Why Is It Important Teach Sign Language To Your Child

We love to see our baby smile and to hear their adorable little coo's. While we know that they love to express their emotions in the form of laughter, smiles and tears, how can we understand their needs? An infant is only able to babble initially and we can't make out what they're trying to convey. Here is where sign language comes into the picture and proves to be an amazing tool for parents for communication. It helps the child converse effectively with their parents.

Communication: It is very important for us to understand what our little ones want to tell us. Apart from trying to utter words at a certain age, children can communicate through sign languages earlier as well. Your child understands and picks up things more quickly and easily than you can expect them to. In no amount of time, they will be conversing with you through that. 

Basic signs: All your child needs to know are the basics, no dance words there! Try to talk to them as much as you can, slowly you can introduce signs like 'milk', 'more' 'all done', 'food' and 'hungry’ which help them in communicating while they are eating.In other cases, signs for 'please', 'thank you', 'no', 'bath' and 'hello' can be helpful as well. You can find several videos on YouTube as well to have a better idea.

How to start:You can start teaching them the signs as early as 6 months. There is no limit to that.Follow these steps below to make the learning process easy:

- Start slowly with words that you commonly use while conversing with them.

- Hold your hand up and perform the gesture, then say the word denoting that action for e.g "milk"

- Repeat the word and action for 3-4 minutes.

- If they copy your actions give them a little applause, if not - do not get frustrated. Be patient and guide them - show them the gesture properly by holding their tiny hands.

- Do this two or three times in a day.

Consistency: You have to be consistent with them when it comes to this, it will take time but the end result will be worth it. Keep repeating the gestures, the words, again and again. Remain calm and do not give up easily. Even if they don’t follow, make sure that you keep interacting and talking with them to maintain that bond. Imagine the joy of being able to understand what your child actually wants to convey is priceless. 

Research says: Studies show that children who communicate using sign language helps to create a good bond between the parents and the child. Many parents noticed that their infants got better at communicating with them through these signs and gestures. Since their little minds are curious all the time, it also helps them to be more attentive towards their surroundings. There’s a good amount of mental and emotional development involved as well.Research says that children show an immense sense of independence and confidence as well since learning at an early stage enhances their IQ as well. Many parents believe that sign language causes speech delay, but that's not the case. Infact, the research has proved the opposite. 

Click here to know why age of 12-18 months is crucial time for babies. 

Farah Haque is a proud mother of a 1.5 years old daughter. She has a master’s degree (Commerce). She likes to write and pen down her thoughts and loves spending her time with her little one. She is a skincare and makeup enthusiast as well. 

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