Sign language has been the language of the deaf and mute for hundreds of years. It is the way that those who can not communicate with words, communicate with their loved ones and the rest of the world. It only makes sense that you could learn some simple sign language and teach it to your baby as a way to allow him to communicate with you, before he is able to form the words that he needs.

There are a few tips to remember and get started with when it comes to learning to sign with your baby. They are basic and will almost guarantee you success.

One Sign at a Time
Choose one sign to begin with and make it one you will use often. Many parents choose milk, more, eat, drink or a favorite toy. Repeating these easy signs until your baby catches on is a great place to start and a great way to get your baby accustomed to the signing.

Show Your Child
Show your child the sign when talking about an activity as well as when you are doing the activity. Make sure you are repeating yourself as often as possible so that your baby can see what you are doing and start associating the action with the sign.

Repeat the Sign
Use the sign before, during, and after the activity. Repeat it every time you do it more than once and your baby will quickly pick up on the relationship between that sign and what you are doing. Soon he will be able to mimic you and do the sign as well.

Wait Until Your Baby Signs Back
In order to not confuse your baby, use one sign until your baby begins to sign back to you. Once he is correctly communicating that need with you, you can choose another sign and start the process over again. The more your baby learns, the easier it will be for him to pick up a new one.

Have Fun
Signing with your baby can be a lot of fun. Not only will it make communicating easier, but it can make dinner time quieter since your baby can make the sign for milk or for more when he is hungry or thirsty. You are sure to get a lot of comments at restaurants about how quiet your baby is and about what a good boy he is. This will in part be because your baby can easily communicate with you to make his needs known.

1. Stay simple and start slowly.
When you introduce signing to your baby, gradually introduce the signs one at a time. It is recommended to begin with approximately five words and once your baby has begun to respond to those words, you can introduce more. Sign language can be a slow process depending on the age of your baby when you begin. A six-month-old who is introduced to signing may begin signing back to you anywhere from one month to six months later; it simply depends on each individual child.

2. Be patient.
Every parent has the ability to teach his or her baby sign language. A major downfall for some parents is their lack of patience. Signing is not something that will happen overnight, it is a relatively slow process depending on each individual baby. Do not be discouraged. Your baby is learning from you and will, when the time is right, let you know that they understand through signing. This learning process introduces invaluable interaction with your baby. Do not give up whatever you do. Be patient and reap the rewards of sign language.

3. Be consistent.
Once you have decided on your initial five words, be consistent in using them with your baby. For example, if you are using the sign ‘milk’ with your baby and introduce this sign when you are feeding your baby, be sure to continue to use it every time you feed your baby. If you only use this sign now and again, your baby is less likely to understand that this sign represents ‘milk’. They may think it is simply a game you are playing with them. The key here is to incorporate sign into your everyday life. Each time you use the word ‘milk’, develop an automatic reaction to sign and say the word out loud. Repetition is the key to success.

4. Sign on your baby’s level.
When you interact with your baby, it is important that you are on their level. Keep your facial expressions and signs within their field of vision. This ensures that your baby is seeing the correct way to sign the word. By signing at an angle to your baby, your baby’s view of your sign may be totally different to the one that you are attempting to create.

5. Use baby sign language in context.
When teaching baby sign language, it is important to relate the word to the current situation or feeling of the moment. There is no point in attempting to introduce your baby to a sign when that particular sign represents something that has happened in the past. For example, if you go for a walk with your baby and see a dog on your walk, there is no point on the following day, in signing the word ‘dog’ and saying “Remember the dog we saw yesterday in the park.” Australian Baby Hands recommends finding as many situations as possible, in the present time, to use the sign that you are attempting to teach. For instance, use the sign for ‘dog’ as you read a story about a dog, watch a dog on television or point at your family pet.

6. Always use the sign and the spoken word together.
Ensure that each time you sign a word; you accompany it with the spoken word. This enables your child to make the connection between the two more quickly.

7. Use motivating signs.
It is important when choosing your initial words that you use a combination of ‘practical’ words and ‘motivating’ words.

‘Practical’ words highlight words that will make you and your baby’s life easier once sign language is in use in your home. These words are more general words and include words such as eat, drink, change, pain, sleep etc.

It is important to balance these words with words that are motivating or interesting to your baby. ‘Motivating’ words may include words such as teddy bear, ball, play etc. These are specific things that your baby may have shown an interest in.

8. Teach family members and caregivers.
It is important to introduce the signs you are using with your baby to people who are in contact with your baby on a regular basis. This will ensure consistency. The more your baby sees the signs, the sooner your baby will begin to sign back. Childcare facilities are slowly beginning to introduce signing to their day care so be sure to continually update them on what signs you are using with your baby.

