You wouldn’t begin a journey without a map and you shouldn’t begin your “baby signing journey” without a plan. You’ve heard how great Baby Sign Language is for your baby. You know all about the short term and long term benefits that you and your baby will experience by incorporating American Sign Language into your routine. Now what? How do you get from the “learning about it stage” to the “signing success” stage?

First stop…planning. Sit down with a pen, paper, and all the ideas you have in your head about signing. What you are about to do is the “key to your ignition” and the “guardrail to your highway,” so to speak. You are about to plan! Planning is a two-part process: establish your mission and set your goals.

To establish your mission, you must ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish by teaching my baby Sign Language?” Do you want your baby to become fluent in American Sign Language or do you simply want to give your baby a way to communicate his needs with you before he can speak?

Once you’ve answered the first question, you can sit down and set a few goals. This step is highly personal as it can only be done by you. Sit down and imagine what baby signing should look like for your family.  Should it be recreational where your baby primarily learns fun signs like animals, colors, etc.? Should it be practical where your baby learns signs to help him communicate needs, such as “eat,” “more,” “no touch,“ “hurt,“ etc.? Should it be an even mixture between fun signs and practical signs? Only you can decide how signing will be used for your family, but this step must not be skipped as it will be your guide and will help to keep you on track. However, you’ll quickly learn that a heavy dose of flexibility will serve you well on your journey.

Once you have your plan of action in place, you will then begin teaching signs according to your plan of action. By following this process, you’ll quickly be on the road to signing success and you will enjoy yourself along the way. Enjoy the planning, enjoy the journey, and enjoy the benefits!

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.