Infants and toddlers usually find a way to express themselves but for some children, communication is harder than it is for others. Children develop at such different rates from one another so some kids have trouble putting phrases together and babies may have a difficult time relaying their message of hunger, a dirty diaper, or an ear ache. For parents experiencing this or those who just want to help their child greatly improve in communication skills and be more sociable, the baby sign language craze is for them.
It’s really not a craze, but a tool to give children a head start on learning words to provide better clarity in communication and comprehension for today and their future. Any parent paying attention can tell you children do better as they age through school when they have better verbal skills and learn a second language because the brain becomes well trained to hold and process more information. American Sign Language is a recognized language at top universities across the nation and children really learn more than just gestures. Signing for children is not a gimmick, it is a real tool children not only benefit from but enjoy learning when they’re young and continue to use as long as they want into elementary school before learning more ASL signs from advanced classes in school or in college courses.
Baby and toddler signing inspires children to love education and they aspire to learn more in their school years to come. Sign language can be started at anytime but the sooner the better when young children absorb a wealth of knowledge in their young years.
To learn more about the significant benefits of signing and to try it for your family, moms can try these books that come highly rated from other moms and grandparents alike. The Baby Signing Book is a collection of almost 400 ASL signs for infants and toddlers divided by age group and also teaches children to sign along to their favorite songs like “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”. Two people rated this book a 4 out of 5 on amazon.com but the rest gave it the full five stars. Communicate with children even younger than a year with this book, Baby Talk, to help moms speak with their little ones and even limit tantrums of frustration from miscommunication between mother and child. This book had an average customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from satisfied parents.
For older children already walking and talking some, these books are better geared for them and for children who know the basics of baby sign language. Learn to Sign the Fun Way teaches children the fun of signing through games and activitiesto help them remember the signs and use them more. Amazon customers rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. Sign Language for Kids introduces toddlers and elementary school children the basics of American Sign Language. This book had fantastic reviews and high ratings, Talking With Your Hands, Listening With Your Eyes.
For moms and dads that prefer to use flash cards, this set received a full 5 0f 5 stars with far more ratings than other products with rave customer reviews. This is just a portion of the excellent reviews: “I got these for my son when he was 18-months and he LOVES these! He has already memorized both the First Words and almost all of the Shapes & Colors cards. I went out and bought ALL FOUR packs. They are all great!”
For toddlers and older, this set is a real deal with 500 signs of flash cards illustrated with a real person showing your family how to do each one.
Amazon’s website and book stores are packed full of resources for parents to learn sign language with their young ones to communicate better with them and form a closer bond together, teach your baby even to sign “I love you” before she can walk or say it!
