Baby Sign language

[nickilubs]

I would love to teach Ivy baby signing, what age can you start it from where they will pick up and start to remember? And does anyone know of any good websites that show the signs and a guide on how to teach or do you have to buy it? Thanks xx

 

[daftscotslass]

Squig is a good one to ask about baby signing. We use Makaton (www.makaton.org) signs mostly because I use it at work though I do use Squig's sign for milk because it's easier. I tend to sign out of habit (even to adults ) though I don't know if I'm consistent enough with it.

I don't really know what Becky's absorbing at this stage (almost 6 months) but hoping something will come of it soon.

We'd been going to classes but stopped for a while because I was a bit miffed at the fact other children were throwing things around, they kept hitting Becky and parents did nothing. We'll go again when she's bigger.

 

[maria1976]

Im still not sure about baby signing, im 50/50. I think maybe babies have enough to learn anyway at this point. Correct me im wrong, i just don;t know too much about it. Squig come and explain

 

[clarey]

I have been signing 'milk' and 'sleep' to Eva since she was born and she has been signing milk to me for about 6 weeks now, which comes in handy! Its really amazing i think, I am using a lot more signs now but its hard to be consistent and so far she hasnt done any others back to me. My hope is she will get less frustrated since she can communicate before her speech develops

 

[Squiglet]

I start around 4 months... before then its just a waste of time... They aren't capable of understanding you or words... but by 4 months they start getting the idea. Don't expect them to produce any signs before 6 months though. There appears to be an intellectual leap at that age where they grasp the idea that you use a certain sign when doing a certain things, so they will start trying out the signs in order to get what they want.

Persistence is the key with signs. If you don't use the signs all the time, then the baby just won't get it. Everyone waves goodbye and points to things, but these are basically signs... but because everyone uses them all the time, babies pick them up really quickly.

Makaton is really good But some of the signs are a bit complicated for babies to grasp as they don't have the same finger dexterity. So I use a couple of ASL (American Sign Language.) http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

Someone on the forum was going to use these ... http://www.babysign.co.uk/Shop.html And buy their online course.... But I can't say how good it was...and can't remember who

I cannot express how much pride I get though from seeing my daughter sign to me or how much it makes me feel great when I know exactly what shes getting at (or bad when she signs for biscuit and shes not allowed one or when she wants me to stop cleaning her sore snotty nose and tells me all done... and I feel mean ) I'm desperate to get some footage of it...but every time I do... lil miss tries to go for the camera...

 

[Bee]

Squig is a good one to ask about baby signing. We use Makaton (http://www.makaton.org) signs mostly because I use it at work though I do use Squig's sign for milk because it's easier. I tend to sign out of habit (even to adults ) though I don't know if I'm consistent enough with it.

I don't really know what Becky's absorbing at this stage (almost 6 months) but hoping something will come of it soon.

We'd been going to classes but stopped for a while because I was a bit miffed at the fact other children were throwing things around, they kept hitting Becky and parents did nothing. We'll go again when she's bigger.

I'll come with you

I'm interesting in baby signing too

 

[kalia]

The website for bbc's Something Special has signs and stuff.

 

[pilkers]

I go to Tiny Talk classes with Evie. So far she hasn't signed at me yet but she definitely knows the sign for milk because when I do the sign she goes bonkers!

I decided to stick to a few basic signs that I think both myself and Evie will benefit from. At class they teach us the sign for monkey and things like that...tbh I'm not sure when either me or Evie will need to use the sign for monkey

 

[nickilubs]

How do you get the babe to connect the sign with the item do you show them it and then do the sign?

 

[pilkers]

yeah...when I give her the milk I do the sign for milk... when I give her food/drink I give her those signs as I offer the food/drink.

Now I can do the signs without having the objects in my hand and she will recognise them. she def knows the milk one!

