Children, when they're young, have the willpower to know what they want and don't want, like and dislike, but they don't have the verbal skills to communicate that to their parents and caregivers. And so we see temper tantrums, acting out, crying, hitting, or biting from our frustrated little ones.
Hundreds of thousands of parents say they've found a helpful solution to confront these toddler communication problems—baby sign language.
Baby sign is exactly what it sounds like—sign language for youngsters. Parents teach American Sign Language to their children, many of whom are as young as six months old. Our kids pick up on visual clues before they understand or use verbal ones. If they can talk to their parents through sign language, they can communicate their needs and feelings before they're able to physically speak them. Pretty neat!
And it's not just about avoiding tantrums, either. Research has shown that baby sign can help verbal language development, too. For example, the average three-year-old who's learned sign language has similar verbal skills to a four-year-old who hasn't.
Our nanny, Natalie, came by the office a while ago to say hello. Her maternity leave is going well and her youngest, Abigail, is already seven months old. Natalie was proud to tell me that she's already started using sign language to communicate! And her oldest, Iliana (who's almost two), now regularly uses over 50 different signs. I'm completely fascinated with this trend, so I asked Natalie if she'd be willing to talk about her experience with baby sign here on my blog.
How did you learn about baby sign language?
By trade, I'm an interpreter. Since I went to school for sign language, I'd learned about baby sign. I knew it was a way to communicate before children's vocal cords and their ability to manipulate the tongue to form words begins…And it works. I've seen deaf kids have great language skills at age two. Hearing children just aren't that fluent at that age.
When did you start teaching your daughters?
I started right from day one with everything, pointing out objects as I used them while saying and signing their names, just as you would teach any other child to speak.
Now, when we read books, I'll read them out loud in English and ask questions in sign—where's the bird, the bee, the butterfly?
How old was Abigail when she used her first sign?
She probably used her first sign when she was around six months old. It was, "milk." Then, he began producing more signs between the ages of six and nine months. They were mostly simple things at first like "more" or "please"… Learning to put them in the right order to form sentences comes later.
What are some of the benefits to teaching your children sign language?
My oldest daughter has about 50 signs in her vocabulary now. It really helps alleviate tantrums because she can tell me what she wants… Yesterday, she showed me the sign for "potty." We went to the bathroom and she went, so it works for toilet training, too!
How can parents learn how to teach their own children sign language?
There are a lot of resources for simple sign language. Local libraries have DVDs or VHS tapes that teach sign language.
The internet is a great resource because there are online dictionaries where you can type in a word and play a video of the sign. Books are okay, but sign language is such a visual language that you have to see someone reproducing it to learn.
Another great way to learn, if you know anyone who's deaf or uses sign language, is invite them over for a playdate or have them babysit.
Thanks, Natalie, for sharing! I know I wish I'd know about baby sign when my boys were young—I would have definitely taught them "please" and "thank you" even earlier.
What do you think? Are you using baby sign language at home? Would you hire a babysitter or a nanny to teach your children sign language? Post a comment and let us know.
Also, you can now search through hobbies and interests when you’re looking for a babysitter or nanny on Care.com. If you’d like to find a caregiver that speaks another language (or uses sign), it’s easy! Just fill in the new “Keyword” field with whatever you’re looking for—sign language, sports, cooking, music, you name it—when you search in your ZIP code. You’ll be able to quickly find a great match for your family.
For more information on baby sign language, visit these great websites:
MyBabyCanTalk.com – they wrote the book on baby sign
I've used sign language with both of my children (daughter 3 1/2, son 18 mos) since birth, and they are both very skilled in sign language and English for their ages. My son has well over 100 spoken words and probably 50+ signs he uses regularly.
I am also an interpreter, so had the language base to begin with, but am a big fan of the Signing Time video series, which is entertaining, well-made, and makes the vocabulary easy to remember. Even my non-signing husband and parents learned the basics quickly with these videos.
ASL (American Sign Language) is a useful language for so many reasons. We've found it helpful to communicate across distance, in quiet places, in noisy places, and when we need to be discreet. In addition, it helps us communicate with a large number of people who use it as their daily language!
Posted by: Alta | April 14, 2009 at 09:47 AM
I think that sign language is wonderful. I taught my daughter in her early months before she could speak because I didn't want to hear her whine and grunt for things. She picked it up very quickly, and by the time she was between 6-7 months, she was signing clearly. We only went through the simple signs... Milk... hungry... eat... juice... please... thank you. It made life alot easier when she was too young to use her words and tell me what she needed. The only down side, is sometimes I wonder if she depended on it too much because it seems as though her speech may be a little delayed. She talks, but it's not as clear as I had hoped it would be. She is going to be 3 in June, and it seems like she has a hard time forming words...
Posted by: Jaime | April 14, 2009 at 10:02 AM
I learned to sign well before I could talk and decided to teach my children as well. I think it helps greatly when they are upset for what appears to be no reason. A few simple signs and suddenly it isn't 'no reason' but its because they need to potty or are thirsty.
My teaching my girls to sign has also helped my signing. I was able to communicate with a lovely woman who seemed very lost and confused at an airport about a year ago. She was signing furiously and I caught a few signs and was able to sign back to please slow down so I could try to help.
My girls thought this was amazing since they saw it in practice.
