Know Exactly What Your Baby is Saying Using a Baby Sign-Language Dictionary!

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Know Exactly What Your Baby is Saying Using a Baby Sign-Language Dictionary!

By Nicole Wagner

Imagine your 9-month old child being able to tell you what he wants when he want it. Imagine all the time and effort your can save. Imagine the peaceful moments. Imagine communication. This is where baby sign language comes in. This is why using a baby sign language dictionary has become so popular in recent years.

Parents, daycares, preschools and child psychologists see the benefits of baby sign language as time goes by. Since communication is facilitated, the child throws fewer tantrums. It serves as an educational tool for the child to communicate clearly with his caregiver/s.

Many of the “terrible two’s” that children experience is a result of the child’s frustration of not being able to communicate the rage he feels. If the parents feel miserable, so does the child. Hence, anything that allows the child to exhaust his feelings is helpful.

Sign language also improves your child’s spelling skills. Since printed words are combined with gestures, word recall is increase, hence, giving your child a wider vocabulary. Phonetic sounds are also learned by the child because words are spoken while signing, along with pictures.

This early literacy allows children to have a head start in school, thus improving academic competency. Research supports children who used sign language performed better throughout their school years.

Children who know have acquired the skill of signing is similar to a child who learned another language. Sign language is a legitimate language and will give your child an additional edge when securing employment when he gets older.

Everyone also has different learning styles. Some are more visual, some auditory while others utilize both. Sign language offers both visual and auditory teaching that will cater to whatever your child needs. As the words are spoken, cards are also used so the child can hear and thus maximizing both pathways.

When I use a baby sign-language dictionary, I’m giving my child an extra way to express himself and adding to his sensory and motor development skills as well.

By communicating in this way, my child will also learn empathy at an earlier age. The thinking skills required will help improve his cognitive abilities.

Visit http://www.babysignlanguagedictionary.org for more information.

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Hands2Talk, July 28th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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The Baby Health Guru – Benefits of Baby Sign Language

In this brief video you’ll get an overview of the benefits of signing with your baby from the Baby Health Guru:


Enjoy!

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Hands2Talk, June 22nd 2010 | Tags: , ,
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Signs of Illness: Can Babies Tell You When They Are Sick?

Cover of "Baby Signs"
Cover of Baby Signs

With the H1N1 swine flu virus looming on the horizon this cold and flu season, parents of infants and toddlers are on the lookout for signs of illness. But without the use of words, young children can’t tell their parents where it hurts. So when they are sick, parents are often in the dark. This year, child development experts, Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn are encouraging parents to prepare for cold and flu season by teaching their child how to communicate about illnesses – without the use of words.

“Babies can use their hands to communicate before they learn to talk. This means that if a baby makes the sign for “hurt” next to his neck or in front of his ear, his parents know that it’s time to take him to see his pediatrician,” Acredolo explains. “On the other hand, if he signs “hurt” next to his foot, his parents can check his shoes to see if they are the cause of the pain.”

Signs are useful for communicating about small discomforts and illnesses at home. Dominique Lannon Fiegel in Arlington, VA says “I used signs with my children and it helps a lot with illness. My son at 11 months was able to sign “hot” to say he was too hot, so we could take off layers of clothes. My daughter, now 24 months, will sign “hurt” and point to her stomach, letting me know she has a tummy ache. It also helps them understand better when someone else is sick, I can sign when daddy is sick, and they understand.”

But signs have also proven to be crucial in emergency situations. Brenda Greengold in Orlando, FL signed with her 14-month old son but didn’t realize how important it would be until he was admitted to the emergency room for lethargy, dehydration and a high fever.

“He needed fluids through an IV, and he was not cooperating. Finally, he succumbed. It broke my heart. After a while, he started to put his two index fingers together over and over. It was the sign for hurt. We had been working on this sign just a few weeks before, but I’d never seen him actually do it. I told him that I knew it hurt and it would be over soon, but he kept making the sign. Finally I reached over to check his IV and when I lifted the sleeve of his cover-up, to my surprise, his arm was twice the size of the other arm. The fluid was not reaching his vein, but was instead pooling in his arm under the skin. Although it wasn’t life-threatening, this was making my little boy extremely uncomfortable to say the least.”

