” again with a very confident look on her face. It was very clear that she understood what I believed and chose to come to her own conclusion. During our entire visit she continued to sign “cat” whenever she referred to the Chihuahua.
Dancing Flowers (16 Months)
One cold and rainy afternoon Jessica and I sat at the window and watched as the rain poured down and the wind blew wildly. We had planned to go to the park that day and Jessica was insisting that we still go while I was explaining why we would not be going today. Suddenly she began to laugh and dance around the bedroom. I asked what was so funny and she signed “flower” and “dance.” I looked back out the window and noticed that the flowers were being blown in circles by the shifting of the wind. Yes, the flowers were dancing and so was my very pleased daughter.
Birds Wearing Hats (19 Months)
John and Jessica had been sitting in the family room reading books with me. Jessica wandered off towards the window. A few minutes later, Jessica came running back obviously excited and signed “hat.” This was one of her favorite words so I wasn’t surprised to see her making this sign. She was an expert at finding hats everywhere. John and I followed her to the window and began searching for a hat somewhere in the back yard. Finally, I asked her where the hat was and she signed “bird.” John began laughing and quickly pointed out that there were quails running along the back fence and each one had a feather on top of their heads that looked very much like a hat.
American sign language
We strongly advocate teaching babies American Sign Language (ASL) and all the signs presented in the My Baby Can Talk video series are ASL signs. ASL is the fourth most common language in the US and this language has been used in America for more than 150 years. America has one of the most complete and expressive sign languages in the world.
For the most part, ASL is a natural or iconic language. This means that many of the signs look like distinctive parts of the object or action that these signs represent. American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language and it is an underlying pillar of language development. When used in combination with spoken English, it becomes simple for babies to learn sign language. This makes ASL easy to learn and remember – the hand shape of an airplane flying for the sign airplane and outlining the whiskers of a cat for the sign cat. This also makes ASL the perfect first language for your baby since your baby can more easily make a connection between the sign and the object or action it represents.
If you use ASL with your baby, you will have access to a vast array of resources such as ASL printed and online dictionaries. You are more likely to be consistent in the way that you sign and make use of a greater number of signs that are clearly distinct. By using ASL, you will be able to communicate with other parents and babies who use sign language before their babies can speak as well as a large community of deaf people.
Some supporters of signing with babies have suggested that you should make-up your own signs or simplify standard ASL signs. Just as you would not consider creating a new spoken language to teach your baby – so too is it unrealistic to consider creating a new tactile and visual language. The most common problem with inventing your own signs is that you are likely to forget signs that you invented days, weeks or months before. In addition, you are not likely to create enough distinct signs to label all the words that you would like to teach to your baby. Further, by learning the standard ASL signs, your child is gaining access to an entire community of speakers who are normally not available to us.
Your baby will approximate the signs that she learns whether the signs are based on ASL or invented by you. There is no need to simplify the signs that you teach your baby. Your baby will do this for you and as your baby gains more control over her hands, her signs will become closer to the formal ASL sign.
Like any language, there are, in some cases, multiple signs for a single object or action in the world just as there are synonyms in spoken language. Whenever there was a choice of signs for a given word we chose the sign that was easiest for your baby. ASL is a living language just as spoken English is and continues to grow and change over time.