What is the practice?
Before children learn to use words to communicate, they first use gestures to interact with their parents and other people. Sign language is a special kind of gesture that can be used to “talk to” others. Infants who use sign language not only are able to communicate more effectively with others but are more likely to easily learn the words that go with signs.
What does the practice look like?
Infants who use sign language to communicate with others often approximate what the signs would look like if used by an adult or older child. The signs do not need to be exactly right to work. The important thing is a child learning the connection between a sign and its effect on others. Using the sign for more to ask for more food or to get someone to play a game over again are examples of this kind of practice.
How do you do the practice?
Infants learn sign language best when they are using signs to do or ask for things that they especially want and like to do. Search the Web using infant sign language and you will find many examples of infants signing to communicate with others. Here is a list of some simple signs that make sense for most young children.
How do you know the practice worked?
- Does your child use gestures and signs to get things he wants?
- Does he look at you while making the signs?
- Does your child try to repeat words or sounds that you use to repeat what he is signing?
- Bath (Rub hands against the chest or stomach in a circular motion.)
- Book (Put both hands together and then open them up.)
- Bye (wave hands, palm up back-and-forth.)
- Change (Twist the hands together in front of the body.)
- Down (Point the finger down two or three times.)
- Drink (Place hand in cupped position and tip up as if drinking from a cup.)
- Eat (Place one hand with the fingers together toward the mouth.)
- Help Me (Pat the palms of the hands on the chest several times.)
- Hug (Crisscross arms across the chest.)
- Hurt (Make a fist with each hand and have the index fingers touch one another)
- More (Cupped hands facing down and touching each other)
- No (Shake head back-and-forth to indicate “No.”)
- Sleep (Place the hands together on the side of tilted head.)
- Up (Point the finger up two or three times.)
- Yes (Shake head or fist up and down.)
Take a look at more first signs for babies
A Hug or a Kiss?
Nine-month-old Cheryl gets excited anytime her mother and father give her hugs and kisses. Mom and dad have turned this into a game where Cheryl uses the signs for hug and kiss to get her parents to “do it again.” Cheryl especially likes to play the game while she is seated on her mom’s or dad’s laps facing either of them. They start the game by asking, “Does Cheryl want a hug or a kiss?” If Cheryl does not use the sign for either type of affection, the parent repeats the question while using the signs for hug or kiss as they say the words. This almost always gets her to use one or the other sign. No sooner has she gotten what she wants that she uses the other sign.
Cure for Frustration
Mark, age 13 months, often gets frustrated when things don’t go his way. This can be anything such as not being able to reach for something he wants or not getting out of his highchair fast enough when he is finished eating. His mother found that a few simple signs like help me and down have gone a long way toward easing Mark’s frustration. Mark tries to take off his clothes but often gets stuck! The sign for help me is sure to get his mother to assist him. His mother, father, Yes! and big sister have learned that when he signs down it means he is finished! Mark has also learned to shake his hand yes and no to answer questions like “Do you want more?” Sign language has been a big plus for Mark in communicating with other people.
Aids to Interaction
Sandy’s mother takes her 18-month-old daughter out-and-about as part of running errands and taking care of other family busi- ness. Sandy isn’t able to talk clearly because of a hearing impairment. Mom has begun teaching her daughter signs that she can use when interacting with people while out with her mother. Mom started with a few simple signs like good-bye and hello. Her mother’s friends often want to help Sandy so the signs for up and down have really come in handy. Sandy and her mom sometimes have lunch at a friend’s home or at a fast-food restaurant. She uses the signs for eat, drink, more, and finished to tell her mom and the others what she wants.
