The In's & Out's Of BSL
When to start signing with baby?You can start signing whenever you want!
Most will sign when baby is between 6/8 months old because they have better sight and start Gross Motor Skills development (hand coordination). I started when my son was 2 months old, however I know mothers that started to sign much later (older than 1 year old) and the toddlers are great signers! Babies develop at different rates and will start signing at different times. Some will pick it up quickly and others will start a bit later. I recommend to start signing early so that it becomes well integrated in your daily communication. The question is not really when to start but rather to keep motivated and understand that this works and it will give you results, no matter how early or late you start. Babies are eager to share their world with us and will pick up on this amazing new communication tool. |
How to sign to baby?5 easy steps on how to sign to baby.
It is important to have baby's full attention and establish eye contact. Let's imagine you want to teach the sign for "milk". Once you have baby's attention: 1. Ask baby if s/he wants "milk" 2. Sign "milk" to baby 3. Give milk to baby 4. While feeding baby, sign "milk" 5. After feeding baby, sign "milk" & Voila, You have done your first successful signing to baby! |
How to teach signs to baby?Tips for baby to master the signs!
Teaching signs is incredibly easy. Our babies love physical contact so don't be shy. A. Use baby's hands to sign B. Use your body or baby's (sign "dad" on baby's head) C. Slow the tempo AND exaggerate motions to make it easier for baby to understand and copy. D. ALWAYS speak & sign E. DO NOT insist or force baby in any way F. But REPEAT, repeat & repeat! Remember signing has to be FUN for you & baby. If not, change the dynamic but do not give up. |
Bilingual or Multilingual Family? This is for you!BSL as a bridge to ALL languages you use at home & outside.
Parents are sometimes confused as to which language introduce first to their child. When you and your partner do not speak the same language and you use a third language to communicate it can be messy! We were in the same situation. I am bilingual French/ Portuguese my husband is Norwegian. We communicate in English and we are expats. Which means we move countries quite a lot. For families like ours there is often a discussion regarding which language to speak to the children. We have used BSL as a bridge between all the languages we speak. Once baby knows a sign it does not matter the language you speak to your child; the sign for "milk" will always be understood as "milk". We have even gone a step further as I teach other languages to my son using sign language, so he understands much much faster and learning has become a fun game! I completely recommend this to bilingual and multilingual families, it is the best! |
5 Signing Development StagesSo, how do you know you are on the right track?
When you start signing to baby you expect results to be ...let's tell the truth... immediate! And when it does not come that fast, you start wondering. Is this the right method? Am I doing it right? What is wrong with my baby? Nothing is wrong with you or your baby! Learning BSL is a method that requires consistency, repetition and a lot of patience. Here are 5 stages of signing development to help you keep track: 1. RECOGNITION Baby appreciates that the signs come in repetitively and pays particular attention to your signing. For example if baby follows your hands with his eyes. 2.IMITATION Baby imitates signs that s/he observes you doing. If baby tries to mimic you, good, encourage as much as you can. 3. UNDERSTANDING Baby understands the meaning of the signs. Congratulations! you are half way through :) 4. INITIATION Baby makes a sign by himself in order to initiate communication. For example baby sees a bird and signs "bird" 5. COMBINATION Baby joins 2 or 3 signs to create sentences. For example if baby signs "drink & water" or "red & ball" For each stage there is a time of mastering that parents have to respect. You cannot expect baby to go from stage 1 to stage 4 in a very short period of time. Your baby needs time to: A. Understand that this is a communication method B. Understand what you are trying to say to him. "what are you talking about mommy?" C. Because baby is starting to develop Gross Motor Skills (GMS) it takes time for him to move hands. But fear not, BSL develops MUCH FASTER than speech and you will be able to communicate MUCH EARLIER than if you just wait for them to start speaking. So hang in there and just keep doing what you do best; being a loving and caring parent for your child! |
Where to sign with baby?Should you only sign at home? or is it OK to sign everywhere?
Sometimes you feel a bit uncomfortable signing in public. People start to watch and stare, maybe even wondering if your child has a hearing impairment. Sometimes they are just amazed by how you can communicate with signs with your baby! So yes, it has its ups and downs. However, to my experience I would say sign as much as possible whenever and wherever possible. What matters is that your child has finally a tool that allows him to tell you things. Why shut him down? Sign language is another language just like Spanish or Japanese. It is not about what other people think but about providing what is best for your baby. We should have the confidence to do that. And truth to be told, when tourists come to your town and speak another language don't you look? don't you try to guess what language it is or even try to understand what they are talking about? We are all human and curiosity is one of our major qualities. If people ask me questions I am always happy to respond because I know how important and beneficial BSL is and what it represents to my family. So I am glad to share and I believe that in 10 years from now we will look back and wonder why we were not all using BSL in those crucial first 3 years of our babies lives. If everyone did, I think we would hear a lot less crying in the streets! |
photo credits: pixabay & freepik