I have a 7 month old. My husband and I have talked about teaching him sign language. We have read the benefits of this. We bought the Baby Einstein’s My First Signs DVD this weekend. We do not know where to start.
I started about a month ago. Still waiting for my 8.5 month old to make a sign, LOL! But it’s all about patience (plus, 7 – 8 months is a good time to start signing but don’t expect results right away). Here’s what I did / do:
I bought the DVD and book from Joseph Garcia. Check out Amazon.com. He’s a recognized “expert” in teaching babies sign language based on American Sign Language (I’m sure the Baby Einstein is based on the same sign language so probably no need to buy another DVD).
First, I chose the 3 signs (as he suggested) I wanted to start with. I did this for 2 reasons:
1. To keep it simple for the baby: too many signs and they will get confused.
2. To keep it simple for me! LOL! In the beginning I found I forgot to make the signs.
Since consistency is key start with just a few. The signs I chose were “eat,” “milk” and “cat” (because we have one and I thought I would be cute for her to sign it!). After they start making these signs you can start to add more.
Then, each time we go to eat I make the sign at her eye level and say the word (making sure she sees me do it). I also make the sign/say the word while she is eating. I do the same each time she has a bottle and each time the cat comes around.
Again, consistency and patience are key. Think of it as something fun to do and not a must-have.
Good luck!
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