Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - baby sign language

Signing alongside Hullabaloo at Kid Ventures



Singing and SIGNING with your baby is good for brain development, spacial awareness, verbal acquisition, rhythm, fine motor skill development, word recognition, bonding and more!






Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of Sign4Baby in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for FREE.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

How I taught my daughter to sign MILK (Part 3)

It is one of my most exciting moments as a mom! The day Amberly signed for the first time. Like mama, her first sign was MILK. It is an easy sign to do for a baby as young as 2 months old (you should check out the story of Owen first signing MILK). After observing her great ability to watch and mimic with keen eyes I decided the day after Valentine's Day that I would have Amberly signing MILK by day's end. You'll want to check out the previous posts relating to this story to see exactly what I mean - Part 1 and Part 2.

We started off like most days, lounging in pjs and nursing on demand and at 4 1/2 months we made it sometimes 2 hours between feeds - she really enjoyed her milk! Each time Amberly showed the first signs of being hungry, I would talk to her about nursing and having MILK even more emphatically than before. This produced a smile, I knew even from this young age that her personality was budding and that she greatly valued being understood. I went to nurse her, after having signed MILK a decent number of times, 3-5.... but not making it take more than a minute to do so. You know how those hungry babies can get fiesty pretty quick if you don't provide the breast or bottle quickly enough!

What I did differently this day than previous days is I'd stop her a couple of times, you know, pop her off the boob and ask her while signing, "Are you having MILK?" If she was so hungry and disinterested in this game I didn't push it. Most times she thought this was fun. The proof? By mid day she came to expect me to pop her off the boob to have this conversation of sorts and she'd turn back to the breast but turn and steal a glance as if to say "go ahead, ask me if I'm having MILK" which was pretty cute. For those experienced mommies you know how that age comes where your baby is discovering the world around them and you cannot seem to get them to pay attention to nursing long enough to finish a feeding? Well, this game I created probably started Amberly on this track earlier because I was giving her a reason to stop, haha! New mommies, we donn't always know what we're doing, but so long as we're bonding and having fun with it, go with the flow! Side note: Later, with the boys I used the "not-a-new-mommy-knowledge" and signing to my advantage in those scenarios when the boys would stop nursing and look around, I signed MILK to get them focused back at the task at hand so we could finish up and continue to play after. 

Several of these feedings took place in my office sitting in front of the mirrored closet doors where I would sit Amberly up and point to my exposed breast, and ask her if she wanted MILK. Babies are social by nature, so I created a context of socializing with our favorite "baby in the mirror" to add to the experience. She would look at herself in the mirror, my reflection and then back at me. A few times when I interrupted her feeding, she'd turn to look for the baby in the mirror. Maybe to check if that baby also was having her feeding interrupted haha! 

At her 5 o' clock feeding, Amberly again pulled off the boob as I'd been doing intentionally all day, then before I could ask her if she was going to have more MILK she signed it! And with a huge smile to boot! The feeling of knowing how she could now identify this special activity was incredible. She continued to do this a few more times for emphasis. Babies LOVE to do that, being scientists and checking for understanding. Each time I confirmed for her "Yes, you're having MILK! Now you can show Mommy when you want MILK." Of course signing MILK each time I said it and she would repeat the sign. I was amazed. Seriously to know our babies are able to process and create associations and implement actions to communicate with full intention at just 4 months. I couldn't wait for Daddy to get home and share what we'd been up to all day.

As a new mom I thought this might be just the thing to make life a little easier because she could ask me for milk instead of grab at my boob or begin to fuss. The truth of the matter I don't think it was until Amberly was roughly 8 months old that she signed MILK in order to have it. Rather as their communication abilities develop, both verbal and non-verbal, the first thing babies will do is mimic, then they will sign in the context of the thing or activity, then when object permanance occurs, this is when they can ask for the item. Still it was fun to respond to her telling me "Mommy, I'm having MILK" essentially as she loved to do from that day forward 'til about 8 or 9 months. I could affirm her thoughts and have a conversation with her about her surroundings knowing that she was "getting it."

If you haven't checked out the previous posts in this series, please do. 


Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of Sign4Baby in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for FREE.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Baby Sign Language 101 - Let your baby's interests lead the way

More often than not parents are motivated to learn baby sign language and teach it to their little one because it will make their job easier in knowing what their baby wants or needs. This is helpful, yes. Who wouldn't prefer a baby signing MORE or ALL DONE while in the high chair or DIAPER when they need a new one? But, for most babies this is not the best way to begin signing.

I learned this with Amberly by chance. When she was 6 months old we were hanging out on the stairs where a pile of rubber ducks and other bathroom decor waited to be taken to her bathroom to embelish it. As she picked up the little ducks I would playfully "quack" and use the ducks to kiss her and make it a fun interaction. We did this for maybe 10 minutes, I am not sure because I wasn't watching the clock... we were just having fun. As I watched Amberly play with the ducks she held one up and signed and said DUCK clear as day. Now, she didn't again say DUCK for a couple months, but this scenario showed me how closely they pay attention to what we are doing and saying when it is all based on play.

