As is usual with this type of thing the idea of Baby Signing started in
America.
However, sign language is not new. Deaf people have been using sign
language for hundreds of years and on 18th March 2003 BSL (British Sign
Language) became an official language in Britain.
Names you may associate with baby signing are Joseph Garcia, Dr. Linda
Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn. All of whom studied and developed
communication via signing with babies. They have written books, made DVD's
and videos and other literature.
What is baby signing?
Baby signing is an easy-to-learn system of sign language that has its basis in
stories and rhymes like ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’. The hand movements in these
songs enables young children to participate even though they can’t sing the
words. Baby signing is a natural extension of the everyday gestures we all use
to communicate - such as waving and pointing.
Children learn through repetition, a principle that forms the basis of baby
signing. Parents who use signing with their babies tend to repeat words,
verbally and with signs, more than those who only speak to their babies. So
while a non-signing parent may only ask their child, ‘Do you want more?’, a
signing parent will combine the sign for ‘more’ with the questions: ‘Do
you want more? More? Okay, I’ll give you more.’
What can baby signing achieve?
The main benefit of baby signing is improved communication between you and your
baby. This advantage cannot be overestimated: it sets a good foundation for your
child’s self-expression and will stand her in good stead for the rest of her
life. Baby signing also empowers your child to tell you what is wrong instead of
screaming, whining or crying. It can even enable babies to play a part in
problem-solving.
What do you do at HandyTalk classes?
Our courses run for 10 weeks. At the beginning of each class we learn some
basic signs, such as milk, nappy change, hungry, food, drink, etc. Then we
spend around 1/2 an hour singing nursery rhymes and using keyword signs in those
nursery rhymes. We also use musical instruments that the babies can shake
and bang, "If you're happy and you know it" is my favourite for this
one. We can also get energetic at times and stomp around the room, this
works well for "The Grand Old Duke of York". Everyone is then
ready for some refreshment after this so we have coffee, tea and squash as well
as biscuits.
Over the course of 10 weeks we hope that parents will learn around 150
words. Some of these will be practical words that can be repeated during
everyday use by parent and child. These words should be shared with other
family members and care givers so that the child will find it easier to
communicate with all care givers that they come in contact with.
The cost of the course is £40 per family. If you want to pay-as-you-go
each session is £4.50. This price is per family not per child or per
adult so if you have 2 under 2's or mum and dad want to come along you can all learn together for the same
price. When I first learned baby
signing it was with my daughter and granddaughter.
Where do you get the signs from?
Most of the signs are standard signs from BSL, although some of them have been
amended in order for little hands to cope with them. This means that if
your child continues with sign language when they get older their signs will be
able to be recognised by other BSL users.
There are some Interesting Articles collected from books and websites listed
below on the advantages of baby signing, history and personal stories.
Interesting articles on Baby Signing
