Teaching Babies Sign Language
How to Begin Signing With Your Baby

Are you READY to start signing?

Teaching Babies Sign Language: Let's Go!

Okay, you are ready to begin signing with your baby...good for you! How, though, do you begin? Teaching babies sign language is pretty easy. All you need to do is learn some basic words in sign language (check out our sign language chart to get a quick start) and use them routinely throughout your day as you interact with your baby. Well, there is a little bit more to it than that, but learning a few signs and getting accustomed to using them routinely is a good place start!

Teaching Babies Sign Language - How Many Words to Start?

If you are wondering how many signs you should start with there is not a clear, cut answer since there is not a limit on how many signs your baby can be exposed to at once. If you think about it, for most babies of deaf parents, sign language is commonly their first language. They are exposed to sign language as much as hearing babies are exposed to spoken language. Therefore, you can use as many signs as you know and teach your baby signs at a rate that is best for you both. As a guideline, however, the general consensus is to start off with maybe two or three signs that have meaning to your baby, and add signs as you become more accustomed to signing. This is primarily so that you can get comfortable using signs without feeling overwhelmed. Learning sign language should definitely not be an overwhelming experience for you or your baby so take it slow and introduce signs to your baby as you become familiar with them.

So which signs should you use? The most common signs to start with are milk, more and eat. That does not mean you have to choose these as your first signs, they are simply what many parents start with because they are very easy to learn/remember and are the things very young babies fuss about most. To help motivate your baby to sign, pick one or two things that seem particularly appealing to your baby and teach him the signs for these objects along with any needs based signs. These are called motivating signs and will be discussed in greater detail next.

Routine and Motivating Signs

When teaching babies sign language, the signs we use with baby can be categorized into two groups we'll call routine and motivating. Routine signs are those that serve a need like HUNGRY, THIRSTY, HURT, and SLEEPY. Routine signs can be further described as words we grown-ups want our babies to sign. While they are certainly useful in helping us determine what our baby needs, they are rarely that interesting to baby. The signs EAT, MORE, and MILK generally fall into this category, although if your baby really loves his milk or to eat, they could also be quite motivating as well!

Motivating signs are signs for words your baby finds interesting and wants to communicate about. Your baby's desire to "talk" about these items with you is what will capture her attention as you sign these to her and will motivate her eventually produce them herself.

When you begin signing with your baby, make sure to use a mixture of routine and motivating signs. This will ensure that your baby has the means to not only help him express his basic needs, but also the ability to initiate the conversations he most wants to "talk" about with you.

Facial Expressions

Babies are attracted to action and movement and react to animated faces. The use of facial expressions in sign language is very important and can be hugely beneficial in teaching abstract feelings to your baby. Sometimes it is hard enough for grown-ups to convey emotions like sadness or anger so it is not hard to imagine how challenging this might be for young children. Making the sign that represents an emotion along with the corresponding facial expression puts visual emphasis on the feeling making it easier to grasp its meaning.

You can teach emotive signs to baby by using facial expressions when you are pretend playing or during story time, i.e. that little girl in the book looks so sad. Be an actress or actor and have fun with it, but also be real and use signs in context. If your baby is sad, say to him, "You look SAD" while making the sign for sad with a sad facial expression. Or if he's angry because he can't have a cookie, you can say, "I see you are ANGRY (sign angry with the appropriate facial expression) because you want a cookie..." By using signs and facial expressions together with words, you are not only teaching your baby the signs for emotions, but also helping him identify his feeling while at the same time acknowledging your understanding of how he feels in that particular moment.

In closing, when teaching babies sign language, try to remember to use signs as part of your daily routine. Once you have chosen your initial signs, use them every time it is appropriate, i.e. if milk is one of your first words, sign MILK each time you give your baby milk. As you add new words, use them consistently and frequently. When you give your baby a drink, sign DRINK. When it's bath time, sign BATH, you get the idea. If you are consistent in using signs with everyday interactions, your baby will soon make the connection between the signs and the actions or objects they represent and will be signing up a storm in no time at all!

Teaching Babies Sign Language: How to Begin Signing With Your Baby - End