Welcome to Talking Fingers -Baby and Toddler Signing.
Baby signing is a way that hearing babies can communicate with gestures long before they can speak. Baby signing can be thought of as an extension of babies natural use of gestures such as shaking their heads to mean "no", putting their hands out to communicate "pick me up" and waving to say "bye bye". |
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Classes and Workshops
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Baby Signing Classes and Workshops
Have you ever wanted to know why your baby is crying? What he is thinking? Well, now you can start to learn! Through signing your baby can let you know if he is hungry, tired or ill and much much more.
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My older son Ami (age 2) and Sam the signing teddy sign "more"(with me, Tanya, in the background!) |
Talking fingers - signing for babies and toddlers- offers you the following programs in Jerusalem:
Sing, Sign and Rhyme (Baby Signing class) - a group with a difference for parents/childminders and babies (0-2 years). An hour of fun and learning with puppets, songs, and finger plays, stories, games and Sam the signing teddy! You and your baby will learn signs that are interesting and useful. We'll cover the following topics - introduction, playtime, food, animals, bath time and bedtime, colours and feelings. Course accompanied by website for access to the song lyrics and animations of the signs.
Morning and afternoon classes available on weekdays. Hosts for afternoon classes (in the Old Katamon, German Colony, Rehavia areas) get a significant discount. Morning class available on Fridays.
Toddler Sing, Sign and Rhyme Group for toddlers(18mths-3yrs) and their parents/childminders - a fun and active way of learning signs. Toddlers love to sign even if they already can speak. It can help them learn abstract concepts such as colors and feelings, enable them to communicate across rooms without shouting and much much more!!! Course accompanied by website for access to the song lyrics and animations of the signs. Morning and afternoon classes available on weekdays. Hosts for afternoon classes (in the Old Katamon, German Colony, Rehavia areas) get a significant discount. Morning class available on Fridays.
Baby signing parent / childminder (mtapelet) workshop - a 1 1/2 hour workshop in which you'll learn the benefits of signing, how to sign to your baby, opportunities for signing, made-up signs vs. recognized sign language, how you can expect the signing to progress and 20 useful signs taught in a fun and interactive way. Also comes with access to the website. Babies welcome although the group is aimed at parents .
The group and workshop are led by me - a social worker, mom to two signing babies, and leader of a local new moms' group.
FAQ about Baby Signing
1. At what age can babies start signing?
It could be as young as 6 months or nearer their first birthday. It depends when you start to sign with them, their level of motor development, whether they are absorbed in other cognitive or motor developments (e.g. crawling, walking) and their desire to communicate
2. What's the best age for me to start signing with my baby?
Obviously the earlier you start the earlier your baby will be able to sign back to you but within limits. You may start signing at age 1month and not see any signing back until 7months or even nine months. For many parents/caregivers it can be extremely frustrating to sign months on end without seeing any sign that the baby is understanding or able to sign back. Often the frustrated parents give up on signing when their babies are only a few months old. If you think that you are this kind of person then you should wait until your baby is at least 6 months old before signing with him. Even at this age, you should be aware, that it could take a few months before your baby signs back. On the other hand parents/caregivers who wait until their baby is around the age of one, are amazed to see their babies signing back within a few weeks.
3. What are the advantages of signing?
There are
many. The most obvious being that your baby can communicate long before
he can speak. There are other benefits as a result of this-reduced
tantrums, better ability to bond with parent /caregiver and greater
self-confidence. Signing in babies and toddlers has also been shown to be
associated with higher
IQ and improved literacy skills. (For further benefits see question 5 and
6)
Signing is also used extensively with, and can be very beneficial for, special needs children - who are also welcome to join my groups.
4. Isn't it a lot of hard work to learn the signs and remember to make them when I speak to my baby?
Initially you will need to learn a few words and remember to use them consistently with the spoken word. The signs are generally very easy to learn, as they are quite natural instinctive movements, e.g. bringing your hand to the mouth as if you are eating for the sign "eat". In the beginning it may take some effort to remember the sign and to remember to make the sign when you say the word but within a few weeks you will be doing it automatically.
5. Doesn't signing delay speech?
This is the biggest myth about baby signing. Research shows just the opposite-babies that sign start to talk EARLIER and with a wider vocabulary than non-signing babies. Signing doesn't replace speaking as a form of communication with babies as the spoken word is always said with the sign.
