My third child has been my slowest as far as verbalization.  With each of my children it’s been interesting to see how sign language has benefited them in different ways.  For instance, now that my little boy is starting to talk more I’ve actually started focusing on sign language more again just so I can understand what he is trying to verbalize.

An example is how he uses “Ga” for multiple things.  He says “ga” for water, “ga, ga” for dog, and “gaa” for book (I have no idea why!)  I’d picked up on water and dog, because he was already using those signs, thank goodness.  Then one day he was trying to tell me he wanted something and I had no idea what he was talking about.  We wandered around the house trying to figure out what he needed.  Finally he saw the book he wanted..”gaa, gaa, gaa”.  What in the world!  I never would have guessed.  Right then I signed book to him, then I took his hands and had him sign book.  We did it a few times until I could tell he understood.  Later that night when I was putting him to bed he said “ga”.  I asked if he wanted some water, then he said no and started signing “book”.  I grabbed a book and he started jumping up and down yelling, “yeah”!  That was ten times easier than wandering around the house. 

This is just another simple example of why I LOVE using baby sign language and how in many instances signing can help to advance and clarify verbal language skills.

Andrea Ploehn, signing4baby.com

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.

Deborah Parrish

Taking a toddler to the zoo is extra fun when you use American Sign Language.  I had the opportunity go to the zoo with a two year old toddler who has been learning to sign with her mother since she was born.  At the zoo she tried many different animal signs and descriptive (adverbs and adjective) signs. Then later that day she was using signs to help talk about the experience.  The language development for young children has shown time and time again the positive intellectual effects of American Sign Language. Not only could our little signer, communicate with signs as she looked at the animals, but, that reinforcement of spoken along with signed communication enhanced her memory skills.

Deborah Parrish M.S.