I know I haven’t talked much about it on this blog, but you’ve probably seen me mention that we’ve used sign language to communicate better with Mackenzie. I think it is an ingenious way to understand each other better…and it’s really not that difficult to learn the signs — just make sure you remember them because your children will use them and leave you feeling lost! 🙂 There is nothing like being able to know exactly what your child wants even though they cannot speak or you just can’t understand his/her words. Misty Weaver, who has contributed this post, has created a really neat resource for signing parents which includes tons of free video dictionary to learn new signs, wall charts, flash cards and how to get started with your children.
Baby Signing is a really cool way of signing to your pre-verbal child. It’s fun and it’s free – and it’s easy to learn. I began signing with my daughter (now two and a half) when she was six months. Read on to find out about a typical signing day for a baby sign language mom…
The fun starts at breakfast. Laurel loves food signs so we usually play a game over breakfast where Lauren makes the signs for things she’d like to eat, such as banana, milk, pear, apple or waffles. I usually throw in a joke sign for her – like Monkey or Lion – and she creases up at this. ‘No mommy, I can’t eat Monkey,’ she says. Laurel usually signs chocolate but I never give her this for breakfast!
The next time we find signing useful is when getting dressed and ready to go out and do chores. Laurel can get really distracted when it’s time to get dressed – she just wants to play. I find signing a way to get her attention without having to shout or raise my voice. What mom does not get sick of the sound of her own voice at some point? I give her the choice of a couple of outfits and she has to sign the color – like the blue top or the red top. If she doesn’t help with getting dressed I usually make the sign for Mommy Sad, which she thinks is hysterical. She gets it, though, and understands this means Behave.
We usually turn Infant Sign Language into a game when we are shopping. I have a stack of food pictures in my purse and I give a few of these to Laurel and get her to think of the signs for them. Then we go search for them around the supermarket. We get some funny looks sometimes but it really keeps her engaged while I’m getting the groceries. At this age – the terrible twos – we’re just trying to keep her distracted and avoid the tantrums that can happen when she gets bored or frustrated. Baby Signing has been great for this.
Daddy has a couple of special signs he always does when he comes home. He signs I Love Laurel and Special Girl to her, and she signs back. I love that they communicate this way. Laurel is usually real tired when Daddy gets home and it’s much easier for her to use fewer words and make hand gestures at this time. We carry on signing at bath time too. It can be hard to get Laurel to put her toys away and come to bed so making a game of it works most days. Daddy or I make the sign for a toy and Laurel has to find it. She gets a star on her chart for putting her toys in their box.
Sometimes she signs Sleepy when she’s in the bath which is so cute. We always sign goodnight to each other, and Laurel is a great sleeper. Her tantrums are less than other kids and I’m sure it’s because she’s such a good communicator.
