should you teach your baby sign language?
We have been signing to our baby since he was about 3 or 4 months old. He is now almost 15 months and is JUST starting to sign back to us! It has been a journey but so worth it in my opinion. I have to say, it has been incredibly helpful to know that he can understand basic words and phrases when paired with signs. In some cases, he can tell us what he wants. I know as he moves further into toddlerhood and perfects some more signs, I will be so grateful to have that communication with him along with the few words he knows.
I decided to do some research on the benefits of teaching babies American Sign Language (ASL) and give you some resources I use with my little one!
Why teach your baby ASL?
“Baby sign language is an effective way to help your child communicate, allowing your non-verbal little one to express his needs before he knows how to use words.” - What To Expect
It might seem obvious that it could be beneficial to teach your little one sign language. They obviously are able to communicate with their bodies before their language and speech are fully developed, so that makes sense. Babies already tend to use gestures when they want something - pointing, waving, dancing, shaking their heads. Encouraging them to use their bodies and learn simple gestures helps them communicate with adults and caretakers.
Toddlers are learning so many new skills at once - how to walk, talk, socialize, cope with big feelings and communicate. By giving your baby another avenue of communication as an option, such as ASL, they might have less tantrums and less frustration when telling you their needs. Toddlers are very independent and want to do things on their own. Signing also gives them the power to advocate for themselves which is an important skill later in life!
I decided early on I would like my son to learn as many signs as possible, so every time I mentioned a certain word, I would do the sign with it and repeat it a few times, even as young as 3 months. For example, whenever he is finished with an activity, snack or meal, I say “all done” and show the sign with emphasis on the phrase, making eye contact with him. I will say it and sign 2-3 times to get that repetition in so he can connect the two in his mind. It has taken a while for him to develop the fine motor skills to do some of these simple signs, but all of our hard work is starting to pay off! It is so exciting!
Here are some signs I have been doing with my son since he was a tiny baby. These photos come from www.babysignlanguage.com. It is an awesome resource with explanations of the sign, an image, flash cards and a video! See some screenshots below!