 

[daftscotslass]

It's also important to remember that you use the spoken word as well as the sign so they make that association. There's a kid at my work who uses Makaton that always corrects my signs by shoving my hands into the right position

 

[Squiggle]

I have bought the course from http://www.babysign.co.uk/Shop.html and it seems ok, although Chicken is a bit young at the moment. I just concentrate on the sign for milk at the moment. I will start introducing others when she is a bit older.

xxx

 

[widowwadman]

There was something in the garuniad about baby-signing the other day, which is as funny, as it is a reason to stay away from it:

There's another story about the rude signed version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. At some baby signing classes recently, teachers who were not very skilled in BSL made up a sign for the word "diamond" which looked a lot like the BSL for vagina. So they wound up signing not "Like a diamond in the sky", but "Like a vagina in the sky".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/ ... -variation

In general, since sign languages are full languages in themselves, and I think parents should stick to their native languages with their kids as to not confuse them and teach them something wrong (they'd be never as fluent as native signers).

 

[daftscotslass]

In general, since sign languages are full languages in themselves, and I think parents should stick to their native languages with their kids as to not confuse them and teach them something wrong (they'd be never as fluent as native signers).

There's nothing "confusing" about signing at all. Research has shown that babies who sign and are signed to are often quicker to speak and have a wider vocabulary due to the fact that the words are reinforced repeatedly in speech in addition to the sign. Babies have the motor skills to cope with signs before they can cope with spoken language meaning that knowing some simple signs reduces frustration as they can communicate basic needs.

To be honest, who really cares if the sign invented for "diamond" looks like the BSL sign for "vagina"? The Makaton sign for toilet involves rubbing your middle finger against your chest and none of the 7 and 8 year olds I ever helped teach Makaton to found it remotely amusing or offensive, it was just a simple sign. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[widowwadman]

I think I didn't make my point very clear - what I wanted to say is that using sign languages with babies when not being a native signer (as in user of BSL, ASL, DGS or such like languages), is the same as speaking to a child into a non-native language, which usually is discouraged, for the reason that a non-native speaker will never get it quite right and therefore pass on mistakes to their children's language, signed or spoken. For the same reason I won't speak English to my child for example, as I'm not a native speaker.

Makaton seems to be a different type of signing, having googled it now, and I don't know enough about it, I must admit. However, I think trying BSL or any other "full" sign language is probably not a good idea.

Btw, I'm a bit surprised by the claim that babies would have the "motor skills" for signing before the competence to cope with spoken language. This seems to be in contrast to a lot what I've learned about first language acquisition, which suggests that native signers of e.g. BSL produce their first word around 12 months of age, which is not massively different to the first spoken words, and that signing babies go through a signed "babbling" stage just as hearing children would go through a spoken babbling stage. I need to read more about this Makaton stuff to make up my mind, but currently I remain sceptical

 

[Terrie]

a baby signing thread!

we have been signing with Rhys for about a year now and he signs LOADS of words *he can only say around 8 words) i absolutely LOVE it!!!

we have Something Special recording all the time on Sky+ lol and we watch it every day and learn new signs.

we are also starting a sing and sign course on saturday so that will be fun!

SIGNS RHYS CAN DO AT 21MONTHS:

hello
how are you
thankyou
please
no
yes
hat
scarf
gloves
coat
cheese
bread
sausages
toys
teddy
big
small
flower
where
what
baby
nappy
cow
sheep
bird
duck
bag
boy
good
girl
brother
sign


im sure there are more!

 

[Squiglet]

im sure there are more!

Tbh... there probably is Lil miss does several signs but I have no idea what they are yet I worked out one today...well... she keeps hitting her head, today she said papa while doing it and papa has been off work for a week on holiday and I think she was missing him... And now shes been doing it all day... She makes sign assimilations, which takes me a while to figure out

But your LO's signs are fab Tessy...

 

[Terrie]

rhys signed 'cold' tonight

i hadnt even tought him that!!



i love it when he signs to me

its so fab that your daughter signs to you too

 

[Rubys mummy]

Wow Tezzy, thats fantastic

Ruby ADORES something special, we also tape it for her and we watch at least 4 episodes a day ..the first thing she says every morning when she comes into our room for her morning drink is "Justin!"

She is only just starting really to sign now-she can do:

Pink
Orange
Eat
Ice Cream
Sick

Funny wods really she has picked up, but she defo is trying!!

I think its fab! Its a great way to interact with her, and fun too! We treat is as another form of play

 

[Terrie]

omg thats great!!