Sunshine Babies & Kids with Susie!
Hi All! This is a private page, for people from Baby Sign & Music class to practice some first signs.
WEEKS 1 & 2: Tips & Signs
Take Your Time & Slow Down: We do lots of signs in class. Do not stress trying to retain them. Language-play should be fun and communication with your baby should be a more natural thing. Trust you will pick signs up as we play and sing. Do not try to learn them all at once.
Remember only use and focus on 2-3 signs to start - but commit to repeating them frequently. Say and sign them several times in a row - and repeat them throughout the day.
Do not do hand-over-hand to teach or correct signs with an infant. Let your baby watch you and learn receptively. Their fine motor control is not as developed as yours - it's fine if their signs are not perfect looking at first.
Trust they are learning before you see results. Receptive learning is a big part of language development.
The signs shown here signs here are good ones to start with - but please also add any sign that really clicked with you in class :)
Why? In our brains the regions for language, emotion and memory all work together. Memory is linked to emotional arousal, More simply put, have more fun and you and your baby will retain and use the signs that made you smile or that you related to the most :)
Eye Contact Is Important: Make and maintain eye contact before you use a sign with your baby. Sign is a visual communication. Smile and be expressive - communicate with your face as much as with your hands when you sign.
Have fun signing with the baby. See you in class!
Best,
Susie
SOME FIRST SIGNS!
"Milk", "More", "All Done"
With parent-teaching techniques for effective communication and signing with your baby.
Introducing Your First Baby Signs:
"Milk", "More", "All Done"
Begin with signs for things your baby relates to such as MILK, or MORE. These signs are easy to work into your daily routine.
Introduce only 2- 3 signs into your routine at first.
Don't overwhelm the baby with too many signs at first. You want to give the baby a chance to start to get the idea that you are communicating with your hands.
How to use the "MILK" sign: Whenever you go to give a bottle or nurse, do the "milk" sign and repeat it several times as you sign. "Do you want milk, do you want milk, do you want milk.?" Repetition is the key.
Use this method with the signs "more" and "all done"
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Ask & Sign together. Then answer the question yourself.
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Do You Want Milk? Milk? Milk? Yes you want Milk, Milk, Milk" as you sign. Repeat it a few times times in a row.
Thinking Like A Baby:
Signing "ALL DONE"
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Introduce the "ALL DONE" sign to your baby early. Use it at the end of all your activities and routines with the baby. Help your baby understand and be more comfortable with endings and transitions.
Transitions Cam Be Challenging For Babies
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Babies tend to not like endings and transitions. They do not really get the concept of "later" or "not now" yet.
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Everything is so in the moment for babies. Changes and endings can stress some babies a bit.
How Does Signing "ALL" DONE Help My Baby?
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A familiar consistent routine cue of signing "ALL DONE" can help a baby become more comfortable with transitions.
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Eventually they recognize the cue. Still, try to always be patient and take your time with transitioning, and give babies consistent cues.
How Do I Use It?
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Use the words and sign "ALL DONE" at the end of; eating, playing, diaper changes. and any time during the day there's a change or ending of an activity.
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Make eye contact as you sign.
Alternatively Babies' Can Signal "ALL DONE."
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Some babies start to sign ALL DONE themselves, when they are full, or have had enough.
What It Might Look Like: How To Respond
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Watch your babies hands, after a while of signing to them, for any little "flipping" movements for ALL DONE.
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If you spot one of these hand movements, acknowledge and echo back to your child "Yes, you are all done. I see you signing all done!" and model the sign as you say it.
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When in doubt, respond. It is important to infants' development to be responsive to their communications and any attempts.
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Even if you are not 100% sure, respond anyway. You could just say "I think you are signing All Done".
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It is very powerful, and more important to be responsive to these movements and communications, even more than knowing exactly what your baby is trying to communicate at the early stages.
Signing MORE can also mean "I like that!"
Baby Sign Techniques for Parents
1. Repetition, repetition. and .... more repetition.
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Repetition is how your child will be able to comprehend and use sign.
2. Ask & Answer Technique:
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Model a verbal exchange by speaking the question and answer.
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This demonstrating supports your baby's communication skills.
3. Open Ended Questions:
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This means asking "Are you hungry?" instead of stating "You are hungry". Pretty simple but powerful.
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Of course don't wait to feed a hungry baby. But just posing it as a question, gives your child an opportunity to develop more self identification.
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Is allows for the Baby to wonder, "Am I?" "Yes I'm hungry!" Or "Nope, I am not."