How Sign Language Helped My Daughter Communicate
Sign Language
Did you know that babies are able to understand a lot more than they can actually say at first? This is because they develop receptive language before they learn expressive language. Research shows that babies who learn basic sign language develop pathways for communication sooner than they would have otherwise. Sign language may also help your baby feel less frustrated and throw less tantrums because they are able to express their emotions and needs.
When my daughter was just a few months old, I joined The New Mom School. It’s where I really learned a lot more about sign language as a tool to communicate with your children. And I am so glad I did because my daughter was able to communicate very early on.
The Basics
First, decide if you will be using “baby sign” or American Sign Language. Baby sign was made easier for babies to sign. Like milk for example, it’s different than the ASL sign for milk.
There are several books that are great for kids to see how to do the sign also. This one was great and what signs we chose to use for our daughter and the signs that we taught her.
Consistency
Make sure you are consistently speaking the basics to them. For example, every time I fed my daughter more food, I would say “more” and sign it also. It seemed weird in the beginning but it actually just becomes a habit after a while.
Some babies may understand sign at a very early age but won’t be able to control hand movement until around 8 months or so.
Don’t Force It
On occasion, I would physically show how to do the sign with her hands, but for the most part I would just do the signing. If I noticed her trying to sign, I would help her and say “good job!” and repeat the word she was trying to sign.
At 9 months is when I noticed her signing all done and then not long after that, she started signing more. Now let me tell you, after months and months of signing and not sure if it was clicking, I was so impressed that she actually understood…It was a proud moment!!
So I’m here to encourage you and say keep up the work, even though it will take months, I promise it will be so worth it. When they can actually communicate with you before they can speak, it’s amazing!
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I’m Ambre. I’m a wife, mama and photographer. My days are filled with joy while capturing memories and chasing around my daughter. Join me as I share snippets of client sessions, behind the scenes and what inspires me. Let’s make moments stand still together!