9. Use an appropriate facial expression with a sign.
This is especially important when teaching feelings or sensations to your child. Sign language is a very visual language and members of the deaf community use their face as part of the signing process. When expressing a feeling, allow your face to vividly illustrate the feeling. A feeling of happiness can be illustrated with a big smiling face while signing and saying the word. A feeling of fear can be illustrated with frowning eyebrows or a startled look. Some words do not require or do not have an obvious facial expression. To animate your face is initially a little strange for beginners to sign language. To practice, stand in front of a mirror and see if you would know from your facial expression what word you are trying to sign. Remember you are better to over-express than under-express your signs with your face.

10. Encourage your baby’s attempts.
When your baby begins to sign, they probably will not initially get the sign 100% correct. It is important though to praise them for their efforts and repeat the sign correctly back to them. When the child is showing you that they need something, give it to them, even if the sign is only approximately correct. They will begin to realise that it works!

11. Have fun!
Sign language is a beautiful visual language and not one to get stressed about. If you are stressed when signing, your baby will pick up on this. Signing should be fun for you and your baby. It should not feel like a chore but be a part of your everyday life. Relax, have fun and enjoy the benefits that this wonderful language can bring to you and your baby.

About the Author:
Jackie Durnin is the Author of “Australian Baby Hands”, the first book to use Auslan, Australian Sign Language to communicate with your baby. Australian Baby Hands is currently being implemented by parents and Childcare centres around NAustralia. For more details go to http://www.australianbabyhands.com where you can register for your “FREE” alphabet chart. For further information info@australianbabyhands.

How many times have you seen a pre-verbal child try to communicate? For the numerous years that I worked with babies and toddlers their communicating stage was a constant fascination. As a teacher of children under three years, I often interacted with children, at this stage, who would persist with non-verbal action cues, until I understood exactly what they were trying to tell me.

I have been literally lead around by the hand all over the room or the play yard. In my younger days I took the spiritual approach to the challenge- tuning in my sixth sense to the baby and toddler mind and using my instincts to tune into non-verbal communication. As a more mature adult, I realize that my “sixth sense” tuning fork may have empowered me, but not necessarily the child.

It is only recently that I have learned about the concept of teaching pre-verbal babies and toddlers sign language! What perfect logic, teaching American sign language to children that often use their hands to gesture in an attempt to communicate with less intelligent adults. At the toddler stage children have far more to say then there physical verbal mechanism allow- they are a whole year old, after all.

Toddlers have had numerous months of observing older children and adults communicate through speech and verbal annunciation. They have observed the world around them, vibrant colors and shapes all new and stimulating. They have witnessed the actions of others and their interactions with others. Most of all they have experienced their own drastic changes and relation to the world.

Can you imagine transitioning from flat on your back to quadruped mobility to biped mobility all in under two years. It is only natural that they would have many things to say! Naturally, for a number of reasons, pre-verbal children eagerly take to sign language.

I have discovered the delightful “Baby Signs” a DVD and board book set that teaches pre-verbal children sign language available at my website, work wonders. My friend has been babysitting another friend’s toddler and the transition has been difficult for him. What’s more the other boys in the babysitting co-op are older and have developed speech and annunciation.

In the middle of an afternoon of tears, my friend put the DVD on for the babysitting co-op toddler and he really took to it. He mimicked the signs, a predominate way toddlers learn, and began to use them. He stopped crying and became interested and focused on learning the baby signs.

It is also really for older siblings and friends to learn. Naturally, they can help facilitate the process for the little ones, while at the same time having fun and learning the signs themselves. What a wonderful family experience! It shows that a child can begin to learn the language of signing and continue to develop this skill for years to come.

Best of all the pre-verbal child(ren) are empowered and have their own special way to communicate. It is a wonderful way to transition to the spoken word and it reinforces learning to speak.

About the Author:
Candice Silsby has an extensive background in Early Childhood Education and Human Dev elopement. She have six years experience working with young children as a pre-school teacher and caregiver for children under 3. She worked with special ed children for two years. She has eight years experience as a child entertainer and currently has her own business doing puppet shows for children. She is a Discovery Toys Educational Consultant because the toys are educational and developmentally appropriate. These toys meet the high scrutiny of her Developmental Education background. Discovery Toys improve the quality of life for children and families therefore the world.