I also enjoy the fact that i can be out in public and tell my daughters to sit down and be quiet without repeating myself out loud for every one to hear. I sign it over and over again but the whole store doesn't know my kids names when we leave :)
Check out misty's classes as peppermint baby boutique in richardson for great classes! She is a friend of mine and amazing!
Posted by: courtney | April 14, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Yes - we have the Baby Signing Time and Signing Time videos (made by Rachel Coleman) for our 20 month old daughter and she absolutely adores them! Her vocabulary has increased so much just from watching the videos and she sings and signs along with them. I totally recommend these for anyone with an infant. They are entertaining and well made and my husband and I are learning the signs as well! I think it will really help with her communication skills.
Posted by: Vera | April 14, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Baby Signs were a life saver for me and my son. We started at 8 months old and he pick things up pretty quickly by 10 months.
I feel this helped him acquire language and helps him express himself now. Not that there were not times that he had an emotional meltdown. I feel having a way to communicate his wants and needs helped both of us tremendously. I highly recommend Baby Sign language.
Savor life's best,
Aimee
Posted by: Aimee Wilson | April 14, 2009 at 10:28 AM
I have a friend who has the Signing Time videos. My six year old daughter loves them! I didn't do much signing with her, but she fascinated with it! I encourage it as much as I can. Just the other day she came to me signing toilet at softball practice. A few of the other mothers noticed and asked about it. I told them what it meant and how it's stopped the announcements of "I have to go potty!" in a loud voice. They thought it was great!
Posted by: Michele J | April 14, 2009 at 10:38 AM
I run a day care and we teach sign to all of our babies and toddlers. It has helped a great deal, and it is so adorable to see the children signing. It really has made our day care a happier place for the children and the staff. The parents love it, as well.
Posted by: Frances O. Scarantino | April 14, 2009 at 11:09 AM
I have been signing with my 22 month old since birth and he now has about 70 signs and about 40 words. I had studied to be an ASL interpreter previously so I had the sign knowledge, but to teach other members of my family I too used the Signing Times videos....my son loves them and signs along with the songs but they are great to teach husbands and grandparents. Luckly I did find a wonderful nanny, Alethea, that signed here on Care.com and she has been a wonderful addition to my family. I had been looking for a nanny that signed for months and it took me less that 24 hours to find her, get in contact and have an interview. My son loves her and I love watching them sign books together and sign songs and dance. I cannot express how much signing has helped my son communicate with us and what a blessing it was to find Alethea here allowing my son to continue signing when I was not home. Thanks Care.com!....and, now as I Baby Sign Teacher I really want to encourage any parent that has even thought of signing with their child even for a second to jump in and go for it! I can't tell you how much it has eased the "terrible two's" and made my sons life easier!
Posted by: Danielle | April 14, 2009 at 11:28 AM
I taught my son Tyler sign and it was the most valuable thing I ever taught him. Frustration levels lowered, his language skills (once he started talking) were off the chart. He was reading and writting before preschool and is still several grades above his grade and age level where language arts are concerned. I recommend it highly. I tried to teach my second son sign as well but he never really got the hang of it, nor had any interest in it. He has behavior problems that we had to deal with. So do not get discouraged if your child doesn't quite get it, not all do. But if they do it helps alot!
Posted by: sheri b | April 14, 2009 at 11:38 AM
I began signing with my daughter at 5months, she is now 19 months old and truly has an exceptional grasp of language. She easily says 200 words and is able to sign probably 75 of them. She recognizes colors and half the letters in the alphabet. She is able to sing along with "Twinkle, Twinkle little star," "You are my sunshine," and even The Doobie Brother's, "Jesus, is just alright with me!" She talks all the time and really only has tantrums when she doesn't get her way, not because she can't communicate what she wants or needs. I think the sign language was a huge contributor to engaging the language portion of her brain. We also read books all day and simply talk to her, no matter what the situation she can expect an explanation in more words that she understands. I am lucky to be home with her so there is plenty of one on one time, but I will be continuing the signing tradition with my second child due in June.
Posted by: Alethea | April 14, 2009 at 12:27 PM
Yes!!!! It really works very well. I had tried it with both of my kids and it is wonderful!!
Posted by: janny | April 14, 2009 at 03:12 PM
For my family signing was nothing new, my grandparents were deaf so they taught their children and my parents taught me. I knew even as a child how much it helped me mentally and socially. So when my duaghter was born I never even gave it a second thought I just signed to her. She is now almost three and talks and signs all the time. I also found it helps with tantrums, giving her a way to communicate. I would recommend it to anyone.
Posted by: Tia | April 14, 2009 at 04:17 PM
I am a nanny showcased on Care.com. My college degrees are in Early Childhood Education and American Sign Language Interpreting. I am a strong believer in using Sign Language in infants, toddlers, and children.
Posted by: Jessica | April 14, 2009 at 07:32 PM
I am a caregiver. I work at a childcare center with a lady who is deaf so we have been teaching young children to sign for over 17 years. Even when the families I sit for don't use sign I have taught their children sign b/c I find it so helpful. The parents are usually amazed at the signs the children learn and how quickly. Children naturally use their how to try to communicate at this young age why not give their pointing meaning. I like Sign with your baby by joseph garcia. The kit comes with a chart to share with caregivers about the signs you have introduced to your child. Very helpful.
Posted by: Terera | August 22, 2009 at 02:41 PM