Sign Language for Kids...

When my girls were 4 months old I started teaching them sign language.  You know the basic signs:  mom, dad, eat, drink, hungry, thirsty, no, yes, more, milk, water, please.  By the time they were 8 months old they were signing to me.  It was AMAZING!!  I couldn't believe how quickly they picked it up!

At 13 months old they were signing about 75-80 signs on a daily basis.  Why did we start sign language with the girls...why not?  I was reading "On Becoming Babywise II" and at the end of that book were some starter signs and I thought that would be kind of cool.  I never imagine what it would turn in to.  Also, my girls NEVER had any frustrations with eating time.  They would tell me when they were done, when they wanted more, what they wanted, etc.  This is actually why we started them to begin with. 

When kids are under 1 year old, often times they know what they want to say but you can't understand it.  This is very frustrating to them.  They are trying to talk to you and you have no idea what they are saying...this completely eliminated all of that!!

At 13 months my girls were asked to be in Baby Signs DVDs that were produced by Baby Einstein.  We went to audition and they were the youngest ones in the DVD.  It was so much fun.

By the time they were 2 they were signing around 200 signs each.

Some ask if this delayed their speach...it was quite the opposite.  By the time my girls were 24 months old, they were tested at their 2 year old checkup and the doctor told me that they were talking and learning at a 4 year old level.  And that has never stopped.  They are now in 1st grade and were just tested at a 4th grade level and passed at 96%...I owe all that to reading to them since they were two weeks old and sign language.

The DVDs that we are most passionate about are the "Signing Time" DVDs.  The story of the mom Rachel and her sister Emilie and what they have done with these absolutely amazing DVDs is worth taking a look at.  This is where my girls (and me) learned the bulk of their signs.  We have 16 of the DVDs and my girls just LOVED watching them.  There is actually a great interview with Rachel Coleman...the co-creator of Signing Time over at Multiples and More...check it out!  Rachel answers many commonly asked questions about teaching your children sign language!

I would recommend these DVDs to everyone that I know!!

Happy Signing!