Handy Hints

  • Have fun with learning!
  • Start when baby naturally points for desired objects or people & maintains eye contact for a few seconds
  • Be consistent and stay committed
  • Be patient ~ it takes lots of repetition
  • Start with 1 or 2 signs and add a new sign as each is learned
  • Always say the word while doing the sign
  • Use the signs in context and in a variety of settings
  • Gently manipulate baby’s hands into the sign shapes & encourage their attempts
  • Everyone in your child’s world needs to know about baby signs
  • Be expressive and entertaining
  • Have patience – the first sign may take 4-6 weeks
  • Conversations you take for granted will be amazing!
Benefits

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When to Start

Infants are ready to begin to use baby signs about the age of 7-9 months. Adults will start by incorporating one sign at a time as the child learns the meaning of each gesture.

When using baby signs, repetition is the key. Baby signs should be used often, in a fun and natural way. Incorporate signing into your daily routine. A child will use both spoken words and signs together as her/his language skills develop. Eventually, the transition from using signs to verbal speech will evolve and the communication cycle will be complete.

Benefits

  • Encourages speech
  • Infants taught to use baby signs score an average of 10 - 12 points higher on IQ tests when school age
  • Multi-tasking stimulates intellectual development
  • Enhances self-esteem
  • Reduces crying
  • Leads to a larger vocabulary
  • They have a greater interest in books
  • Engaging in more sophisticated play
  • Have fun talking with your toddler!