signing update

So...Sadie really, really digs her baby sign language class. She finds it completely hysterical that a bunch of adults are sitting around staring at her, waving their hands in the air and singing made-up songs about milk and sleep and eat and moon. Yep, that's what we do for 45 minutes every Wednesday morning, and it is SO fun. There's something very compelling about singing to a circle of 6-month old babies whose eyes are so wide and faces so pleased that you can practically see them soaking it all into their brains like little sponges.

So, why sign with babies, you wonder? Doesn't it allow them to get by without talking, or impede their grasp of vocabulary?

Studies actually show the opposite to be true. Babies who sign have fuller spoken vocabularies at younger ages, score 10-15 points higher on IQ tests than non-signing babies, and---the big one for us---display less frustration and fewer tantrums. It makes sense if you think about it: signing babies can express their basic needs starting at around 9 months. By age one, they may have a signing vocabulary of 20 or more words---the time when most children can speak only one or two words. Some children don't even say their first word until 18 months---can you imagine how frustrating that would be, to comprehend so early but not be able to tell anyone about it?

Every week we learn about 6-8 new signs, grouped into themes (Mealtime, Bedtime, Bathtime, Play, etc.). From those 6-8 signs, we pick 3 or 4 to focus on with Sadie. So far, those are:
- Eat
- More
- All Done
- Milk
- Sleep
- Book
- Light
- Stars (we do this one just because it's fun!)

The key is consistency. Every time you're talking to her and you SAY the word, you need to sign it at the same time. Right now she's just taking it all in, and probably won't be doing any signs herself for a few more months. We'll be sure to let you know when that happens---and what the sign is---of course!

For more information, check out the Baby Signs website . Classes are taught all over the country.