If you have read one of those baby sign language books that advises starting with MORE, ALL DONE, EAT, DIAPER, NIGHT-NIGHT, I have my 3 guinea pigs that clearly showed more interest in using these signs only after learning the signs for things that most interested them.

Leave me a comment: I'd love to know what your baby's first few signs were and what you think about starting with some fun intriguing signs before jumping into the abstract or complex ideas of MORE, ALL DONE, etc...

Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of Sign4Baby in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for FREE.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The story of how I taught my daughter to sign MILK (Part TWO)

A couple days passed since our “baby waving” (see Part One of this series) incident and now it was Valentine’s Day. Upon leaving for work my husband rang the doorbell, leaving behind a beautiful arrangement of red roses. With excitement I was telling Amberly all about the flowers and how nice Daddy was to surprise us. With baby in one arm and vase in the other I displayed them on top of a wine cabinet that happened to be in a spot we passed to enter and leave the home and was near the kitchen and also a spot we’d pass to get to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms where I’d put her down for naps. I explain all of this because it happened to give us lots of opportunities to pass by the flowers, each time I got myself something to eat (at 4 months she was still exclusively nursing and she really liked to be held much of the day), each time we went outside for a walk or to check the mail, and when we went upstairs for her multiple naps in the day.

It is widely known that babies are attracted to the color RED, so it was no surprise to me that my daughter was transfixed on the red roses. Also, at that young age, she was becoming more aware of her environment and changes that came with it, as well as reading our expressions quite well. She’d been intrigued by my excitement over the flowers, she was furthermore intrigued by them – so much so that she was doing the typical thing that babies do, reaching out to grab at them. I knew right where one of those flowers would end up if I allowed her to grab one, it would go right to her mouth! Something transpired that day that was completely by happenstance. I taught my 4 month old how to “smell” a flower.

Each time Amberly reached out for the flowers I gently held her hand and showed her how we could enjoy the flowers by first leaning in towards them, second, closing our eyes, third, breathing in the scent through our noses, and fourth, giving a slight “aahhhhhh” in appreciation of the aroma. Each time I’d verbally tell her what we were doing as we progressed through each action. It was fun to see how captivated she was in this practice, how intently she watched what was going on, She never grew bored of it throughout the day even though I think we must have repeated it more than a dozen times. Then as evening rolled around Amberly surprised me by following along, leaning in, closing eyes, audibly breathing in through her nose and letting out a little sigh! I figured we were going to be at this practice all week (which of course we continued to do) and well into toddlerhood before seeing any resemblance of her understanding or demonstrating the act of smelling a flower. I couldn’t help but to be excited and she responded in like. When Daddy got home I attempted to have Amberly show him just how much she loved the flowers. Well, just like asking a baby who is newly waving to show off on demand, it is a little complicated. She didn’t quite get all of it but she got enough of it to show she really pays attention to what we’re doing. I told my husband I was going to have her signing milk the next day!

Be sure to catch Part Three in the series of “How I taught my daughter to sign MILK.”

Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of Sign4Baby in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for FREE.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Signing Story Time is Nourishing Baby's Brain




How many times have you heard that children are like sponges, soaking up all that’s around them? You’ve probably also heard that you should read to your children daily. Twenty minutes a day is like exercise for the brain. It makes sense, we want to enhance their language acquisition, provide them with tools for learning, give them a head start in school, and all the other things that go hand in hand with having a healthy well adjusted, love-to-learn kid. Did you know you can make an even bigger impact during story time by signing words from the story to your child? It’s true. While babies and toddlers may not recognize words or letters on paper, they can easily identify the symbolic sign for various objects and activities.

Research is showing that signing in the classroom is making learning to read easier. If we can engage a child in more than one of the learning styles, they experience greater success in learning. The left side of the brain is the language center, while the right side of the brain is visual based. When parents speak as they sign, both sides of the brain are activated to learn. (Marilyn Daniels – Dancing with Words)

A good story time program will engage the audience using all four main learning styles; visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. Visual learners will enjoy both illustrations and photograph images in books, felt boards or puppets to help tell a story, and signing key words to talk about the book. Not only is signing a visual language, it promotes eye contact and draws a longer attention span. Auditory learners enjoy music, singing and chanting and benefit from the inflection and tone of the story teller’s voice. Speaking the words you sign with your baby are just as important as the words you read aloud from a book, it is building an auditory association to the sound and symbol. Kinesthetic learners love participatory story times where they are invited to clap hands, get up to dance, or bring a toy that corresponds to the theme of the story time. Signing is not only using the hands, a lot of facial expression and body language are incorporated to fully convey a message. Tactile learners love the ability to participate in telling the story with sign language. Finger plays such as “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” have been made popular with gestures that children like to mimic.

The following tips can be applied to reading and signing, coupled together you’ll feed your baby’s hungry brain.

