So, you are convinced of the efficacy of baby sign language! But the question is how do you get started?
Have you watched a movie called, Meet the Fockers? If you haven’t, you must, know what baby signing is all about! Robert De Niro plays the role of the grandfather who talks to his one-year-old grandson using sign language. This is a movie, which has probably stirred up the biggest repercussions among young US parents!
The net result is a surge in the sale of baby sign related books.
Teaching sign language is simple. But as with the other programs, so with baby signing also—-you have to proceed step by step and a book can be of great help in guiding through these learning steps.
But the real problem lies in the decision making as to which book to choose and which book to reject?
In general, you have to keep certain points in your mind when investing in a baby-signing book. Here are some tips to help you find the baby-signing book that will be suitable for you as well as your child’s learning process.
First of all, you have to ask yourself, what kind of guidance are you expecting from the baby-signing book? Is it only the list of signs that you are looking for or is it the complete instruction as to how to teach them to your child? Depending on the answer to these questions, decide to buy your baby-signing book.
If you are the parent of a toddler, you will need a different set of baby signing books. The baby signing books written keeping toddlers in mind are specially created signing books that encourage these toddlers to take part in the whole process. These are the books that will make your teaching task easier and rewarding.
As you read to the child from the book, you have to speak out loud the particular word along with a special gesture. The word repeats itself a number of times and each time you have to make the same gesture as you utter the word.
You will soon find the toddler picking up the gesture and signing back to you. This process is particularly helpful in teaching your child a number of words and their meaning, even if they cannot speak the word yet.
If you are looking for a complete baby signing guide you cannot do without these path-breaking books:
The first book titled a SIGN with your BABY Complete Kit written by Joseph Garcia and the second one is called, Baby Signs and authored by Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn.
Both books advocate the teaching of baby sign language at an early age as eight months onward. There is a basic difference though in these two approaches: While Joseph Garcia’s program is based on the traditional sign languages as standard British or American Sign Language, Acredolo and Goodwyn encourage the parents to work out their own sign language with their children.
There are many more helpful publications that you can find by simply logging in online bookstores like Amazon.com. To get a better result, however, you can order a video along with the book. This will give you a hand on demonstration along with the theoretical guidelines.
