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Often babies and parents are frustrated by their inability to communicate. An easy solution to that frustration is learning, then teaching your baby, sign language. |
Family Site
Since 1997 |
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Often babies and parents are frustrated by their inability to communicate. An easy solution to that frustration is learning, then teaching your baby, sign language. |
Family Site
Since 1997 |
Spoil & Discipline Child |
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Many Communication Frustrations Disappear with Sign Language. |
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Mary Moore |
Sign language has been around informally throughout history as a way to communicate with the deaf. |
Often babies and parents are frustrated by their inability to communicate. This may be a familiar scenario with your infant. Your nine-month-old baby is crying. If you are the average parent of the average baby, you don’t know what's wrong. You go through your repertoire of crying remedies--hungry, thirsty, wet, bored. But your baby, who is not hungry, thirsty, wet, or bored, continues to cry, crying louder all the time. Now let's assume you are not the average parent of the average baby. Your baby tells you he is sleepy. Ahhh, now you know what is wrong!! How can a nine-month old tell you he is sleepy? He uses sign language. Sign language, of course, is nothing new. It has been around informally throughout history as a way to communicate with the deaf. Now sign language is becoming a powerful tool to promote early communication for all. Why? Parents have learned that children's proficiency in using their hands develops months before the ability to use the muscles of their tongue and vocal cords. Sign language also helps reduce kids' and parents' frustration levels caused by an inability to communicate. It also eliminates the guess work needed to understand your baby--guess work that is normally ineffective anyway. More about sign language and your baby. |
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Teaching Your Baby Sign Language. Don't spend a fortune on books and videos for sign language products before you have experience. The truth is that sign language is not hard to learn for you or for your baby. I would only purchase two, possibly three, sign language items. My recommendations for teaching your baby sign language: 1. Dr Joseph Garcia authored the classic in the sign language field: Sign With Your Baby. Buy the video only or buy a kit which contains the video, a short and simple to understand book, plus a chart showing the signs. The sign language video is a must for the section on teaching sign language and the last section which demonstrates American Sign Language words. I would buy the kit to get the accompanying sign language book unless you buy the CD Pick Me Up at the same time. That CD includes a workbook. One sign language book is probably enough although both of these sign language books have their positive and different attributes.
2. At the same time I would add the music CD Pick Me Up for the signing and singing as well as the excellent sign language workbook for parents. This fun, interactive experience for you and your baby is all it normally takes to rapidly add words to your American Sign Language vocabulary.
3. If at any time you or your babies are having problems learning sign language, purchase Baby See N Sign, Volume I. It presents American Sign Language words three different times: as a still picture, in slow motion, and at normal video speed. Frankly, I believe the above three items are all the sign language products you need to own. If you have an expanded budget, here are some other sign language products I would consider buying. See sign language products I would not buy and the reasons I would not buy them here. Why purchase any sign language items? Why not use the library for your sign language needs? You probably need at least one sign language product on hand for reference. A CD of music to sign by teaches sign language daily. Plus your baby can watch a sign language video like Baby See N Sign to supplement your own signing. |
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CyberParent Recommended Reading/Viewing for More Information: |
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Review Happiest Baby on the Block |
Review Sign with Your Baby |
Review Pick Me Up |
Review Boundaries with Kids |
Review 1-2-3 Magic Discipline |
Review 20 Videos by The Wiggles |
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