Because before being able to speak, babies already need and want to communicate with their parents, sign language, or "gestural communication associated with speech" or baby sign language (BSL), provides a gentle and enriching solution for the whole family. The principle? Select the most useful words and sign with baby by systematically associating the gesture with the word spoken, so that they end up using them too.
SUMMARY :
- Hands that (ra) content: why sign with your child?
- Your first steps together, in the world of signs
- At what age should you start signing?
- 10 signs to communicate well with baby
- Sign Language for Babies: 3 Expert Tips for a Positive Experience
Hands that (ra) content: why sign with your child?
Baby's first words appear around 12 months. But it takes another 6 months to about 1 year before the first associations give rise to mini-sentences. A period during which incomprehension can rhyme with frustration. Because you do not understand or do not easily understand what your child wants, tantrums follow one after the other and with them can come a feeling of discouragement.
Signing with your baby is then a solution to allow him to express his needs and emotions and to share an additional form of complicity. Especially since some babies sign very early and for multiple advantages.
- A richer parent-child relationship .
- Natural and simpler exchanges.
- More serenity at home.
- Your baby's pride and joy.
- A small brain differently stimulated.
If your baby is not (yet?) a globetrotter , don't forget that sign language, even if it is not universal, is borderless! Alongside French Sign Language (LSF), there is ASL (American Sign Language) and LSB (Belgian Sign Language).
Your first steps together in the world of signs
Baby sign language (LDS) is directly derived from French sign language. In fact, many supports, including an online dictionary , are available on the internet. At home, the idea is above all to start early, with light and regular learning.
At what age should you start signing?
From 6 months! If at this age baby cannot yet reproduce the signs that you show him, he has all the time and already, the capacities to assimilate them. At mealtimes, when you put him to bed, when you go out to go to the nursery, to the childminder or for a walk, when you play… Do not hesitate to associate the sign with the word and to repeat them.
How to start sign language?
Above all, give yourself time and start early. Anticipate that your toddler's learning will be gradual and that the more you repeat each word and its gesture, the faster they will be recognized and then used.
Also, do not present too many signs at the same time, at the risk of confusing the message. Choose a few, the most useful at the moment T for both of you, and introduce them gently, with several days of delay.
10 signs to communicate well with baby
- Eating: Bring the fingertips of one hand together and tap your lips several times.
- Bottle: Form a “C” with your hand, as if you were holding a bottle, and bring it close to your mouth.
- Mom: open the palm of your hand, and flatten it, place it twice under the breast (as if to imagine a baby being rocked during breastfeeding).
- Dad: With your thumb and index finger, mime pinching the mustache just above the mouth. The other fingers are closed.
- Again: Bring the fingertips of one hand together and tap them twice on the flat of the other hand.
- Sleeping: Frame the side of your tilted face with your hand, fingers straight and stuck together along the cheek and thumb under the chin.
- Doudou: close the fingers of the hand towards the palm, except the index finger which, itself, comes to encompass the thumb kept straight. With the hand thus placed, tap the mouth twice "dou-dou".
- Changing (diaper, game, etc.): Close both fists and place them against each other palm side down, thumb against thumb. Then, rotate them in one direction and then the other.
- Pain (hurt…): with the outstretched finger of one hand, tap the back of the other hand.
- Thank you: Place your fingers on your chin and move your hand forward, towards the person you are thanking.
Discover the Élhée bottle and its round shape encompassed by baby's little hands, perfect for learning to sign.
Can sign language disrupt spoken language learning?
Many parents who embark on the LDS experience express the same fear: "What if, because he signs, the baby doesn't make the same effort to speak?" In fact, it seems that sign language is actually a positive step towards language acquisition.
- In 2000, a study of 103 11-month-old babies concluded that symbolic gestures do not hinder children's verbal development and may even facilitate it.
- In 2012, Claire D. Vallotton in her study “ Infant signs as intervention? (…)” came to the conclusion that signs are effective tools to promote two-way communication and positive interactions between children and their parents.
The perfect “signer” toolbox
There is a vast literature dedicated to learning signs with babies. Books, but also some videos and even applications can help you.
- A book to read, “Baby expresses himself by signs” by Christine Nougarolles and Anaïs Galon, published by Mango .
- From 6 months, the first stories and the first nursery rhymes in signs are available from Langue au Chat éditions.
- The book “Signing with your baby: Benevolent gestural communication” by Sophie d'Olce , published by J'ai lu , is also worth discovering.
- Available on iOS and Android , the “Baby Sign” app offers short, concise videos for easy learning.
- The YouTube channel “ Lyla Signes ” is rich in nursery rhymes, explanations and vocabulary.
And to vary the nature of your training, to learn more and to sign, sign, sign with baby, think about the illustrated magnetic cards to stick on the fridge or the poster of basic signs to fix on the toilet door for example. Two fun and practical formats that the whole family can enjoy.
It's true, baby will learn all the more easily and quickly if everyone around him practices sign language. Mom, dad, his brothers and sisters, grandpa and grandma, and his nanny too.
The little extras that make the difference
- Create your personal dictionary: write down the signs you use most often and illustrate them with photos.
- Film yourself signing: you will progress faster and keep a nice memory of baby's first years.
- Join groups of parents (near you or on social networks: Baby Sign Language on Facebook ) who practice sign language with their babies to exchange and practice together.
Sign Language for Babies: 3 Expert Tips for a Positive Experience
Learning sign language with your baby is a magical experience, but it also requires a certain consistency and a bit of self-confidence to be taken on and carried out successfully.
Experts recommend practicing every day, even a little if you don't have time, otherwise you won't memorize the signs, you'll confuse them, and you'll feel frustrated because progress is slow. At the same time, patience and kindness are essential.
So, if you face doubts from those around you or their questions, if you do not meet the support you hoped for or even if you feel uncomfortable signing in public, persevere by thinking of the benefits for your child. You will be rewarded as soon as your baby sends you his first deliberate sign.🩷
Dr Susan Goodwyn, the developmental psychologist behind the Baby Sign platform, said: “Patience is key. Some babies can take months to sign back, but they absorb everything you show them.”
According to Dr. Marilyn Daniels , a professor of communication, don't be afraid to exaggerate your facial expressions when signing. This helps your baby understand the emotional context of the sign.
Finally, Dr. Gwen Dewar, anthropologist and founder of the website Parenting Science explains: "Watch your baby's attempts at nonverbal communication carefully. Often, they invent their own gestures before adopting yours."
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