Signs can also be useful in helping children understand and participate in healthy practices such as hand-washing. “In a day care center, germs can spread quickly. “This year with the threat of swine flu, it’s especially important to teach the sign for “wash” so children can initiate hand-washing even if their teacher or a parent forgets,” says Goodwyn. “The sign helps children take responsibility for good health practices.”

Acredolo and Goodwyn recommend that parents start now to teach health and medical signs to their babies to help them:

Report how they are feeling (HOT, COLD, SICK)
Explain where they are feeling pain (HURT)
Know what to expect during a visit to the doctor (HELP, DOCTOR, MEDICINE)
Understand when pain will end when getting an immunization (ALL DONE)
Communicate about health-promoting activities (WASH)

To see a video dictionary of these health and medical signs online, visit www.babysigns.com.

About Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn?Dr. Acredolo and Dr. Goodwyn have conducted over 30 years of scientific research in the field of infant development. Together, they have co-authored numerous publications in leading child developmental research journals and have written three best-selling books for parents:
Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk
Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love
Baby Hearts: A Guide to Giving Your Child an Emotional Head-Start
They are the co-founders of Baby Signs, Inc., a company dedicated to bringing the proven benefits of signing with hearing babies to families worldwide.

Contact:
Linda Easton-Waller?Director of Marketing?Baby Signs, Inc.
707-469-7406
lindae@babysigns.com
www.babysigns.com

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Hands2Talk, September 11th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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How to Increase the Bond Between a Parent and Their Baby Through Using Sign Language

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Image by cafemama via Flickr

How to Increase the Bond Between a Parent and Their Baby Through Using Sign Language
By Nicole Wharton

Looking for great baby sign language resources? Click HERE!

A parent can never forget the first time they held their child. Seeing their baby look into their eyes and feel for the first time the bond with their child that will be unbreakable and will remain forever is a wonderful moment. Throughout a baby’s first few years that bond that was initially created is increased with events and interactions that the baby experiences with their parent. Using sign language with your child can only improve this vital bond.

Research has revealed that a child’s bond with their parent is improved with the more positive interactions that the child and parent experience together. As a child is attempting to get their needs met or attempting to convey something it can be somewhat difficult if they are unable to communicate through words. As a baby is able to use sign to appropriately have what they are thinking be understood by their parents then positive feelings and a sense of accomplishment is immediately felt by that child.

As the child is able to observe that their parent is able to understand them, then with a positive result of either praise or obtaining the item that was requested the child will experience a positive interaction with their parent. This positive interaction is what causes the bond that all parents have with their child to become stronger. The feeling of being able to effectively communicate with their parents can only bring about positive emotions within a child. The child will then recognize that they are being understood and the parent will see that the child will attempt to use signs more regularly with them because they know that their parent is able to understand them. With the absence of sign language then this experience would not be achieved.

Since children are able to start signing at seven months of age which allows both the parents and babies to experience even more positive interactions earlier in that child’s life. These positive communicative interactions are encountered earlier in age than those with verbal words. Since a child’s first words are usually spoken at one year of age then it is apparent that one can assume that the positive effects of being able to communicate through sign would be experienced at an earlier age. In turn the positive effect within that child will also generate a greater bond between the child and the parent within in the area of communication.

Nicole Wharton M.A.-SLP: Nicole Wharton is a California State Licensed Speech Language Pathologist. She has worked in the field for over six years while specializing in Early Childhood Intervention. Ms. Wharton has used sign language with her family and also with her clients who have had speech and language delays. She is a true advocate for the use of sign language with all babies due to the benefits early research has revealed and also from her own positive encounters.

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Hands2Talk, August 1st 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Why You Should Take The Time To Teach Your Own Baby Sign Language by Gregg Hall

Sign Language
Image by joesuspense via Flickr

Why You Should Take The Time To Teach Your Own Baby Sign Language
By Gregg Hall

There’s good news for parents and babies and its welcome news indeed. It’s called baby sign language. The lack of a means for communication between a parent and a baby has always been frustrating for both parties. A parent hears their child crying and is helpless to understand what the baby wants.

They do the standard checks, like feeling the diaper for wetness or putting their hand on the baby’s head to check for fever. If neither of those turn out to be the problem, the child continues to cry and the parent tries to comfort the baby, not knowing what else to do. With baby sign language, the lines of communication become open and helps put an end to this frustration.

What is Baby Sign Language?

Baby sign language is a new form of communication, combining hand gestures with word association. By using these gestures, parents are able to teach their children how to communicate what they want, before the child is able to speak. The learning abilities of children are limited to their senses such as sight, sound and touch. Because the learning method combines all of these senses, it is easy for the parent to teach and the child to learn.

