Sign Language for Toddlers is an invaluable tool for toddlers to communicate before they have fully developed their speech.

The toddler years are full of frustrations and tantrums; providing some mutual understanding can help to relieve some of this tension. Their speech development is especially important during these first two years and is more rapid than at any other time in their life. Sign Language for toddlers can be used to compliment speech development and fill in the gaps where they don’t quite have the words yet.

Toddlers are exciting little people. Everything happens at such a pace; it is a time for growing, developing and exploring. Parent interaction during this crucial period is so important. Proper speech development will allow them to engage in proper social interactions which will develop their social skills. Speech and social development are some of the most important milestones; how they progress these two vital skills will play a major role in the way their future plays out.

Sign Language for Toddlers is the use of gestures to convey the meaning of certain keywords. Some begin this sign language much earlier and refer to it as baby signing or baby sign language. There is no difference between baby sign language and toddler sign language, just the name. These baby signs are very simple to perform and are universal gestures that can be used in any country worldwide.

Although toddlers are able to speak a few words by their first birthday, they are still learning their language skills right up until their third birthday. It will take this long for some toddlers to be understood by their family members let along strangers and other caregivers. Toddlers are so demanding and expect everything to go their way. They also know exactly what they want and when they want it. By providing them a means to communicate these things without the frustration of not being able to speak properly, you can reduce frustration. Frustration, especially in boys can lead to aggression problems later on. It shouldn’t be considered as a means to give in to the toddler, in fact, sign language for toddlers can often be used to re-direct the behavior to a more appropriate solution.

Some parents report that their toddlers revert back to baby sign language when frustrated. Not being able to spit out what they are trying to say but still keen to get their point across. Sign Language for Toddlers offers them a release for their frustrations allowing the temper to dissipate.

Teaching Sign Language for Toddlers is easy. Toddlers are very keen to copy anything that their parents do. Providing that the gesture is always used with the word, it will be picked up on very quickly. Choose some keywords that are important to your toddler. Try to chose words that are not spoken by your toddler yet. Learn the sign language gesture for these keywords and use these simple gestures every time you speak that keyword. Only ever use the gesture in a relevant situation so that your toddler understands the relevance of the gesture. They should catch on very quickly and be able to mimic and replicate your signs.

Children that may be suffering from a slight language delay are also great candidates for learning Baby Sign Language. A visual stimulus enables the toddler to develop their language comprehension as the words take on shape and have more meaning to the toddler. Sign language for Toddlers has also been shown to improve speech development when accompanied with the spoken word. Parent’s who use baby sign language are more likely to spend quality time with their toddlers and take a vested interest in their development.

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.

If all of your friends toddlers are babbling away and your toddler is not talking yet you may have reason to become concerned. One of the things parents often use to gauge their child’s development is how early they start talking. Babies start off experimenting with noises from an early age, usually consisting of babbling noises, the typical “goo goo” and “gaa gaa” sounds, these will turn into “ma ma” and “da da”. These babbling sounds eventually progress into Mommy and Daddy. So how do you determine whether your child has delayed speech development and what do you do if your toddler is not talking yet?

On a daily basis your child will find different ways to shape their mouth and change the noise they are making; the first step in their speech development. Parents naturally spend a great deal of time talking to their baby’s but they do this instinctually and mostly to enjoy the social interaction it offers. Many don’t realize that this is also essential for the development of their speech and language skills.  

Babies recognize the sound of their parent’s voices from even before birth; they become familiar with us when they are in the womb. Parent’s voices are comforting for them, especially for newborns before their vision is fully developed. Babies and toddlers mimic their parents; that’s how they learn. The more verbal communication you engage in with your child, the faster they will learn.

By the time your child is the age of twelve to eighteen months your baby should be saying words like Mommy and Daddy. Over the next year of your child’s speech development, they will learn to put together small sentences and communicate their needs to their family members. By the age of 21 months most children can be understood by their family. If your child cannot communicate with family members and be understood by the age of 30 months there would be cause for concern. At any stage, if your child is not meeting the age appropriate developmental timelines you should seek professional opinion. Trust your instincts, more often than not parents know best.

If your toddler isn’t talking yet there are things you can do to encourage speech development. Keyword signing, otherwise known as  Baby Sign Language has been shown by researchers to increase language acquisition by up to 3 months. Children using sign language have the language re-enforced to them by the parent as the gestures are used in conjunction with the word. Parent’s who use sign language with their children are often more aware of their communication with their baby’s and flood them with language on a daily basis.

Gesture based baby sign language also improves word comprehension as the gesture is a natural movement that mimics the meaning of the word. Reading to your child is another important strategy that will go a long way to improving your child’s language skills. When they are exposed to reading at an early age they pick up on the way language ebbs and flows and are more likely to have an interest in books later on.

So if you are concerned that your toddler is not talking yet, assess the developmental timeline as make sure they are reaching the recommended milestones. Not all babies develop at the same rate and the normal range can differ by months. If you are looking for ways to encourage speech development because your toddler is not talking yet, keyword signing and reading are both great places to start.

Teaching a simple keyword based communication tool such as Baby Sign Language can help to accelerate your child’s speech comprehension and development. More importantly it can also provide an invaluable head start if you find out later that they suffer from a speech delay. For more information visit Toddler Interpreter.

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.

Printable Sign Language for Kids is available on the left hand side of this page.

Enter your details on the left to receive a free printable sign language for kids chart - a chart that has been specifically designed for using sign language with babies, toddlers and children.

Research is now confirming what we have known for years – communication is so much more than words. Our human interaction relies so much on the visual stimulation and interaction.

They are now finding, through careful studies of the brain that visual communication is processed by the exact part of the brain that processes our spoken communication. This is a breakthrough not only for medical research but for those wishing to teach Baby Sign Language to their child.

Printable sign language for kids makes it easier for you to refer to the signs. Print our free chart so that you can place it in a prominent part of your house and remember to do the signs frequently.

There are so many benefits from learning to sign with your children:

• The gestures used in Baby Sign Language are universal – the vast majority of the keyword signs used in children’s or baby sign language are the same world-wide.

• Printable sign language for kids is a fantastic way to initiate communication with your baby, toddler or child.

Enjoy the benefits of this wonderful communication method with our free printable sign language for kids.

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.