Teaching sign language to babies has become not just “the thing to do” but rather has come to the forefront of the beginning of us, as parents taking the lead in educating our children from their earliest days. Teaching sign language to your baby is easier than you may think. We teach our babies sign language without even thinking about it. We teach them “bye-bye” by showing them to wave, or to try to tell us what they want by pointing to objects. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying babies minds are like little sponges they take in everything. Learning comes so easy to them. It’s just incredible. You will be amazed at how quickly you can begin to communicate with your baby using signs. This can be fun and easy for the entire family. It’s never too late to start.

We all want to be able to communicate with our babies, grandbabies or siblings as soon as we can beyond the babbling and cooing. It’s nice to be able to know what your baby needs and be able to provide that for them quickly. Start out using signs that will help you learn what your baby wants from you, whether it be food or milk or changed or some other sign that would indicate his/her needs.

Begin with just a sign or two till you all get the hang of it. Use the sign for food when it’s meal time or you are feeding your baby or show them an object and the sign for that particular object so that they can begin to make the connection between the object and the sign for it. Consistency is the key. If they see the sign every time you use the word they will quickly learn that sign. Saying the words out loud also encourages speech development. It’s important for children to hear those words as well as learn the signs. It’s the beginning of their vocabulary contrary to the misconception that babies will not learn to speak if taught sign language. Sing language in my experience has advanced my children’s verbal abilities not hindered it in the least.

Benefits for You & Your Baby
Studies have shown so many benefits to babies who use sign language. They learn to speak earlier, have less frustrations (a benefit for both baby and you) less frustration = less crying, increased vocabulary, a greater interest in books, greater self-esteem, higher IQ points and my personal favorite a closer bond with family members (which I have enjoyed first hand). Sign language will help in the development of your child’s vocabulary and can be a huge benefit to them in the future allowing them to communicate with both hearing and non hearing individuals.

And by the time they are two and into the “terrible twos” which is mainly due to frustrations of not being able to communicate their needs and wants for most kids, being able to communicate thru signs even if they can’t communicate their thoughts fully to you verbally, may help in reducing those frustrations, whining and temper tantrums.

Teaching your baby sign language is an easy, fun and exciting way to begin communicating with your newest little member of the family. Make the most of your time with your little one. Sharing, bonding and learning together as a family.

About the Author:
Nanette Gomez is the owner of http://www.BabyTalk-Learn2Sign.com Your online resource for more information and products to help you and your baby learn to sign.

Sign language has been used for centuries by people who are deaf and mute, but was only recently discovered as a way to communicate with babies before they are able to form words. Babies develop the fine muscles in their hands earlier than they develop the muscles in their mouth, making it possible for them to communicate earlier using their hands. Like anything, it has to be taught however.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding signing with your baby. Some people say that it delays speech development. At the same time others say that it helps encourage babies to use words to get their point across, because they are met with affirmation when they use their hands. In the end signing to your baby can be a lot of work and take a lot of patience on the part of the parents.

Where To Start
If you want to start signing with your baby it is best to start with just one sign and work your way up. Pick a sign that your baby will be able to quickly relate too, like one involving eating to drinking. Repeat this sign every time you go to feed your baby or mention eating to him. He will quickly learn the connection between your words and that sign. Slowly introduce other need-based signs to him that he can connect with everyday occurrences. These signs include one of diaper changing, hot and cold, and bed or sleep.

When you both feel comfortable you can start introducing signs like ‘Mommy’ and ‘Daddy’ as a way to give your baby a way to ask for one or both of you at any given time. When your baby is easily doing these signs, begin introducing other signs to him, but be sure you do not stop doing the signs that he already knows. You will see that he will be able to pick up signing much faster the longer he does it.

Advantages for Baby
The advantages for your baby when taught sign language is huge! It can definitely be a great tool in helping him learn to communicate. The advantages include:

• Your baby being able to communicate with you and his caregivers at an early age.
• Your baby may learn to speak earlier
• Your baby will probably have a better understanding of the human language
• Your baby may have an easier time later in life learning a new language
• Signing with your baby now may give him a higher I.Q. later

Advantages for Mom and Dad
The advantages aren’t just for the baby, but for mom and dad as well. They include:

• Less stressful and frustrating days for the whole family because your baby can communicate with you
• Deeper bond developed between you and your baby
• Higher level of trust from baby because you understand him and can meet his needed quickly
• Satisfaction in knowing that your baby is happy and can communicate with you so you can meet his needs

What To Do Next…
If you are interested in learning baby sign language and using it as a way to communicate with your baby, there are many books on the market like Baby Sign Language Basics by Monta Briant, and Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo, Susan Goodwyn, Douglas Abrams. You can also check out your local baby stores, libraries and newspapers for information on baby sign language classes in your area.