Speaking Without Talking
Your baby’s crying can be frustrating when you aren’t sure what she wants. Teaching your baby sign language is a way to communicate with her before she can speak.
“Most children don’t start speaking in phrases until 18 months to 2 years of age,” says Lacey Hall, MS, CCC-SLP, speech language pathologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Baby sign language helps communication begin at an earlier age.”
Showing the Signs
You can begin teaching baby sign language when your child shows signs that he is ready to communicate with you. There are several actions that show your baby is ready to begin communicating, including:
- making eye contact
- pointing
- showing interest in picture books
When your child is ready to begin, choose signs you want to teach her. Sign words should be words used in your daily routine. Every time you do something that has a matching sign, use the sign and speak the word.
Start by teaching your child one or two words. Once he begins to use the signs, you can start teaching more signs. Always pair the sign with the spoken word when modeling for your baby. This helps form a bridge to verbal communication. Don’t be discouraged if your baby doesn’t start signing immediately. It can take weeks or months for your child to begin using sign language.
Benefits of Baby Signing
Jackie Ferman-Grothe, mother of two children, learned about baby sign language from a friend. She decided to use baby sign language with her son to prevent some of the frustration that occurs when a parent and baby can’t communicate.
“Baby sign language is a great opportunity for children to share their thoughts,” Ferman-Grothe says. “It helped with my son’s temperament because he knew how to sign for what he wanted.”
Baby sign language often helps reduce the number of tantrums children have. Creating a way for your baby to speak with you will make him less frustrated.
Baby sign language can also help develop your child’s future speaking skills. According to Hall, children who learn baby sign language typically have a bigger vocabulary when they begin speaking than children who don’t sign.
