I’m so excited about some new videos we just finished filming… they’re being edited right now. I’ve developed an amazing program that has 13 lessons in it. I decided to put this program together so that parents don’t get overwhelmed and they know exactly what to do and when to do it. I’ve been teaching baby sign language classes for years now and I tend to get the same questions from parents over and over. So I took the most common questions and I’ve given you straight forward answers.
Each lesson contains new signs to work on, research about baby sign language, skill development tips, personal stories on how the signs worked for me, video clips of babies in the stages of signing, how to implement the new signs, and much more!
I haven’t seen anything else like this anywhere. This is the ultimate parents guide! I feel it’s so important for the parents to learn how to use sign language so that they are the primary influence on the babies learning experience. If the parent isn’t giving their child added attention and interaction, then many of the benefits that are connected with baby signing don’t tend to happen. The key is the added involvement and connection that the parent has with the child.
I know you guys are going to love this, I’ll let you know when we have everything together!
Ben started signing up at 8 months and more at 9 months old. Here are some great video clips so that you can see some examples of the very first attempts of a baby using sign language.
A few weeks ago we were in Salt Lake City, UT and we visited a place called bouncing off the walls. It has huge inflatable toys. My kids had a blast, we were there for over two hours and they still didn’t want to leave. It was nice because I just had to watch them have a good time! Here are some fun video clips. This is just one of the rooms they have available.
Okay, I know I’m a little late getting this post together, well ridiculously late… but I forgot I had these videos… so here you go. We had such a great time over Thanksgiving. We spend time each year with my dads family and it’s pretty much turned into our family reunion. This year we had over 90 people! It was my parents turn to host… so we had to do something fun. My brother came up with the idea to rent sumo suits, if you’ve never done it, you should. I couldn’t stop laughing. I know it’s not really a traditional Thanksgiving type thing to do, but I think people will at least remember this one. Have fun watching some of my family members fumble around in fat suits!
Debbie is engaged… we are so happy for her. She found an amazing guy who is full of energy and loves life. I’ll have to post some pictures of the wedding when it happens, still not sure what the date is. We love you Deb.
Too busy? The holidays are a great time to give your baby extra attention, and here’s how. When family is around and they want to play and hold your baby, teach them the signs you have been working on. Your relatives will love learning the new signs and then they can work with your baby too. Even younger kids who play with your baby can pick up a new sign quickly and sign it for you. It makes a great time with family and really enhances your holiday experience with your extended family. Just for fun try the signs for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Thanksgiving: with two flat hands at chin sign thank you and then extend your flat hands out one more time as if to give.
Christmas: left arm bent in front of your body, palm down, right hand with “C” handshape starting at left arm and then arcing up from left arm to end with right arm bent in front, palm left and hand in “C” handshape.
Ben just turned 8 months old and recognizes 5 signs and can sign 1. This is so fun! I have three kids, so this is my third time personally teaching one of my children sign language and it is still so amazing. I love the way Ben watches me and smiles with pride when he actively communicates with me.
Oh yeah, I thought you guys might enjoy watching this fun infomercial that I’m in. Don’t make fun of me, I was major pregnant with Ben, but it’s fun to watch.
Most infants starting as early as 5 months give their parents sure signs of communication. Some of them grunt for things they want or hit the table to get attention. They look at you like you should understand exactly what is going on in their head. That’s why it’s such an awesome feeling to see your infant sign for the first time, because you know what is going on in their head. My little Ben has become quite a mommas boy… probably because if he’s left on the ground he’ll get wrestled by his two year old brother. Every time I pick him up I say up and sign up.
Just this last week when he’d crawl over to me I’d say “up” and he would raise one of his arms up, attempting to mimic my signing. Of course he didn’t do the sign perfectly, but I knew what he was trying to say. When your child begins signing, 9 out of 10 times they wont do it perfectly. Many parents don’t even pick up on the fact that their child is attempting to signs. You really have to watch for it.
My cousin for instance said she’d been signing to her son for a few months, but he didn’t seem interested. I was spending the day with her so I tried to watch for any signs he might be trying and sure enough, he was definitely signing “more”. He would sort of clap his hands together, so she didn’t really recognize that he was using this as his way of saying more. We experimented with him a little and again and again, he used the same clapping motion to sign more.
It’s important that once you realize your baby is attempting to sign, you praise them and acknowledge their communication. Also remember that each time they attempt a sign, it;s helpful to take their hands and put them in the correct positions so they can feel how to do the sign correctly. It wont take long before they are little communicating machines!
I can tell Ben is starting to recognize and respond to some of the signs. When ever I sign eat he starts reaching for food, it’s such a cool thing. Even though he’s the third child I’ve done sign language with it still amazes me at how small these little kids are. Just my personal opinion but I really feel like parents that don’t do sign language with their kids miss out on a lot. If I hadn’t done sign language with my children I know I wouldn’t have picked up on a lot of the little things… and I wouldn’t have realized they were understanding me at such a young age. Having Ben respond to my signing is so much fun to see. I’ve recently added a few more signs and I’m looking forward to him progressing each day.