Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Signing for Kids
Ok, I think that it's time for a new post. Have any of you moms done sign language with your young kids? What are some experiences that you have had-pros and cons of it. When do you recommend starting using Sign Language with them. I really am open to anything that anyone has heard about this.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I have done sign with both my kids, and I will do it with my baby on the way. I cant think of a single con to it, only pros! My kids were able to tell me what they wanted before they learned how to voice it.
I began around 8-9 months, but you can start as soon as you want. The sooner you start, the sooner they repeat it. Both my kids began signing back about 2-3 months after I started, but I did not not sign every time, so they could have began sooner.
I have taken ASL classes, so I knew a lot about it ahead of time. I would recommend it to anyone. It is a great way to communicate with a child that does not have any other way to tell you things!
My sister-in-law did it with her first kid, and after watching them I don't think I'll ever do it (I didn't with Karen). First off, she didn't know how to sign before she tried to teach her kid, so she got a book, but a lot of the signs were different from the traditional ASL signs- 'simplified' versions maybe? Then once her girl figured out how to sign for something she wouldn't vocalize it at all and so was a bit delayed in her speaking ablilties. This isn't to say that it can't work for some people, but like teaching any 'second' language to a little kid, you have to know it really well yourself or it doesn't work as well.
I just did some basic ones (milk, more, all done, ball, book). I think I started around 10-11 months. He did them a month later...once he learned the first one (milk), the others came quicker. He learned to say milk soon after he learned the sign, but even now (he's 3) he says milk the same way he did when he first said it "mak" He talks great, saying big words and 7 word sentences, but still has his baby word for milk.
Post a Comment