Unlock the full potential of your baby’s language development with this simple but powerful tool – facial expressions. As we know, sign language is a useful tool to enhance your child’s language development and cognitive skills, but…
How do facial expressions benefit sign language?
Facial expressions play a critical role in baby sign language and can enhance the learning experience for your child. When signing, it’s not just about the movement of your hands but also the expression on your face.
Facial expressions have the power to:
- Bring the signs to life.
- Help your babies better understand the emotions behind the word when combined with symbolic gestures (signs).
- Make the experience more memorable and exciting!
- Help them become more aware.
- Keep them attentive.
How do they help with awareness?
Well, we know that facial expressions help us express emotions. Therefore, when you use expressions while teaching sign language, you are also teaching how to express emotion. When you sign with emotion, you help your baby connect the feeling behind the words. It’s like you are giving them a little window into the mind-reading club! In this case, expressions serve as intonations for baby sign language.
What are intonations, and how are they helpful?
Intonations are the tone of our voice. They tell us how we feel about a certain topic and allow us to associate feelings with words.
For example, when you are teaching your baby to sign “happy” you need to use accurate intonation so they understand what it means. You do not sign happy with a sad face because that would teach them that the word “happy” means sad because you expressed it to them in a sad manner. Rather you should sign the word “happy” with joy and excitement, which will allow them to connect the word happy to feeling joyful.
Not only that, but showing facial expressions/intonations during sign language can also help develop your baby’s emotional intelligence and social skills. That is because when you show them the emotions behind the words, you’re helping them understand how to express themselves and respond to others with the appropriate emotion.
Not only do intonations help enhance awareness and understand definitions, but it also helps keep them ATTENTIVE!
How does it help with attention?
Babies have short attention spans because their brains are still developing, and they are easily distracted by their environment since almost everything is new to them! Some activities and interactions may hold their attention for longer periods of time, especially when incorporating lots of ENTHUSIASM and ENERGY! This is why if you sign with facial expressions, you are bound to keep their attention on YOU while ingraining the sign in their brains.
Even more so, because babies are naturally curious individuals and enjoy engaging with their caregivers, dynamic facial expressions and emotions accompanying signing can hold their attention longer. When information is presented in an engaging and interactive manner, you create a dynamic and captivating experience for them. It makes them more likely to retain the information and feel more inclined to learn the sign.
In a nutshell, adding facial expressions to your baby’s sign language is like adding sprinkles to your ice cream cone. It takes something great and makes it even better! So, go ahead, and let your facial expressions do the talking. It will make this experience more memorable for you both. Not only will your baby thank you for the entertainment, but it will also facilitate their understanding of the world around them in a whole new way!
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