What Age to Teach Baby Sign Language – Toddler Interpreter recommends that you start to teach your baby between the ages of 3-9 months to see the most benefit.

Sign Language for Babies is useful at any age before the child is able to speak in sentences. Most babies should be able to be understood by members in their family by the age of 31 months. Anytime before this age will be appropriate for using baby signs to bridge the communication gap.

Some parents decide to start to Teach Baby Sign Language from birth. However, starting with your baby this early will make it seem like a very long time until you see the Benefits of Baby Signing and it may discourage some parents from continuing.

Most babies will have the dexterity and muscle control to reciprocate the Baby Signs to you at the age of 6-9 months. It is important to note that you receive the benefits of Sign Language for Babies long before the baby is able to sign back to you. At around the age of 4-5 months, the baby will be able to recognize your baby signs, especially if you use them regularly and consistently. This can prove to be very beneficial as they have the ability to understand what you are communicating with them from a much earlier age.

The authors of Toddler Interpreter started to teach baby sign language to their daughter Scarlette when she was only 4 months old. In the video above, she signs for milk for the first time at the age of 9 months.

At 4-5 months, your baby almost certainly won’t recognize the sound of the word milk but they will be able to recognize the Baby Sign for milk. Even though they are not signing back to you as yet, you can communicate with them to let them know it is time for milk or time for bed. This can help to settle them down into their routine and they will feel more comfortable knowing that you are taking care of their needs.

Using the baby sign for milk before and during their feed will reinforce the association between the word, the sign and the outcome, leading to a better comprehension and understanding. Babies have no control over their environment, so being able to understand you will help them to feel settled. It is important to start slowly by introducing only one or two baby signs at this early stage so that you don’t overwhelm the little one with too many things to remember.

Although there is no right or wrong age to begin to teach your baby sign language, you will find baby sign language to have the greatest impact if you begin around 3-6 months of age. This will allow you to to be understood by your baby from a much earlier age. As they become older they will begin to use the Baby Signs to ask for things, especially if they have seen you using the signs consistently. If your baby is at the right age to teach baby sign language, head over to Toddler Interpreter for some affordable resources or download your free baby sign language chart here today.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

The Benefits of Baby Sign Language extend way beyond the toddler years as the research is now showing.

Baby Sign Language can be used from as early as birth although most children are ready to begin signing back to their parents by the age of 6 months. The signs are often borrowed or modified from traditional sign language and are based on gestures that symbolize the action or meaning of a word. It is a simplified version of sign language designed to be easy enough for baby’s to begin using from 6 months of age.

NIH Funded Experimental Studies discover the Baby Sign Language Benefits

Baby Sign Language is not a new concept, although it still receives much media attention. The first studies were conducted as early as 1989; one of the most referenced experimental studies is an National Institute of Health (NIH) funded study conducted by Drs Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn. The study was designed to determine the benefits of Baby Sign Language and to determine if Baby Sign Language would delay speech development in children. The children were assigned into two groups in this study; the first group consisted of children that used Baby Sign Language and the second group consisted of children that did not use Baby Sign Language. The children were recruited for the study at eleven months of age. Their speech and language development was followed up until they reached three years of age.

The study regularly assessed the speech and language development of the children recruited into the study. The language assessments were designed to measure language comprehension and language production. These assessments were conducted at assigned intervals during the study. The assessments measured the children’s ability to put words into sentences. The child’s intellectual development was also measured at 24 months to determine the long term baby sign language benefits.

The average scores of children in the study that were in the group that used Baby Sign Language were found to be higher than the control group who did not use Baby Sign Language. By the age of twenty-four months, the signing children had a developmental advantage of three months over the non-signing children. By the time these signing children reached the age of thirty-six months, this advantage had increased dramatically. The advantage had now increased from a three month developmental advantage to an equivalent twelve month advantage in their overall language skills and comprehension by the age of thirty-six months.

Since this research was conducted in 1989 there have been many families that have begun to use Baby Sign Language in their home. To date there hasn’t been a single study that has shown there to be any disadvantages to using Baby Sign Language. Many childcare centres are also beginning to use Baby Sign Language, either through song or as part of a dedicated program.

Some parents seem to have a concern that if they use Baby Sign Language with their children that this may delay their speech development. The results of the NIH funded study demonstrate quite clearly that this is not the case. Baby Sign Language facilitates communication between baby and parent earlier in life and is thought by some to be an essential step in the learning process as it aids in the comprehension of words through actions that they understand. By providing a communication method to the baby earlier in life they understand the benefit of communication as they are rewarded with some control over their environment and their needs. This only leads on to a thirst for a more complicated language which is thought to be the reason that baby’s who sign with their parents speak earlier than those who do not. The benefits of baby sign language are not only reflected in the intellectual development but also in their social ability and the bonding of the baby with their parents. If you would like to experience the same baby sign language benefits as many thousands of parents worldwide, download your free baby sign language chart today or go to Toddler Interpreter for some affordable baby sign language resources.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

Learning how to teach baby signs is easy; it really isn’t as difficult as it may seem.

If you are able to teach your baby to wave hello or goodbye then you have all the necessary skills required to teach your baby some baby sign language as well.

Sign Language for babies is based on keyword signing and is not the same as adult sign language. There are many systems that provide baby sign language based on ASL, BSL or AUSLAN but these are all based on adult sign language. Baby Sign Language should be specifically tailored to suit the age level it is aimed at which is 3-30 months. By 30 months of age most children are able to communicate and be understood by their families and the signs are no longer required. These Baby Signs should be used as a temporary bridging gap between pre-verbal and verbal years.

If you have decided to start teaching baby sign language there is one very important thing you need to remember. Signing does not replace speech. This is the largest difference that separates baby sign language from sign language for adults. You are trying to encourage communication so flood your baby with words. When you speak certain keywords, include the sign, don’t emit the spoken word.

Apart from that, there really isn’t much to it. If you follow the same pattern you would use to teach your child to wave hello or goodbye then you will pick it up in no time at all. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Make sure that you use the baby signs in relevant situations. If you are signing for milk, make sure it is just before their feed time and reward them with the milk to enhance the comprehension.

Ensure your baby is in the mood when you are about to teach baby sign language to them. If they are tired or hungry they are not going to be interested. If this is the case, just sign to them for consistency and provide them with their needs. Don’t make it a negative experience or they are likely to want to forget about doing it.

Make sure you sign to them while they are watching and so that they can see your hands clearly. Don’t make it too complicated. Although they are attracted to movement, you want to make it as easy for them to copy as possible. This is why baby sign language is specifically designed to be within the capabilities of the baby and shouldn’t involve finger spelled signs.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.