Infant Sign Language

Infants entering our world are equipped with communication tools (such as crying or cooing & reaching) that allow them to communicate messages such as "I'm hungry" or "I want to be held". Before we know it our little one is beginning to increase in mobility. Facial expressions begin to diversify and we begin to understand them in more and more ways each day. One way for us to challenge their motor skills and their communication skills is to teach baby sign language. When beginning using sign language, consider the infant's ability to reproduce the sign and the frequency with which they'll have the opportunity to practice. For example, "more" may be a good one to start with... the child brings all ten fingers together in the front of the body and touches them together a couple of times to signal "more".  At Healthy Beginnings Montessori House, classroom guides refer to a Sign with your Baby chart which can be found online for under $10.