I took American Sign Language classes in college. I knew children could communicate with signs and it was becoming fairly common to teach babies and toddlers. Some benefits of teaching your baby to sign are clearer communication, less frustration when you try to figure out what your child wants, and forming a closer bond with your child.
There are DVDs and videos online you could watch with your child to learn the signs. I didn’t choose that method as we limit screen time with Weston. Instead, I just taught him signs as they came to us. I only focused on a couple at a time until he knew them and then I would introduce a couple more.
The first sign Weston learned was for “milk”. I remember my husband thought I was crazy for trying to teach a 13-month-old sign language. Weston walked up to him one day and signed for milk before he could speak the word. My husband’s face lit up and he admitted he was shocked that Weston picked up on that.
I never focused on getting the signs perfect. Instead, there are a couple Weston has his own version for, like “more”. Weston’s sign for “more” is just his index fingers touching, and the rest of his fingers spread out (pictured). Normally, this sign would have all the fingers touching.
Some other signs Weston picked up on easily were “mommy”, “daddy”, “all done”, “shower” and “dog”.
If you teach your baby sign language, I would suggest starting with signs for things they do or interact with daily. For example, if you don’t have a dog, or if your child doesn’t see a dog regularly, I would skip that sign until they are older. But if your child loves books and you read a lot, I would show the sign for “book” every time you read. To teach this sign, I would ask Weston if he wanted to read a book and show him the sign as I said the word. I would also show him the sign when he was holding a book or when he brought me a book, and he would connect the sign to the object.
I started habitually with Weston at 13 months. Before then, it was mostly signs for “milk” and “book”. He seems to pick up on more now that he’s two. I do know mom’s who have started their babies with sign language at around six months, and that’s great too. If your baby is that young and has no interest in it after a while, I would wait until they are older.
If you are reading this and thinking “Oh crap! My child is 4 and I wish we did this a long time ago!” it’s not too late. Kids can start at any age. There are benefits for children learning sign language that include brain development, language development, and confidence. Maybe one day your child will come across another child who communicates exclusively with sign language and they will make a new friend.
