How to Speak Baby

Well, February was not as productive here as I had hoped, but on to March, and hopefully some increased productivity!

In the course of my work, we are taking a lot of new classes, and learning a lot of new and really cool things.  One of the classes talked about looking more in depth on how we teach more, and making sure to plan activities and opportunities to cover a broader range of developmental areas.

Before I go into all the ins and outs, and ups and downs, of child development and get way to technical for everyone, I want to mention how taking some of these classes made me remember one of the first child care teacher classes I got to take.  The topic was Infant Sign Language- and from that class, I was hooked.  I mean, a way to talk to babies so they can reciprocate?  How cool is that!?

There are numerous studies that show that an infant develops their receptive language months ahead of their expressive language.  They can smile and coo, they can understand that they are hungry or need a diaper, but their vocal chords are just not developed enough to tell you that they need milk or a change.  All they can do is fuss and cry, and hope that you are able to figure out the cue and respond to what they are asking for.

And here is where Infant Sign Language (ISL) comes in so very handy.  Around 6-10 months, children learn to connect a gesture with meaning.  When you play peek a boo, or pat a cake, or even "So Big!", your child is learning to associate those gestures with specific meanings.  And when they learn to clap when you say "Yay!" or wave when you say "Bye bye!", they are taking that a step further by connecting the gestures with specific responses on your part.  This is the ideal time to really focus on teaching some basic signs to your child.  You can use the American (or whatever your local signing dialect is) Sign Language, or you can make up your own.  If you use your own signs, just make sure that all the other care giving adults in your child's life are able to recognize the signs as well.  It helps your provider and family encourage your efforts, and just makes things easier for your child.

The first six signs that I teach at the Center are eat, more, all done, milk, please, and diaper.  To me, these are the most important things for an infant to be able to communicate to their caregivers.

All Done

We use all done mostly when the children are eating.  If they seem like they are finished, we ask them if they are all done, while doing the sign.  If they don't continue to eat, we will gently take their hands and help them approximate the sign, then begin to clean them up.

Diaper

The sign for diaper is a great cue for diaper changes.  I tell the child "Time for a diaper change." while making the sign, then follow through with the change.

Eat

I think that eat is one of the quickest signs learned.  You can use it any time that you are going to offer food or drink, though I do teach milk as well, to let the children differentiate when they are getting a bottle or solid foods.

Milk

Milk is a great one for infants who are only getting bottles of breast milk or formula, but also for children who are getting whole milk (or an alternative) out of a cup.  Like eat, it is a great way for them to let you know what they need without having to get all the way to upset and crying.

More

More is definitely another favorite.  I love to teach it for the children who develop the habit of hitting or kicking a tray to demand their next bite of a meal.  It's just much easier on the chair. :)  We also will use it if we are playing with the children, to help them let us know when they want more interaction, another book or song, or just more time with someone or something.

Please

I know that please is kind of an abstract concept at the infant stage, but I feel that it is important for children to get a foundation of knowing that there is a better way to ask for something than simply demanding what they want without learning that politeness.

There are so many resources out there if you are looking for support in getting started with ISL.  A couple that I like are:  Baby Signs and Sign 2 Me.  Both have a lot of prompts, flash cards, and information to get you started.  But you really don't need much.  Just an idea of what signs you want to teach, a source to learn those (images.bing.com is great!), and a baby to work with.  :)  Patience, persistence, and consistency are the main keys.  Before you know it, you will be fluently speaking "Baby" with your little one!