Signing With Your Baby: The Signing ToddlerWritten by Monica Beyer
My son Corbin is almost 22 months old and has been signing for 11 months. While he is learning to talk, he still signs much of time and it has really given me insight into his rapidly developing personality.I can really see Corbin's sense of humor emerging when he sees something he thinks is funny and he will say or sign it and laugh. He'll purposefully knock over his glass of milk and say, "Uh-oh," while signing "milk." He also loves to put things on his milk or juice glass (like a toy) and sign "milk" or "juice" and laugh. He tries to get my attention so I'll think it's funny too. My favorite story involves "milk" sign too. He weaned himself at age of 20 months and probably still remembers nursing. One day he spotted my bra lying on floor and grabbed it up. I thought he would maybe pretend to wear it, but what he did was much funnier than that. He put bra on his head, signed "milk," and laughed uncontrollably. It was so funny!
| | Signing With Your Baby: What is Involved?Written by Monica Beyer
Some parents may be hesitant to begin signing with their baby even after hearing all of wonderful benefits that come from signing with your baby. After all, sign language takes years to learn, doesn't it? Not at all! Learning to sign with your baby is as easy as reading a recipe. Teaching sign language isn't a time-consuming chore. Rather, it can be worked into your life as a natural part of communication with your child as well as rest of your family. Think of it as an extension of speech, and you talk to your baby every day. You can start as early as six months of age. Remember, though, that babies can take weeks or even months before making their first sign. No prior knowledge of sign language is required. Many parents learn right along with their children, and it is even possible to make up signs that make sense to you and your baby, rather than worrying about finding and using "correct" sign.
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