American Sign Language Communication

Even as an adult, learning American Sign Language (ASL) isn't difficult. Teaching a baby to use the signs for certain words is simple, too. Just like babies pick up Peek-a-Boo, blowing kisses, or waving bye-bye, they learn that moving their hands in a particular motion means something, too. While this all sounds awesome, here are a few things to keep in mind...

Do's and Don'ts of Teaching ASL

Do

  1. Introduce Signs for relevant words one at a time.
  2. Demonstrate the Sign several times with the spoken word, each time you use it.
  3. Be consistent! If you want your child to learn sign, YOU have to use sign.
  4. Give positive feedback and praise when your child uses signs to identify objects or ask for something.

Don't

  1. Be afraid to start introducing signs too early. 
  2. Use signs without speaking the word, or pointing to the object that you're naming.
  3. Expect your child to start signing immediately, some things take time, and some kids don't sign at all.
  4. Demand that your child use signs all the time. Little brains can only handle "so much" stimuli at once.

Lucas Signing

Here are some videos of Lucas using ASL to sign some of the words he knows. Lucas was about 10 months old when he really began using signs to communicate, and now that he's been practicing and watching Baby Signing Time, he's become quite efficient.

My Smart Hands - Online Signing Resource

Learning sign isn't that difficult, if you put your mind to it. There are a lot of FREE resources online that can assist you in learning how to sign and My Smart Hands is a pretty awesome one!