Creative Signing by Christy Edwards

It is such a wonderful thing when a parent chooses to include American Sign Language in their baby's daily routine. There is much information documented about the benefits of teaching Baby Sign Language to your infant (e.g. brain development, earlier speech development, higher I.Q. etc.) since it is becoming increasingly popular among new parents.

Since Baby Sign Language increases the infant's brain development by involving both sides of the brain, why not enhance the signing experience even further by incorporating the senses as well?

“How?” you ask?

Babies enjoy using their senses when processing new information. For instance, when a baby picks up a toy, book, or block for the first time, what do they do? They look at it. Then what do they usually do? They put it in their mouths. They've just incorporated three senses: sight, taste, and touch. Babies enjoy incorporating as many senses as they can.

This applies to signing as well. The more creative you can be with your signing, the more the babies will enjoy it. The more the babies enjoy it, the more they will learn. The more they learn, the more they will experience the benefits of signing.

An example of this would be the sign for “airplane.” I always recommend using books to assist in reinforcing signs since they can be so helpful. However, if you are reading a book about airplanes and you are doing the sign, the baby will eventually learn the sign; however, it will be out of sheer memorization.

It would be better to teach that particular sign by actually pointing out an airplane flying overhead to your baby and then do the sign. Allow the baby to watch what the airplane does. If a baby can “experience” the sign with other senses (sight, sound, etc.), it will be easier for him to remember it and make the connection between the sign and what it represents. Then you can always follow that up with an airplane book as a way to “continue the conversation” at home.

Signing should be fun for both you and your baby and the more senses you incorporate the more fun you'll both have. So get out there with your baby and start discovering the world, one sign at a time.

This article was written by Christy Edwards, a wife, mother of two signing children, and a Baby Sign Language Specialist. She conducts local Baby & Toddler Sign Language workshops in NC and makes Baby Sign Language training available on her website. To learn more, visit http://www.babysigningstars.com.