Having children an be the most rewarding experience in you life, but it can also be very frustrating at times for both you and your child. One of the most frustrating times is during your child’s early years before they can clearly communicate their needs vocally. Frustration in young children is most commonly caused by not being able to communicate their needs clearly. Many parents have found that teaching their children sign language at a young age has really curbed some of the frustration.
Children can begin to learn sign language extremely young. According to Sign Language For Babies and Beyondchildren as young as 7 months can begin to learn to sign. Expecting to be able to have your child sign long sentences is not possible at this age but a word is! The idea is to teach your child keywords to assist in communicating. Keywords could include things such as more, eat, milk, and other simple words. It is not uncommon for children who learn sign language first to be a little speech delayed. Don’t worry though! Sign language will not remain their main form of communication they will discover that speaking is much more efficient for them. Children are very capable of learning a wide range of sign language vocabulary to assist in communication. It is actually nice to be able to have a private conversation with your child at times because you and they can understand what is being signed. Odds are that people around you will not be privy to your conversation so you have some privacy. Babies can learn sign language long before they are able to communicate vocally. There is definately no harm in teaching your child to sign!