6. My baby's already saying a few words. Is it still worthwhile teaching her sign language?
Yes! Teaching her sign language will help her communicate words and concepts that she can't yet verbalize whilst jump starting her speech development. Even amongst preschoolers who are fluent in the spoken language there are still benefits-emphasizing what they want or need, communicating in a noisy room and communicating when they are upset and find it difficult to speak. It can also help with literacy skills. Signing is also fun way to introduce the alphabet.
7. I'm a childminder-how can teaching the babies in my care be of benefit to me?
First of all teaching them signing will enable them to communicate with you before they can speak, thus reducing the amount of crying and tantrums in you group. Secondly the fact that you teach your charge/s signing and are obviously interested in their language development may be a real attraction for parents. Thirdly if you have children in your care who do not speak English as a first language you can use the signing as a bridge between the language spoken at home and English. This is a great way of integrating children from different backgrounds into your childcare setting.
8. My baby goes to a childminder. Is it still worthwhile teaching her sign language if her childminder doesn't sign with her?
Firstly it may be a good idea to talk with your baby's childminder about signing, pointing out the benefits and suggesting they learn a few basic signs. Secondly even if the childminder is unwilling to learn sign language your baby can still learn the signs from you in the time you spend together. If this is the case, then you can expect her to take more time to learn the signs.
My Personal Baby Signing Story - a Tale of Two Brothers...
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Erez (17 months) signs "Teletubbies" - his favorite DVD |
Erez (17 months) signs "ketchup" |
I hadn't heard about baby signing until my eldest, Ami, was already 19months old. We had a playdate with a toddler who was only 15 months old and I was amazed to see him signing "doggy" "eat", "ball" and much more. At the time Ami was only saying a couple of words so I was impressed to see such good communication in a younger toddler. He also seemed much calmer than other toddlers. However, it didn't occur to me to sign with Ami-I just though it would help Erez my 7-month-old baby to communicate with us.
I checked out the Internet, learnt a few basic signs and started signing with Erez. He first signed back the sign for "milk" at 10 months and by 13 months had a 10-15 sign vocabulary but only 1 spoken word. At 14 months he had a "word explosion" and started saying 20+ words within two weeks! Most of these words he had either been signing previously or I had been signing to him. At 17months he has a signing vocabulary of about 35 signs and a spoken word vocabulary of about 60+ words. Since he has started speaking, Erez tends to use signing to emphasize what he wants or needs whilst saying or trying to say the word. Since his diction is not so clear, signing helps us understand exactly what he is trying to say. He also uses signing to communicate complicated words like "helicopter" and "caterpillar" which he does not yet try to say.
And what of Erez's older brother, Ami? He was very enthusiastic about the signing and picked up the signs very quickly. Amazingly within a couple of months of starting to sign he started picking up spoken words very quickly. In my opinion, as a shy and visual child signing was just an easier form of communication for him. When he saw that he could be understood through signing, he became more confident and started to try and say words, often signing at the same time so that we could be sure what he meant.
Signing has reduced frustration for both of my kids when they couldn't yet express themselves through words. It also improved the bond between them and me as I had a unique insight into their inner world. Finally it seems that it has helped both of them with their verbal language development. (For more benefits check out the links page!).
My Babies' Signing Stories
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Erez, 15 months signs "hot" |
Here are a few stories which show how signing can help you understand what your baby wants and needs as well as giving you a peek into their inner thoughts.
Erez, 11 months - Erez woke up in the middle of the night and seemed agitated. No amount of comforting seemed to calm him down so I took him out of his bedroom. As we passed the kitchen he started to sign "eat" so I took him in there, opened the fridge and noticed he was squishing one hand up against the other. I realized that he was signing his favourite food, cheese and gave him a bit. He gave me a smile as if to say "thanks mom that's exactly what I needed!" After eating I put him back down in his cot again and he slept soundly until the morning.
Erez, 12 months - I was standing in the queue at the supermarket and Erez was complaining. I tried rocking him, offering him some food and drink, trying to get him to shake something but nothing would calm him down. He then crossed his arms over his chest-the sign for "hug". I promptly took him out of the stroller and gave him a big hug. He immediately stopped crying and when I put him back in the stroller he was quite content to just sit there having already got the hug he needed.
