I’ll admit it, I felt silly showing my 4-month-old signs for milk, more, and thank you. I would show her a bottle and say “Do you want some milk” while doing the sign for milk. Nevertheless, I kept at it.
Kids are incredible. They can learn so much as long as they are continuously exposed to things. After months of repeatedly using the same 4 or 5 signs with my baby, my daughter signed “more” when she wanted more food.
Not only was I thrilled and unbelievably proud, but I also felt happy that I knew what she wanted. My daughter had communicated with me and it felt amazing.
Download a free printable of the 6 basic signs I recommend to teach your baby!
The benefits
Teaching young children a new language is so beneficial for their brains. Sign language is a great way to start at a very young age because it doesn’t require your baby to be able to speak. They can learn to communicate when they don’t yet have the verbal skills to talk to you, therefore increasing positive social interactions.
Teaching your baby sign language also increases their language development. Your baby is more likely to learn both verbal and non-verbal skills with the help of sign language.
It takes the guessing out of a lot of situations. In a lot of cases, I knew that my baby understood what I was saying because she would respond with a sign. Without sign language, I would be left wondering if she understood me and she would be unable to respond or tell me what she wanted.
I remember the first time I left my baby at my mom’s house after telling her about the new signs we were using. She told me they had been so helpful throughout her day because my daughter was able to tell her what she wanted. My mom didn’t have to spend time guessing what my daughter was trying to communicate. This constant guessing can also be frustrating for the baby since they are not being understood and don’t know another way of expressing their needs.
How I introduced sign language
As a former kindergarten teacher, I know the importance of communication. I taught kids how to use their words to express feelings, wants, or needs.
Knowing how challenging this can be, I was extremely interested in teaching my own children sign language from an early age. I didn’t know many signs, but anytime I found a need for a specific one, I turned to the Internet. I would find a quick video of someone teaching me the correct way to sign a word or concept, and then I would teach it to my baby.
Think about what it must be like to be a baby. They’ve finished their bottle but they’re feeling extra hungry today. The only way they know how to communicate this feeling is by crying or whining. The baby’s caregiver might be left wondering why they are still upset after they’ve already eaten. If the baby knows the sign for “more” or “milk”, they can communicate what they need.
The first sign I taught my baby was “more”. I mostly used it for asking her if she wanted more food or more milk. This brings me to the second sign I taught her: milk. Here are some others I introduced at the beginning:
- thank you
- please
- watermelon
- yogurt
- all done
- yes
- no
- happy
- together
- help
The key to teaching signs is to use them often. The more you use them, the better your child will understand them.
Teach more signs as they get older
Providing a method of language for my baby was helpful for both of us.
My baby went through a phase where she loved yogurt, so I taught her the sign for it. There was one day when my baby seemed uninterested in the food I had made her for lunch. As I began trying to figure out what it was she wanted, she suddenly used the sign for “yogurt”. I was proud of her for recognizing what she wanted, and then being able to communicate it to me. It felt amazing. Needless to say, I ran to the fridge and got her yogurt to show her that I had understood.
One of the most beneficial signs I taught my baby was the sign for “help”.
When she was around 15 months old, I would notice that she became extremely frustrated when something was too hard for her. If she couldn’t buckle her baby doll into her stroller because it was too hard, she would lose her patience and cry out in frustration. Cue the sign.
Every time she got frustrated, I would step in and say “That looks frustrating. Do you need help?” while showing her the sign for “help”. Little by little, these mini temper tantrums began to dwindle. After asking her if she needed help, she would calm down and let me step in, which was her way of saying “yes”. Eventually, instead of losing her patience, my toddler would come up to me and sign for help on her own. I saw a huge improvement in her temperament since teaching her this sign.
*Note: I eventually also taught her the signs for “yes” and “no”. This was helpful when I needed to get a definite answer – we all know how ambiguous toddlers can be.
Fun ways to teach signs
There are many songs that encourage your child to learn sign language, as well as different gestures for communication. I sing these types of songs with both my kids very often, and my eldest now sings them by herself. You can find videos for these songs that also show how to do the signs for the lyrics. Here are my favorites:
- “Open Shut Them”
- “The More We Get Together”
- “The Wheels On the Bus”
- “The Bunny Hop”
Using signs in a fun and engaging way will encourage your child to use them, too. Teaching them through music is a very effective way to make sure your child understands the correct meaning of each sign.
Signs will look different
It was the most adorable thing to see my baby do the sign for “more” by tapping her index finger on her palm. This is not the correct way of signing “more”, but that’s the way my baby could do it.
The way your baby signs may look a little different than the “correct” way, but as long as you understand them, that’s all that matters. Continue to model the correct way of signing and they will eventually learn.
Involve your family and friends
The more your baby is exposed to sign language the faster they will learn.
My mom and mother-in-law watched my first baby often, so we taught them the signs we were using and they used them, as well.
Now that my firstborn is 2 years old, she helps me teach her 9-month-old sister the signs. It’s a great way to involve your older child and make them feel included.
During lunchtime, I will ask my baby if she wants more food and I will ask my toddler if she can show her sister the sign for “more”. She loves setting a good example and it encourages her to help her baby sister.
To sum it up
Teaching my firstborn some signs for words we used every day helped us communicate and understand her wants and needs. We taught her new signs as we felt we needed them, and made sure to use them often.
We are now using the same signs with our second baby and encourage our toddler to use them around her, too. I hope that my two girls can one day communicate through signs before my baby starts talking.
The idea here is to provide babies and young children with the tools they need to communicate. Since they haven’t yet developed their verbal skills, sign language gives them an effective method of communication.
Do you plan on teaching your baby sign language? What signs do you think you’ll use the most? Comment below to share!
