Class Highlights & Activities!
Thanks for coming to class! ​This page has some beginner baby signs for newcomers to learn and practice plus a few news featured signs for class. and some class art recipes and creative class activities for at home.
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1. Baby Sign & Music Class: ​
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For New Comers: My Baby's First Signs! Video & Parent Tips (See a super-cute baby signing more!)
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Yes & No! Song and Communication Tips.
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See an Adorable Toddler Signing Awesome!
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​ 2. Messy Art & Music/Creativity & Learning
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Dramatic Play For Social Emotional Development
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Featured Messy Art: Tin Foil Painting!
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Home Activity: Sensory & Active Listening.n & Music Kids
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1. Baby Signing & Music Class
We added the sign for "Share" for older tots. It is a great sign to use with your child to help reinforce the idea of sharing.
New Comers! Welcome To Baby Sign Class!
Here are the beginner baby signs to start with that I mentioned in class. Plus best ways to sign with your baby.
MY BABY'S FIRST SIGNS
"Milk", "More", "All Done"
With parent-teaching techniques for effective communication and signing with your baby.
How To Introduce Your First Baby Signs:
"Milk", "More", "All Done"
Begin with signs for things your baby relates to like....MILK, or MORE.. These are also easy to work into your daily routine.
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Introduce only 1- 3 signs into your routine at first. Less signs, or just one sign to start is better. Repeat that sign a lot,. 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.?" Repetitiion is the key.
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Use this method with the signs "more" and "all done"
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Ask & Sign. Answer your questions your self.
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Do You Want Milk? Milk? Milk? Yes yo want Milk, Mil, Milk" as you sign. Repeat it a few times times in a row.
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Think 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.
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Transitions Are Challenging
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Babies tend to not like endings and transitions. They do not really understand the concept of "later" or "not now" yet.
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Everything is so in the moment for babies. So sometimes changes and endings can stress babies a bit.
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The "ALL DONE" sign can help your baby become more comfortable with endings and transitioning..
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How Does Signing "ALL" DONE Help My Baby?​
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A familiar routine cue "ALL DONE" can help a baby feel more comfortable with transitions.
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As if they are thinking "Okay, I recognize this one, It's that ending thing...okay just relax, I can do this...."
That's awesome! 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 there's a change or ending.
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Flip Side Of The Sign "ALL DONE."
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Some babies start to sign ALL DONE when they are full, or have had enough.
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Watch your babies hands for any little "flipping" gesture for ALL DONE..
Signing MORE can also mean "I like that!"
Watch this sweet (and funny) video another class parent send of the baby signing.
Baby Sign Techniques for Parents
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1. Repetition, repetition. and .... more repetition.
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Repetition is how your child will be able to comprehend and use sign.
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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.
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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., Just gassy"
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Yes & No!
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Wonderful expressive and useful signs!
Yes & No are also great for modeling a conversational exchange.
Signing Tips:
Let yourself be animated and play with these words and signs.
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Use rhetorical questions and answer them with spoken and signed "Yes" and "No".
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"No" is not always a "bad" word.
It sometimes is a very silly word.
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Communication Insight
As your child learns these signs you may discover that your child is sometimes more attentive when you silently sign than when paired with a spoken "No" or "Yes".
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The shift from sound to silence often reengage kids as they listen afresh.
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Parent Tip:
Clear communication can be quiet. With deep eye contact, or an animated facial expression. a silent signing of Yes or No sometimes get kids focus more than the loudest voice.
Parent Tips:
How to Use Signing "Yes" & "No"
Sing Along Sign Song: Yes & No
AWESOME!
See Why I Love Using Praise Signs!
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Sharing this home video from a class parent to encourage you all to use those praise signs from class everyday to tell your child that they are:
Smart!
Strong!
Beautiful!
Watch this video of this adorable toddler signing AWESOME!.
His enthusiasm and self-confidence is wonderful to see! Let your kid know they are AWESOME!
Class time Dramatic Play & Loving Lessons
"Rocking Baby Bear"
Dramatic Play is such a big part of learning how to be a person.
