We asked one of our SignShine Mamas to write about her experience signing with her little girl~
Check out what she has to say in her class by class mini-recap
Baby Signing Class I:
My 7-month-old baby, Joanna, is a very social girl. Before my first class with SignShine, I was worried that Joanna would capture too much of my attention and that I would have a hard time learning signing. To my surprise, Joanna was totally captivated by the signs I was trying to make! I could tell she enjoyed being in a class with other babies. The teacher was very nice and helpful, and we had a good time.
You definitely need time and patience to teach your babies. If you’re a paret, you know the frustration of trying to understand what your baby wants or needs. I would recommend this class for parents who want to communicate with their babies.
Baby Signing Class II:
Babies need respect. During class, an important take home message is to make eye contact with your child. As babies are able to start signing around 6 months, it is obvious that they can already understand what you are saying. When you think about it, it makes so much sense! Even though babies cannot talk to us that does not mean that they don’t want to express themselves. Babies have feelings and thoughts, too. When I started thinking about Joanna this way, I noticed how crucial it was for me to teach her signing! I have only started signing to her in the past couple of days, but I am getting more comfortable with signing. I believe Joanna shares the same feeling too!
Baby Signing Class III:
Joanna seemed so excited in class! We both had a great time! Again, we learned some useful signs, such as stop, milk, crackers, and water, through games, songs, and entertaining activities. We played a game that proved that signing helped us remember more words than simply reading the words aloud. Joanna may also find signing an easier way to understand me. At home, I tried to sign as much as I could. I could feel Joanna was more focused on the conversation when I sign. I felt other mummies were getting more used to signing too. I can not wait for Joanna making her first sign!
Baby Signing Class IV:
In class we learned how to sign the alphabet and more words. It was wonderful to see how fast our class learned, as we all put a lot of effort in practicing at home. I found that signing to Joanna was incredibly simple. Every time I say a word, I just sign along with it. After just a few weeks, I can already see an improvement! Before using sign language, Joanna would cry and scream whenever I left her alone. I started signing “wait” every time I left the kitchen, and Joanna would stay calm and know that I was only leaving for a moment. That’s how sign language works! Now I understand how babies benefit from signing in terms of their emotional development. I signed “crying baby” when we heard a baby crying at the mall and Joanna seemed very concerned. I am fascinated by how Joanna connects herself to the other baby’s feelings.