Sign and Sing Weeks 2 and 3

Last week in Sign and Sing we worked on different attention getting strategies for presenting the signs. We used interesting objects like musical balls to draw their attention to the sign for ball. We sang a silly song and signed about their reactions to the song. Another strategy we used was bringing the object about which you are signing to your face so that the child's line of vision will follow the object. This draws attention to the object so that you can then demonstrate the sign.

This week, we introduced an Adaptation Strategy. This occurs when you move a toy next to your face so your child can see you making the sign while you hold the toy. Watch your baby’s eyes as she looks back and forth from the object to you. You have created the ideal environment for learning.

Keep working with your home materials and we will see you next week!

Sneak peek into the Kindermusik program...

Sign and Sing class 2

Last week in Sign and Sing we worked on different attention getting strategies for presenting the signs. We used interesting objects like musical balls to draw their attention to the sign for ball. We sang a silly song and signed about their reactions to the song. Another strategy we used was bringing the object about which you are signing to your face so that the child's line of vision will follow the object. This draws attention to the object so that you can then demonstrate the sign.

We had a few "signs" of progress this week! Some of the children were responding to our signing with their facial expressions. This is a first step and shows that they are paying attention to the signs and that they are learning that the signs have meaning. If you sign "more" and you child lights up, take encouragement in that and use that as an opportunity to review the sign. We also saw some early hand movements in response to the signing. Whenever you see this, even if you are not sure that they are actually signing, go with it! Those first few signs might be an accident and might be hard to recognize, but if you applaud these first efforts, as they get older you will notice them deliberately signing to you. One way to reinforce this is to sign back to them, speak the word and give them what ever it is for which you think they might signing. This gives them visual reinforcement, auditory reinforcement, and tactile reinforcement of what they were doing. Also, be sure to ask them if they are talking with their hands so that they understand that hands can communicate!

Our stations for this week included a ball pit where we signed about the balls as well as about being inside and outside the ball pit. We also had a dancing station with music where we signed about dancing and music. This can be done at home as well. Another idea for the music station is to turn the music off and sign "more" before turning it back on. We had a car station where we signed about the cars and where the cars are going. After our bubble parade, we ended the class with a visit to our "duck pond" where we used a familiar song to sign about the ducks. After class the kids played in the outer area and we practiced signing our new signs during playtime.

The point of our class is to give you the tools you need to stimulate your child's verbal development at home day to day. Keep working with your child consistantly at home even if you do not see the results at first. It sometimes takes months before the younger ones begin to sign back. Remember that any time you spend talking and interacting with your child as well as with other child is not wasted.

Sign and Sing- class 1

We had our first Sign and Sing class last night! If you haven't checked the pictures out, they are on my facebook fan page which you can access on the right side of my blog. Feel free to bring cameras to class to take more pictures!

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED having dads in class as well as the moms! Kudos!

Last night, we talked about ways to bring signs into your child's world during class as well as during playtime after class. You do not need to know every sign there is, or to use signs constantly for this to be effective. Start by choosing some of the signs from class last night that your child might be most interested in. The goal of this week is to get started signing and become comfortable signing yourself. The "see a lot, do a lot" signs are things that happen often during the day likebed, eat, more, finish, what, help and milk. There are plenty of opporunities thoughout the day to use these signs. The other type of signs which are an important part of the "Signing Smart" strategy are the "highly motivating signs." These are things that your child is very interesting in or might be very motivated to learn to sign. This may be different for each child. The signs we used last night from this category would bny, mom, dad, music, ball, bear, as well as a few more.

1. The first step is learning how to use the signs so that your children see them. It doesn't help to do the sign when you child isn't looking at you! When they are attentive to you, interested in something and making eye contact with you, this is the perfect time to sign.
2, the Second step is recognizing your child's early attempts at signing. If you are feeding your baby and they touch their hands together as if attempting to sign "more" then respond by giving them more of whatever they were eating! Some early attempts at signing may be accident, but if you respond to them, the child will learn that by speaking with their hands, they got what they needed. Also notice if your child is responding to the signs YOU give. If you sign and ask "more?" and you child's face lights up this is progress as well! Remember that it does sometimes take a long time for those first signs to appear. Don't be discouraged if you don't see any signals that your child is attempting to sign right away. Sometimes we cannot see the result of what we do with our babies for a long time. But these early experiences become aborbed into who they are. The time you spend communicating verbally and by signing with your baby will not go unrewarded.