How do you Teach Baby Sign Language?

Teaching your child this communication skill is done by a method called modeling. Linking simple words with gestures does this. Your child might be too young to actually be able to make the gestures, but you can still begin to teach them the meaning of them. This way, when they are older and have better command of their bodies, they will already know the gestures to use to communicate with you.

For great resources, flash cards, DVDs for how to do the signs and more just visit the BabySigns™ website by clicking here

For example, whenever you are about to feed your child, before you do, say “eat” and make an easy hand gesture like pointing to your mouth. Make sure your baby can clearly see the gestures, so they can remember them. Another good word to teach is “more”. When you are rocking your child or doing something else that you know gives your baby pleasure, stop periodically and say “more”, before beginning again. Also begin associating these words and signs with objects.

Before handing them an item like a ball, say “ball”. Start slowly and add on words gradually. This gives the baby time to learn and remember what you are teaching them. It’s important not to try to force them to learn these gestures. Let them pick it up at their own pace.

Teaching your baby sign language is rewarding and by the time they are actually able to speak, they will already know the right words to use to let you know exactly what they need.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Baby Gift Baskets Delivered athttp://www.babygiftbasketsdelivered.com

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Hands2Talk, July 31st 2007 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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Baby Sign Language – Communication Before Speech by Christine Albury

Prior to mastering the art of speech, your baby has great difficulty in communicating his needs to you. This can cause frustration for you both — yet there is a solution. Baby sign language is rapidly becoming popular as a means of recognising — and responding to — a young baby’s needs.

Babies can be taught sign language from any age, but they really begin to take notice of the signs from around six months and may begin using them from as early as seven to eight months of age. As many parents will testify, babies understand an awful lot more than they are able to communicate through speech at this stage.

Some parents fear that using baby sign language may hamper their child’s speech development later on. Research into this subject, however, shows that children taught baby sign in infancy go on to develop superb language skills. In some cases, they may learn to speak earlier and often have an increased ability to learn a second language.

There are other benefits to introducing baby sign language – studies indicate that children who sign often develop a higher than average IQ. The major advantage for parents, of course, is to be able to identify their babies’ needs and respond appropriately — easing the frustrations that can lead to tantrums. Once this channel of communication is open, many parents feel that a deeper bond with their child is formed, creating a great sense of harmony.

There are various methods by which you can learn to sign with your child – no prior knowledge is needed, so learning along with your baby is part of the fun! It is important to remember to say the word when introducing any signs to your baby and to use the signs consistently – both in the home and outside it. Also, try to familiarise anyone who cares for your child with the signs they are using.

Some people like to invent their own signs to use with their babies, whereas others prefer to use conventional signs based on formal sign language — the advantage of using these is that they are recognised by a wide group of people. There are many books, DVDs and flashcards available, based on formal signing, that make learning this new skill both simple and enjoyable.

For great resources including DVDs and flashcards visit the BabySigns™ site by clicking here.

Taking into account the benefits that this simple communication can bring, it’s no wonder that more and more parents are using baby sign language — and achieving a fascinating insight into their babies’ minds!

Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com, a complete guide to solid feeding during baby’s first year.
For more information on learning and using baby sign language, visitTeaching baby to sign

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

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Hands2Talk, December 4th 2006 | Posted in Articles

Learn The Secrets of Teaching Your Baby Sign Language By Heather Owens

Cover of "Baby Signs"
Cover of Baby Signs

Learn The Secrets of Teaching Your Baby Sign Language
By Heather Owens
Learning language is a complicated process, and yet babies manage to do it by following an orderly series of steps. To begin with, they learn to distinguish different sounds, and recognise patterns or syllables that they hear frequently. Tone is also very important, as it conveys the emotion behind the words. A baby watches your face and starts working out what your facial expression means. As an example, if you repeat a baby’s name in a high pitched voice, and have a happy, smiling face, very young infants will respond in a positive way quite quickly.

A baby usually learns to understand language long before he can say the words himself. A baby can follow simple directions even as young as 4-5 months old. He can recognise often repeated, key words like “no”, and “more”, their names, and favourite words like “eat”!

