This morning, I started using some simple signs with baby from the book Sign, Sing, and Play!: Fun Signing Activities for You and Your Baby:
- Milk
- More
- Eat
- Cracker
- Change
- Diaper
- Sleep
- Ceiling fan
She seems very amused by the hand motions, smiling and laughing as I demonstrate them and repeat the name of the object/action. As I was showing her the sign for ceiling fan, twirling my finger in the direction of the ceiling fan, she looked up and pointed at it. I took her hand and twirled it like mine. I’m hoping this type of interaction will help her make connections and encourage her to pick up signing as well.
Good for you for starting signs with your baby. It’s such an amazing thing to do – for your child and for your family. The hardest thing seems to be to remember to incorporate it into your life often and repeatedly. Eight months (+) is a great time to start, but be patient, it may be a few weeks (or more) before she starts signing back. Always say the sign when you use it. If she has a favorite toy, find the sign for that and add it, too. You have a great selection of words here to start with. Patience and repetition are your friends. Best of luck to you and your baby – it’s SO much fun, and so rewarding! Can’t wait to read your post about her first sign!
Mimi Vance, Words by the Handful, baby signing classes in Houston, Texas mimi.vance@wordsbythehandful.com
How wonderful for Mimi to respond so perfectly! I am so thrilled that you are doing this and really think you will be amazed at how quickly Baby Champuru can start signing!
we only did a little signing with Juls. i think i was scared she wouldn’t start talking like a friend’s son (he would only sign for the longest time…even past 2 years). we did “more” first and it took a loong time, but after a while she kinda did it, then ended up only doing “please.” and that was the only sign she could do for a while. then we did “thank you” around 1 year. the sitter taught her “milk” and “more” a little while after that and the last one we did was sorry. she still won’t say the word thankyou and only signs it, but she’s getting better at saying the other words. good luck! and don’t give up if you don’t see any progress for a while. =)
[...] started our Baby Signing efforts on June 18, 2009 with a few simple words, “diaper” being one of them, in hopes that someday she would be [...]