Babies absorb a TON of information on a daily basis. All this stimulus can be both exciting and overwhelming for babies, which is why it’s a good idea to teach your little one how to sign. Since hand-eye coordination develops before the acquisition of verbal skills, infants can learn simple signs for common words such as “eat”, “sleep”, “more”, “hug”, “play”, “cookie”, and even “teddy bear” before they are able to produce understandable speech. Early communication sets the foundation for accelerated learning, reduces frustration and can create a closer bond between parent and child.
Here are some great resources for getting to know the basics of baby sign language:
A handy (and free) chart you can download and print with some useful basics:
My Baby Can Talk’s YouTube channel has all sorts of visual tutorials on baby sign language. Check it out HERE.
My First Signs is a playful and educational book that will surely get your little one signing up a storm. Available on Amazon.
For families interested in learning more about signing, this fall, we’ll be hosting a class with the Portland Early Learning Project. Check out their website HERE.