The main problem is that there’s a gap between when a baby can understand language, and when he can communicate in return. This can led to an intense amount of frustration. So if we can find a way to help the baby let us know what he’s thinking and feeling, it can reduce the level of frustration in the baby – and in ourselves! It’s possible to do this, well before a baby starts using words – it’s called “Baby Signs“. You can use baby signs as an early way to help baby communicate, and it’s also valuable in reinforcing a baby’s language development.

Teaching a baby sign language is very simple. Take a word you use frequently with the baby, such as “more” or “eat”, and make a simple gesture every time you use the word. For example, for “eat”, you could point to your mouth. Make sure you use the same gesture every time you use the word. Speak clearly, and face the baby as you say the word. Use an enthusiastic tone, make sure the baby is watching, and when you have baby’s attention, repeat the word and gesture a few times.

For great resources to help you communicate with BabySigns™ visit their site by clicking here.

Most parents find that if they start using baby signs around 6-7 months of age, the baby can usually mimic the gestures back to you and communicate what he wants by the time he’s around 8-10 months old.

Sometimes parents are concerned that the baby will come to rely on signs, and inadvertently delay the development of speech. In fact, most of the time the opposite is true. By using the signs, the language connections in a baby’s brain are being created and developed much earlier. This actually tends to give the baby a head start in communicating, and so speed up the process of developing speech. While that may not be true for all babies, it’s true for many.

In the meantime, baby signs will allow your baby to communicate his wishes and thoughts to you at a much earlier age, and so reduce the frustration many babies suffer before they learn to talk. It will also make it easier for you to understand what baby wants, and so make parenting a lot easier.

So baby sign language has two advantages – it helps your baby develop communication skills, and it also helps improve your parenting.

Check out the author’s book about babies at Baby’s First Year
For lots more great baby information, check out Info About Baby You can also sign up for a FREE Baby Tips newsletter at Baby Tips Newsletter.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Owens

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Hands2Talk, May 10th 2006 | Posted in Articles

Fun Ways to Teach Sign to Your Baby

Baby Hands, 1
Image by nathangibbs via Flickr

Fun Ways to Teach Sign to your Baby by Nicole Dean

Join any group of new moms and you’ll hear all about the benefits of teaching Sign Language to hearing babies and toddlers. Many moms have started with the basic signs (milk, eat, more). But where do you go from there? We know how signing helps the parents, but there are many more subtle ways it can help the mother/baby relationship.

Signing enables your baby to communicate at an early age, before she can speak. Signing helps to lessen temper tantrums and frustration by giving our babies the ability to tell us their needs. But, it’s so much more than that. Not only do you have the chance to know when your baby wants “milk” or to “eat”, but you also have the ability to get a glimpse into her personality and share her interests. By simply teaching your baby signs like dog, book, telephone, baby, dance, fish, elephant, you are able to know what your baby is thinking when she looks out the window or rides through the grocery store. Just give her the tools to tell you!

For great resources to help your baby start to communicate through baby sign language, click here to visit the BabySigns™ website.

There are many situations where you can ‘talk’ with your young baby.

Reading:

Look through picture books together and sign the names of animals and foods. Watch her point to animals and tell you exactly what she sees. If she points to an animal and looks at you for guidance, say the animal’s name and then look up the sign in your Sign Language Dictionary, so she can ’say’ the animal’s name back to you.

Grocery Store Trips:

During a walk through the store, your baby can tell you she sees “balloons”, “dogs” or “cats” if you walk through the pet aisle, “flowers”, “books” and so much more.

Videos:

Sit with your baby and watch a video together. Sign the different objects as they come on the screen.

Zoo trip:

Point to the animals as you walk past, say and sign their names. You’ll be amazed when your baby signs back to you.

Songs:

Old favorite songs like “Old McDonald” are perfect for signing. Or find a new Children’s CD to sing and sign with.

Games:

Put toys under a blanket or behind your back and ask the baby to find them. Simple words to sign are “ball”, “phone”, “hat”, or “book”.

We have been given a gift that our parents didn’t have — the tools to communicate with our preverbal babies and toddlers. The opportunities are endless.

Need an ASL dictionary? This one is great! Random House Webster’s Concise American Sign Language Dictionary.

Nicole Dean is the owner of http://www.showkidsthefun.com/baby.html , a fun resource for parents to spend time with their children. Nicole also enjoys sharing her knowledge of baby signing with other mothers so they can have the same fantastic experience that she did.

Article Source: www.ladypens.com

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Hands2Talk, December 10th 2005 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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