Erez,15 months - I was showing Erez a picture of my husband with some friends when he started doing the sign for "caterpillar". I looked at the photo and all around but there was no caterpillar to be seen! I asked Erez where the caterpillar was and he pointed at the face of our friend and then I understood. This friend has a moustache, which Erez obviously thought was a caterpillar!
Erez, 15 months - I was walking down a corridor in the house when Erez started doing the sign for "butterfly" and trying to say the word. I retraced my steps and he started signing again next to the toilet on which there is a "hazard toxic chemicals sign". He then pointed at the skull and crossbones on the sign. Apparently that was what he thought was a butterfly!!!
Erez, 16 months - Erez was playing with bits of a toy helicopter when he came up to me gestured at the bits and patted both his hands on his chest-the sign for "help". I realized that he wanted me to put the helicopter together. I did that and he continued to play happily with the fixed helicopter. Whilst it is true he could have achieved the same end by grunting and pointing at the helicopter parts, it was much more pleasant and civilized for him to be asking me in a recognized way for help.
Erez, 17months - Erez was sick with a fever and the previous night we had given him fever-reducing medicine and for the first time signed the word "medicine" to him. The next day I was trying to play with him but he was being very whiny. When I asked him what he wanted he signed "medicine". Obviously I took this as a sign that he wasn't feeling well and gave him a dose. He looked so pleased and relieved that I had understood him.
Ami, 24 months - Ami woke up in the middle of the night and our usual attempts to console him- a cuddle, kind words and a drink of water failed to calm him. He was mumbling something we couldn't make out but then he moved one fist over the other - the sign for "change (diaper)". We checked his diaper and sure enough it was dirty. After his change he went straight back to bed with no complaints. If he hadn't signed we wouldn't have known what the problem was as he doesn't normally have a dirty diaper during the night.
Ami, 26 months - It was Ami's first day at preschool and in spite of all our preparations he was very upset to leave the house. As we were going down the stairwell Ami mumbled something though sobs but also did a sign. Whilst I couldn't understand his words I understood from the sign that he was scared and was able to acknowledge his feelings and comfort him.
Ami, 26 months - We were in the park having a picnic having friends and Ami wandered off to look at a bike quite far away from us. We then progressed on to dessert of cookies and wanted to tell him. Ami's dad signed "cookie" to Ami who was then about 20 metres away and Ami came running up to us shouting "cookie cookie" and collected his dessert. Clearly the signing saved us the effort of either shouting to him or running to him to tell him what was going on.
Contact Details
Israel 0545 718 364
Email: talkingfingers@ninger.com
Links
Dictionaries
ASL Browser- web dictionary for ASL.
ASLpro-extensive web dictionary for ASL. Also very useful dictionary of everyday phrases
Baby Sign Language - Teaching Your Baby Talk ASL, Parenting Advice-signs that are particularly relevant for babies. Also lots of useful information on signing.
Baby Signing sites
Sign2Me.com | Home Page-set up by baby signing pioneer Joseph Garcia. Read about the research that supports baby signing.
Baby Signs, baby signing for hearing parents and babies, books and videos by Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn.-set up by baby signing pioneers Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn.Read here about their research programs and products.
Signing With Your Baby-great site with loads of tips and articles and fantastic photos of babies signing! See the real thing!
Signing Time - American Sign Language (ASL) videos for every baby, toddler and child!Ð A collection of signing DVDs, videos and CDs featuring cousins Alex (hearing) and Leah (hearing impaired). Can watch clips of the videos online.
Forums
AlexandLeah-Signing time forum
Signing babies-signing babies forum
ASL learning on the Internet
Lesson Tutor: American Sign Language: Welcome to our class-free lessons and drawings of various signs. Also various flash cards for sale
American Sign Language-free lessons and photo dictionary. Also lessons for a fee
Israeli Hearing Impaired sites
Micha- organization serving hearing impaired preschool children
Shema-organization serving school aged children
Institute for the advancement of the Deaf Person in Israel
Illustrations of Israeli sign language finger spelling and photos of different sentences
School children signing some useful words in Israeli Sign Language