Baby Sign Language 101: What You Need to Know

The benefits that come with baby sign language come in abundances and they've been well established decades ago. Read through this study from the National Center for Biology Information (NCBI), for example. Between two groups of 11-month old babies, one was taught sign language (signers) while the other, verbal (non-signers). Results from the study testified that signers exhibited incredibly significant progress in speech acquisition and even a boost in IQ by 12 points! What's more impressive is that these babies managed to acquire verbal skills three months earlier than babies taught verbally. Attempting to understand what your baby is trying to say to you may be a tad frustrating at times. Especially when these wants of theirs are not met and then, alas, cue the waterworks! We feel you, mums. But fret not, we're here to help! Teaching your baby to sign may very well cut back on a lot of frustration-related wailing by a miraculously great deal. Introduce Baby Sign Language The best time to introduce sign language to your child is between their sixth to eighth month mark. Between ages six to eight months, your child may be sitting up on their own, or crawling about mischievously. They will also begin to understand how communication works vocally—from knowing who Mama and Dada are, to responding to their own name and enthusiastically waving along a hello or goodbye. Their motor skills are now on the highest of gears! Because they are at a developmental stage, babies at this age are highly communicative and attentive to whatever is presented to them. This is why it's the perfect time to introduce some simple sign language! Let's explore some few tips if your wish to start signing with your little one: Signs Are Central to Your Baby's World This means that you don't necessarily have to adhere to the ASL to teach your child to sign. When first introducing signs to your child, consider ones that are meaningful and useful to your child. In the case of any six to nine month old, their daily to-do's often constitute: sleeping, lots of milk and food, play time and their favourite people, mum and dad. The typical thumbs up is one way to get your child to focus on their hand and fingers coordination. Another example is the universal sign for sleep your child may immediately identify with—an act of tucking both hands under the side of their face. Speak Out As You Show It For each sign you use with your child, speak the word out loud with an emphasis. Whether it's 'done,' 'finish,' 'good,' 'bad,' mama' or 'dada,' be sure to enunciate the words for your child to embed to their memory and eventually catch on. So, say it every time you sign, without rushing the syllables. Consistency in Repetition Much like every form of learning, repetition significantly aids memory retention. So if you feel like you might have been going at it for way too long, chances are you might just have to keep at it! This is because babies typically tend to sign back most actively during the ninth month mark onward. Vary your vocabulary and get practical with your materials so it doesn't get too mundane. You can also involve the rest of your family in your quest of baby signing! This makes it possible for your baby to see the same signs several times more frequently which enables them to learn and imitate more quickly. Slow and Steady Wins the Race Whether it's when you first ease into it or a few months into a well-grounded routine, keep it slow and steady. For each time you sign to your child, remember not only to slow down on the enunciation. Pay attention to your own signs as well and don't go too quickly! Keep your gesture moderately paced, with care movement a careful 8 Basic Signs to Introduce to Your Little One Many experts recommend the standard American Sign Language (ASL) as a foundation to teaching babies to sign. But it's also normal to teach a variation of it. In this study, Dr. Brenda Seal explains it's because some signs from the ASL are simply too complicated for the coordination of an average six month old. Therefore, parents are encouraged to learn how to appropriately vary signs being taught to babies. But of course, they are essentially modifying the signs. It may deviate from authentic ASL, but the goal of baby sign language in this context, is to ascribe meanings to gestures simple and logical enough for your child to understand. And so, with said goal in mind, Motherhood Story has prepared a list of eight basic, most important signs to introduce to the little ones! Milk This ASL sign is an easy one! Much like the rest of the others to come, needless to say. To sign milk, take your fist then open and close it repeatedly. That's it! Babies tend to do this unconsciously or habitually as well which makes it easier for us to ascribe meaning to this gesture. Remember to repeat this sign and its meaning each time you are about to provide your child with some milk. Soon enough, they will associate this sign to milk, thereby solidifying their comprehension in using signs to make requests. More This is the ASL sign to denote, 'more.' For this gesture, flatten out each of your hands. Bring together your thumb with the rest of your fingers. With each hand forming a closed 'O,' pull them together and then apart repeatedly. Your baby's coordination may be less sharper than an older child's. Sometimes, bringing their fingers together will look like a loose fist instead, this sign then taking form of two fists clapping. So don't fret if your baby's way of singing is looking different than it should be! As long as their mummy or daddy understands what they mean. Done This one's just as easy as the others! As you enunciate 'All done,' to them, have your palms up at shoulder length and twist them inwards and outwards. Your palms will be facing in and outwards as you repeatedly switch them. As mentioned before, your baby's lack of muscle coordination may render their movements floppy and messy, than nimble. Focus on the very essence of the gesture instead and you can easily identify when your child is all done! Pick Me Up With hands in the air, your child is grumbling at you for a quick pick-me-up! The ASL way is to simply point upwards with your index finger. One way to put this to practice is to simply point upwards each time you ask them, 'Do you want me to pick you up?' What if they want to be put back down on the ground though? Let's keep it simple and have them pointing downwards instead, the ASL way. With their arms outstretched, palm facing downwards with their index fingers pointing to the ground- they are now telling you to put them down! Mum and Dad The ASL for mum and dad are similar. In a way that requires your palm open with fingers outstretched and your thumb pointing either to your chin or forehead. To mean mother, tap your thumb to your chin whereas to mean father, tap your thumb to your forehead! Play This particular sign looks much like the Hawaiian shaka sign but requires both hands! With each hand signing the letter 'Y' of the ASL, hold both hands up and before you and give them a shake to mean some fun play time. Love Here is a sign that reads 'I love you,' in one gesture. In the ASL, every pointed and folded fingers in the gesture mean the first letters of those three words, I-L-Y. It then became a universal hand sign for either 'I Love You,' or 'Love.' Just fold your two middle finger inwards and wave the sign with your palm facing outwards! Sleep In the ASL, the sleep gesture is entirely different. It requires an open palm hovering just above your face, moving downwards to your chin. As the hand moves, slowly bring your fingers together to meet your thumb. A simpler suggestion is a gesture none other, than the above illustration. Globally understood regardless of language and culture differences, to mean 'sleep'. With your two palms pressed together, tuck them under one side of your face with your head tilted. A simple motion to illustrate the act of sleeping! To Each their Own Some babies will begin to display acquisition within weeks. Others generally tend to sign back much more actively during their ninth to tenth month. So remember, mummies, every child essentially develops in their own pace. And the first year is also when their are critically developing their muscles, coordination and familiarity with the world around them. It's absolutely normal, therefore, if your six-month-old is still giving a floppy wave, babbles incoherently or cheekily refuses to say mama. In almost every cases, all it takes is a little more patience and quality time. So take it easy, you know you're already doing great when you hear the sound of their giggles and laughter! For more insightful stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!

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