There is confusion about the concept of signing with little ones. Baby Sign Language is not the exact same concept as Sign Language for those hearing impaired.

Rebelo defines Baby Sign Language as the practice of combining the vocabulary of American Sign Language with spoken words to increase early communication with preverbal, hearing babies (L. Robelo, (2018) Baby Sign Language Made Easy).

Signing with your baby involves doing a sign or hand gesture ALONG with speaking the word at the same time. You are modeling the sign and speaking the word simultaneously. That is to say, your baby is learning with hand gestures while hearing the word. A fascinating component of baby development is the fact that babies cognitively understand words and language before their voice box is developed enough to speak the words. That is where the hand gestures create the opportunity to communicate with your baby before they are able to speak words. Most importantly, it is CRITICAL that you always SPEAK and SIGN words at the same time.

One might ask “Will I hinder or slow down the development of my baby’s speech if I sign with her?”

No. In fact, research shows that signing with your baby will increase vocabulary and language skills. Sign Language is another type of language. In a sense, your baby is becoming bilingual by learning to sign AND speak words as a baby and toddler.

Research supports bilingual students have a higher IQ. When in the classroom teaching, it was amazing to observe how quickly the non-English speaking little ones were able to grasp the English language when entering public school and coming from a home where the primary language was not English. Many of these students perform exceptionally well throughout grade school.

Are you thinking “I do not have time to learn sign language much less teach it to my baby?”.

Learning Baby Sign Language is not complicated. You are not learning sentence structure or such with Sign Language. You are simply learning a few vocabulary words at a time and incorporating them into your daily lives. The signs are simple and easy to do.

Do you want to learn more about signing with your baby? Click here to get access to your free Quickstart Guide to Baby Sign Language.

Get started today! The time is now… your baby needs you!

_________________________________________________________________

Roblero, L. (2018) Baby Sign Language Made Easy. Emeryville, CA: Rockbridge Press.