READING
1. Repetition. Children benefit from reading the same book again and again as they become familiar with sequencing, they love being able to predict what comes next in the story and being correct.
2. Establish a routine. Reading a book before bed or naptime is a great way for a baby to wind down.
3. Make it fun. If your toddler wants to flip through the pages quickly to find their favorite page, go ahead and spend time talking about what interests them most.
4. Encourage participation. Pointing, page turning, and talking about the book, not just the written words are all great ways for a baby to begin the lifelong love of reading.
5. Be creative. When you find new ways to tell the same story it not only keeps your child engaged, it keeps you engaged as well.

SIGNING
1. Repetition. Signing a word over and over again helps a baby pick up the meaning of the sign, much the way we repeat words when using parantese with babies (the high pitched sing song repetition of words caregivers use when speaking to babies).
2. Establish a routine. Once you’ve begun signing in the context of reading books, or any other situation, continue to do so and your child will pick the signs up quickly.
3. Make it fun. Try signing when you’re laughing and playing, your baby takes note of what you’re doing and is encouraged to chime in.
4. Encourage participation. Asking your baby to show you the sign is great practice to build up to initiating conversation.
5. Be creative. A novel game is one of the greatest signing opportunities. One of our favorites is This Little Piggy, signing pig each time you wiggle each little toe, and of course making a great pig snort or squeal!

Take the traditional well known preschool finger plays a step farther and learn the signs for words that are important to your child, Soon your child will have the building blocks for literacy and the confidence necessary to further describe their thoughts and feelings.

This article was originally submitted and published in My Hometown Feb 2011 pg 21.

Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of Sign4Baby in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for FREE.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

For a good while Owen would exclaim his excitement by patting his hands on his legs. I'd show him from time to time how I'd clap my hands and draw out the experience, while he looked at me curiously. The other day I notice as I handed him another snack that he transferred a food from one hand to the other in order to better reach was I was giving him.... then yesterday he began clapping! Yay! We were about to see the pediatrician and were in the waiting room of all places. I love when your baby acheives a new milestone right before the doctor's eyes. Somehow it is as if they want to show off and say "Look what I can do!" He clapped a bunch for us all day yesterday. Today Amberly is trying to engage him in a clapping game, she solely wants to see him clap and he is onto her, it in not genuine clapping that she is presenting so he is holding out. Darn SMART little babies! Just another indicator that Owen will begin his signing explosion soon. Did your child have one particular sign they did that was a catalyst for signing to takeoff? I'd love to hear abou it. Go to the Sign4Baby fan page on Facebook and leave a message on the wall! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Sign4Baby/119900714676?ref=ts

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Baby Babble


Just the phrase will put a smile on someone's face. There is a good feeling that comes over us when we think about the sounds beginning to form in those early months of life. Did Mother Nature happen to create the cutest sound to come "from the mouths of babes," if I can borrow that phrase, or was the intention for us to interact with our babies more? It is not by accident I tell ya. Same as it is not an accident that newborns see best what is between 6-12 inches from their face and that is the distance a baby's head lies as he/she nurses at the breast. It is an important developmental acheivement for babies to babble and practice newfound consonant sounds. Practice makes perfect, so the sound is repetitive in nature. Just about the time this emerges is when you can notice object permanence beginning to emerge. (I say beginning to emerge because it is not as if one day they don't have it and the next day they do, it is concept that slowly builds up, same as crawling and walking). I have a theory there is no accident there either. As they begin to understand that things exist that are not readily in front of them, they begin to be frustrated with the wanting of the item and the lack of ability to retrieve it. Worse yet, no way to tell someone what it is they want. That is until the practice of using sign language with babies came along. I'm seeing all of this click together so much more easily with Owen, being my third baby. Connecting the dots in being able to understand how each milestone has significant relevance has been a fun ride.


Owen is, as you may have guessed, babbling up a storm these last few days. It seemed to all start at the pool on Sunday when he was returned to my arms he looked right at me and exclaimed "ya-ya!" I had such excitement about his new sound that he just kept motoring on and on, even waking up last night to practice his diction. It was so cute, if I wasn't so tired I would have grabbed a video camera to capture it. But as I like to remember my husband once telling me, some moments just have to be enjoyed to the fullest in the present and stored in your heart and your memory.

Amberly's latest thing is "Mommy, I can help you with that." Golden. Just golden. What mommy doesn't want to hear that from their 3 1/2 year old? Most of me believes she has a great sense of empathy because of her ability to sign as an infant and thus having more of her needs met more readily. As a high needs baby, signing was a relief to avoid meltdowns.

Kyle is busy mimicking everything he sees and hears, that's good and not so good! What's nice is I can easily ask him to show me a sign he hasn't used in awhile and remind him we are teaching Owen to sign and he can help me with that. Plus he sings to his baby brother... something he's seen big sis do to calm him down.

Having three kids in the span of 3 1/2 years is nothing short of challenging, and nothing short of precious!