Sign language for kids - Tips & tricks to master infant sign language

1 --- Keep it simple and go slow.
When you start out signing to your baby, be sure to slowly introduce signs one at a time. Begin with 4 or 5 words until they can recognize and respond to those words. Learning how to sign can be a slow process for young children. A six-month old child can take anywhere from a month to six months to learn and respond to your signs you've shown them.

2 --- Be as patient as possible.
Every parent has the ability to teach their baby or children sign language. Sometimes parents get hung up and lose their patience too easily, resigning from any program or book that shows them how to teach their children. Try not to get discouraged if your baby or child "doesn't get it" right away or even after a few months. Do not give up; this learning process is invaluable to your babies development.

3 --- Be consistent.
After you've selected your first few starting words, make sure you stick to them. If you decide that milk is a great sign and introduce it to your baby while nursing, be sure to stick with the sign you learned and use it every time you feed. If you only use the sign occasionally, your child may interpret it as a game versus a communication method.

4 --- Make sure to sign on your baby's level.
Make sure you interact with your new baby so they can actually see you. Keep your expressions and signs within their field of vision. This ensures that your baby is is seeing the correct way to sign the word you are teaching them. Try not to sign at angles as what you are showing them might look completely different than what they are used to seeing.

5 --- Sign AND speak.
Make sure that everytime you sign a word to your baby that you also say the word. This will tie together sight and sounds and allow your baby to make the connection between the two more quickly.

While tips can be very helpful, you'll need a successful book that goes over everything encompassing sign language for kids.

I've searched and read and have a few books that are good, but none that are instantly downloadable and come straight from a mom with experience. Sign language for kids by Wendy Jensen does a super job of covering everything baby sign language and then some.

Some of the things you can expect in her book are:
- Learn how you can communicate with your baby much earlier than you would if you simply wait for him to learn how to talk (Chapter One)

- Find out how you can greatly reduce your child's frustrations and tantrums! (Chapter Two)

- Learn how sign language develops the brain and has actually been linked to a higher IQ in children! (Chapter three)

- Dispel any fears that sign language may delay speech development and find out why the opposite is actually true! (Chapter Four)

This book is an invaluable asset in your quest to teach your young one sign language.

Get it HERE.

- When my niece was about 10 months old she would get very frustrated and yell and cry a lot. I taught her how to sign 3 signs "please" "more" and "eat". She stopped yelling and throwing tantrums in a matter of 20 minutes! THANK YOU!

- ...within one week of starting the signing, he could sign 5 words! "More, Eat, Mine, Milk, and All Done" We have since found out he has some hearing loss from an ear infection we never knew he had. If it wasn't for baby sign language, my son would still not have any form of communication with us! So thank you very much for your site and all the great information you provided....Mary Miller

Get Wendy's valuable book HERE