Signing Is Even for Dads, Grandparents, and Nannies!
Signing Is Even for Dads, Grandparents, and Nannies!
It's usually the moms who initiate signing with their babies/toddlers and the dads who adopt a "wait and see" attitude. Dad usually is impressed when his little one demonstrates a sign or two, but is more likely than Mom to write this off as a fluke. Still skeptical; one magical day, Dad finds that when he least expects it, his baby/toddler starts making odd gestures with his hands. At first Dad is terrified that his little one is on the verge of a meltdown, but he soon realizes that his baby is signing to him. Dad proudly proclaims his child to be a genius and repeats the story to all who will listen. A signing convert is born!
Grandparents can become very supportive of a child's signing. My father-in-law, a serious businessman, was very skeptical when he first saw me using baby sign language with my daughter. "Why should a hearing baby need sign language?" he asked. It was too difficult to try and convince him, so I didn't even try. But just as I suspected, he soon saw the benefits first hand. When my daughter used her first signs - long before she could speak - he was simply amazed. She told us, using sign language, that she wanted "more" food, and signed "cat" for the toy she wanted. No frustration, no confusion, just age-appropriate communication. My father-in-law didn't need any other convincing than what my daughter showed him. He immediately plopped down on the carpet (in his three-piece suit) to sign with her. Soon he was telling everyone about signing with his granddaughter and how great it was.
Often times, the little signers in my baby sign language classes come with their moms. Dads and grandparents are always welcome to come, as well, even if it is for a one-time visit. Many family members have stopped by for a class while visiting from out of town. They always have so much fun and it's a great way to bond with their little loved ones and also to learn about signing.
Another important person in many families is the caregiver/nanny. In our classes we sometimes have moms bring their nannies with them and some nannies come on their own with the little ones while the parents are at work. It is amazing to see the special bond created between the child and the nanny.
Caregivers create their own unique relationship with the children they take care of, and learning sign language together helps to strengthen that bond. In addition, the child benefits greatly when everyone in their world is signing with them. This is the magic of repetition. Just as you would see with a child learning a foreign language, the more interactions they have with the new language - in this case sign language - the faster they will pick it up and the more extensive their signing vocabulary will be.
It all comes down to this: the more people involved in signing with your child, the stronger the reinforcement of all of the signs will be. With this comes better communication, and more fun for all!
Etel Leit is an internationally recognized leader in the field of signing with babies and young children. The wide reach of her business in California; the international reach of the website Etel administers; as well as her blogs, her articles, her seminars, and her live and television appearances worldwide, offer a very strong platform for promoting Ezine articles. As a leader at the forefront of baby signing, Etel Leit, the owner and founder of SignShine invites you to our program. Etel is the Presenter of the Month by Sign2Me, an international organization; She a regular online contributor to the Hot Moms Club magazine; and has been featured on Brian Williams NBC night show, FOX11, CNN.com, AOL, Yahoo, MSN, in Family Magazine, the Jewish Journal, Baby LA Parent, and many other publications.http://www.SignShine.com
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