Teaching your baby sign language is a rewarding experience that will improve parent-child bonding, increase your child's IQ, better your baby's communication skills and lessen potential for toddler tantrums.

Like any other skill that you teach a baby, teaching sign language necessitates time and patience, but is well worth the effort. The following tips will help you achieve success with your little one.

MAKE A LIST

Before you begin, make a list of the signs that you'd like your baby to learn. Write down words that you use on a daily basis such as eat, milk, bed, mommy, daddy, etc. Memorize and practice these yourself so they feel natural to sign. Be sure to use ASL (American Sign Language) which is the signing system used by the Deaf. It's a universal American language that will count as a second language to you and your baby and will give you both opportunity to communicate with other signing parents and children, deaf and hearing alike.

SIGN, REPEAT, SIGN AGAIN (AND AGAIN)

Consider every opportunity to sign a learning opportunity. When you're feeding your baby, sign the word "eat" or "milk" as many times as you can during the feeding. Sign all during bath. Sign mommy and daddy when greeting your child. Remember that you will need to make these signs hundreds of times over the course of months before you'll see recognition or response from your child. Allow your child to watch videos of other babies signing. Immersion is an excellent way to learn a second language.

BE PATIENT

Don't get discouraged! It is natural to reach one point when you'll think to yourself that your baby's "never gonna get it". Persevere, because you are going to be so thrilled the first time the baby signs to you.

WATCH CAREFULLY

Before your baby signs, she will show signs of receptive signing vocabulary. When you make the signs your baby will light up, acknowledging that she understands what you're signing. Try it - make the sign without saying the word and see if you see response. Let this keep you motivated and keep you signing!

MAKE IT FUN

Be playful and excited when you are signing. Make a game of it. Babies love your enthusiasm. This is a wonderful bonding exercise.

ADD TO YOUR VOCABULARY

As the months go by, add to your own signing vocabulary. Even if you don't teach the new signs to your child, you'll get a lot of practice yourself and will be able to teach them to your baby as it becomes appropriate.

REJOICE!

When you're baby does that first sign, don't forget to celebrate! All these months of work will be worth it.

Learn more about this author, Wendy du Lac.
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