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It is so sweet to see the kids loving and nurturing their stuffed animals and baby dolls in class. They are playing at being mommies and daddies and everyone who nurtures them.
Bring your baby bear to class! Talk to your child before class about binging your bear or doll, their special lovey toy to class.
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When they are playing and pretending this way, praise your kids for being such good mommies and daddies, say how "you are taking good care of your baby bear". Let your child lead the play. Narrate and mirror what your child is doing to reinforce the positive and caring actions. This make-believe and loving dramatic play are positive play-time-lessons to last a lifetime.
After Class Activity For This Week: Gather up stuffed animals or dolls with your child to watch the video: Rock and sing to them with me, or tuck them in for a nap.... Let the play go where it will.
Young kids like to pretend about what they know.
They love to imitate and reinforce the familiar or nurturing routines and actions that give them comfort and a sense of security. in their world.
It's really beautiful to see.
We Rocked Out With Classic Kids Music In Class!
Sing along to Twinkle Twinkle, Brother John and ROCKIN' ROBIN!
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ART & CREATIVITY!
2. About Cornstarch Creative Play & Foamy Fun With Messy Art Class! Cool DYI Sensory & Sound Exploration For Home.
Super Creative Kitchen Based Art!
We had so much fun making art with Cornstarch in Messy Art & Music class this week!
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Our art recipe was so simple:
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Corn Starch
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Water
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Add food coloring or some paint to color.
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A Cup or a Bowl and a Spoon for mixing/
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Paper to paint and pour onto!
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That's it! Experiment like we did in class, Try more or less cornstarch. When it's more starch than water you will get a wet-sticky moldable medium. When it is more water than corn starch you'll get a cool sticky paint.
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Flour is another great medium for making DIY paint and paste!
Fun & Early Literacy With TInfoil Painting!
Making lines is a literacy activity and it is super fun too!
QUICK VIDEO OF MESSY ART HIGHLIGHTS
I hope you all had as much fun as I did in Messy Art & Music class.
It was so good to see everyone!
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This Week's Messy Art Recipe:
Tinfoil,
Washable Paint: Red & Blue
Paint Brush
Can of Shaving Cream,
or Foaming Baby Shampoo
Toy Cars
Parents Art Tip: Work on top of a baking sheet for easy clean up!
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Tracing lines in the paint on the foil for a fun pre-writing activity.
Some of us added Foamy Baby Shampoo to the paint. So fun!
Blue Foamy Hand! We had a few people with blue paint hands!
Making more lines driving a toy car in the foamy paint!
At Home Activity
Soothing Sensory & Sound Play
Scooping, Pouring
Rice is a wonderfully soothing sensory medium. Is can be so calming. A simple and fast sensory bin for indoor play is a big bag of rice, into a plastic tub with a few little plastic toy cars or animals tossed in for textures and exploration.
If you are feelign ambitious you can color the rice first by putting it in a zippy bag with some food coloring, close it tight and smush it around until the rice is colored. Let it dry before kids play with it to avoid stained hands.
Reminder: Parents need to supervise their child closely at all times with this and any activities.
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DIY Digging & Pouring Tools
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Plastic cups or containers (eg old yogurt containers, food storage containers.
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Spoons
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Soup Ladel
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Empty Paper Towel Roll (Pour rice through it!)
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Funnel
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Measuring scoops
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Plastic Bucket and Shovel
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Any toy cups, bowls and spoons
Super Cool Sound Exploration: With Metallic Pans and Trays
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The sound and active listening part is my favorite part of working with rice and lentils.
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Swap the plastic tub for a Foil Roasting Pan, or a Baking Pan (this is my favorite!)
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Continue scooping and pouring, and listen together as it hits the pan.
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Narrate and comment on the sounds your child is making, or anything else you notice as you play together,
Remember to follow your child's lead:
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Let them explore in their own way. Supervise for safety, model using tools and narrate what you are doing, seeing hearing and exploring, but do not direct your child's exploration.
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You are there to supervise for safety and to be your child's partner.
Hands On Comfort
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Rice especially can be so soothing to touch and feel and to hear as it pours Don't forget to relax and get your hands in it and listen actively too as you play with your child..