Our first Sign “Please”
I’ve been meaning to start this series ever since I did a guest post about it way back in August over at Keeper of the Home. I know….I’m a bit of a slacker! But teaching my kiddo to sign has been one of the best things I’ve done so far in the area of “teaching”.
Awhile back I was chatting with a friend, who also uses some basic signs with her young ones, about how great it was for communication. Both of us came to realize that as soon as a baby learned a sign, it seemed to open up a whole new world to them. All of a sudden they could comprehend better, follow instructions better, and communicate without crying and screaming!
You see, before sign language all my little one could do to tell me what he wanted was to yell. And then it was a guessing game to figure out what he actually wanted! If he wasn’t pointing directly at it, the yelling could go on forever. Plus theres the whole fact that you don’t want to teach your children to yell and whine every time they want something. And if you allow that behavior from the get go, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Teaching them that it’s o.k. to scream.
I actually put off teaching any signs until he was about 14 months old. One because I had no idea where to start. Two because I thought it would be to much work. And three, my husband thought it was silly. So if your fears tend to be the same as mine, let me put them to rest.
- One: All you have to do is start! You don’t need to be fluent in ASL in order to teach it. Begin with just one word. When you master it, move on to the next.
- Two: It really isn’t that much work. The younger the baby, the longer it may take to get them to sign it back, but they will. Take just a couple minutes out of your day to learn your first sign and use it every time you say that word.
- Three: Don’t care what anyone else thinks! Todd was easily won over as soon as he realized how well it worked. Just be sure to clue others in to the new signs you’ve learned. We had an issue once when we learned a brand new sign and I had to leave for a few hours. Todd knew he was trying to say something, just didn’t know what! Whoops!
Our very first sign was “Please”. And he learned it very quickly (at about 14 months) as I was munching on some chocolate chips. If he wanted one he needed to ask.
To teach a baby, use the sign before you give them something. Eventually you can show them using their own hands and they will in turn start using the sign.
To teach an older baby, show them how it’s done and then, patiently, take their hands and move them where they are supposed to be. Then hold out the object they want and have them ask using the sign. It worked very well with snacks for us!! Although he got a bit ambitious and started using both hands instead of just one! Which leads me to one more short point; it’s not imperative that they move their hands exactly how they need to. You will know what they mean, and as long as you keep using the correct sign, they’ll pick it up.
No related posts.
The video thing is a great idea. I can’t wait to see the wee one on video with Cody!!
[Reply]
Great work! I enjoyed that immenselly! My Tornado first signed “please” in the waiting room for one of my pre-natal appointments with Sweet Pea, so he was somewhere around 14 months too, I guess. He wanted on the chair… again, and I really didn’t want him up there. I thought I’d figured out the perfect solution… I told him he needed to say (sign) please if he wanted up. Turns out, he already knew the sign because it didn’t take long. Then he signed it all the time. Oh, and I didn’t much mind putting him up on the chair after that. I’ll let him have pretty much anything he wants after such a victory.
I think our first sign was “all done” though, months earlier. I worked on it during meals. Funny that you are doing this series… I’m so glad. I feel so much more unsure this second time around… I keep missing things and forgetting to start things. She just seems so much more baby than Tornado ever did.
We’ve just started trying to learn “all done” and “more” during meals. And by “starting to learn”, I mean I’m doing it.
[Reply]
Do you have Baby Signing Times? It has been GREAT for helping my son learn to sign– he is 15 months and signs food, drink, milk, cereal, more, all done, dog, thank you, hat, socks, and hurt. I’m not big on letting kids watch TV, but we make an exception for this series.
[Reply]
That’s awesome! We used baby signs with both of our little ones. Our son had quite a long list of signs which helped because he talked a little later than most. Now he’s nine and talks non-stop! We still giggle about his different signs he used
~Jenny
[Reply]
YAY! I’m starting today. This is so exciting. Thanks!
[Reply]
Elizabeth – we have the Baby Einstien “My First Sign”, although I do like “Signing Times” better! We used to be able to watch it on PBS, but since it’s no longer on, I may get a couple of them for the next baby. It sure is a great way to learn some new signs!
[Reply]
Omg! That was the cutest thing! Loved it! My first daughter learned to sign “more” and “all done” when she was about a year old but we never pursued anything further. Both my girls were early talkers so they haven’t gotten too frustrated yet with trying to communicate, which has helped immensely.
[Reply]
What a great video- you seem like such a natural…I feel like such a big dork…but you did marvy! Your son is a cutie patootie. I love ASL and my lil guy is learning a lot from it.
[Reply]