Please join me in welcoming Miss M. and her family to Signing Smart!
This curious little girl had a blast playing and singing and signing with us, and even started using a few new signs during our class!
I'm excited to see where the Signing Smart journey takes this family - may it grant you many fun and exciting new memories!
My goal is to inspire you today. Most of my posts are intended to inspire your journey to early communication and long-term learning using American Sign Language via the Signing Smart program. However, I also want to inspire you to be the best parent, grandparent, family member, friend, or caregiver of young children possible. Make today great!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
How Long Must I Wait?
As with anything, signing with your baby takes time. It takes time for you to learn the signs you want to incorporate into your life. It takes time for your baby understand when you are signing to him. It takes time for your baby to start signing back.
This is, of course, completely logical and should be expected if you stop to think about it. Development is change over time. No time, no change. It certainly doesn't make it any more fun to wait for that exciting first sign or other milestone to show up, though!
The younger your child is when you start signing with him/her, the longer it will take until he or she signs back. In my family, we started signing with each boy less than a week after they were born. We saw a first sign from each boy around four and half months - a wait of about 16 weeks. Families who start signing with a 6 month old might will typically see a first sign in about 10 weeks. Those who wait until baby is a year old might see a sign the same day, and usually within 2 weeks. No matter how long it is, though, that wait can be excruciating.
It's important to remind yourself of the great things you're doing for your whole family by allowing a venue for early communication and long term learning such as American Sign Language. "Keep your eye on the prize" as they say. Sometimes, it's still tempting to be impatient - it's definitely more fun and more exciting when baby understands you, and when he uses signs to let you know what he needs and what he's interested in. Their enthusiasm is incredibly contagious!
This is, of course, completely logical and should be expected if you stop to think about it. Development is change over time. No time, no change. It certainly doesn't make it any more fun to wait for that exciting first sign or other milestone to show up, though!
The younger your child is when you start signing with him/her, the longer it will take until he or she signs back. In my family, we started signing with each boy less than a week after they were born. We saw a first sign from each boy around four and half months - a wait of about 16 weeks. Families who start signing with a 6 month old might will typically see a first sign in about 10 weeks. Those who wait until baby is a year old might see a sign the same day, and usually within 2 weeks. No matter how long it is, though, that wait can be excruciating.
It's important to remind yourself of the great things you're doing for your whole family by allowing a venue for early communication and long term learning such as American Sign Language. "Keep your eye on the prize" as they say. Sometimes, it's still tempting to be impatient - it's definitely more fun and more exciting when baby understands you, and when he uses signs to let you know what he needs and what he's interested in. Their enthusiasm is incredibly contagious!
How did you help yourself remain focused and patient while waiting to see your baby's Signing Smart milestones emerge?
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Welcome New Families!
I would like to give a big warm welcome to the newest additions to the Signing Smart Family. 3 fantastic families have taken the leap to learn how to provide the little ones in their lives with the gift of early communication and long term learning.
On behalf of the entire Signing Smart family, welcome! Congratulations on choosing an exciting and beneficial approach to communication with your children. Remember: it doesn't matter if your signs look like perfect copies of the pictures in your dictionary. You are giving your children the gift of communication, and if communication is happening, you're doing it exactly right!
On behalf of the entire Signing Smart family, welcome! Congratulations on choosing an exciting and beneficial approach to communication with your children. Remember: it doesn't matter if your signs look like perfect copies of the pictures in your dictionary. You are giving your children the gift of communication, and if communication is happening, you're doing it exactly right!
What is the best advice or support you would lend to families new to signing with their infants and toddlers?
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