Tag: baby signing

Mirror Dance

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Here’s a little game that can grow more sophisticated the older your baby gets. Veronika is just starting to copy movements, including signing words back to me. It shows that she’s very attuned to others’ body movements, so today we made a dance of it.

I sat down facing her and first, I copied her moves! This is a great way to teach your baby the concept of mirroring.

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So when she popped down a toy piece with her finger, I followed suit.

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And when she put her thumb in the hole of a bead, so did I.

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Then it was mommy’s turn to be the leader! Could she tap two beads together? Yes she could!

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Clap hands? Yup!

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For some extra fun, we took the game in front of a real mirror. She was, admittedly, distracted by being near fun things like sinks and faucets, but if I tapped on the glass, she tapped on the glass!

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I showed her a few other moves, too, like tapping her head or touching her nose.

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This is almost like a baby version of “Simon Says”. Keep playing, and see what your baby will copy!

More or All Done?

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If you’re going to introduce one question for your baby at nine months old, this one is it: do you want more, or are you all done? First, by asking Veronika if she wants more of something or if she’s all done, it gives her a sense of agency. She can’t say the words yet, but she realizes that by her actions – pushing something away, grabbing for more of it – I’m listening to her. When you use the words, tilt your head and make your voice rise up at the end.

“More” and “all done” are also easy signs to learn, both for parents and babies (and siblings!). “More” is made by taping fingers together.

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“All done” is putting the hands up and shaking them, as if shaking something away. So today at meal time, I made sure to ask Veronika – do you want more or are you all done?

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Hmm, she’s thinking about it. Pause and see if your baby vocalizes, or perhaps even starts to sign back.

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More this time!

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The same question applies when we play with toys or if we’re hanging out some place and I’m curious if she’s had enough or wants more more more. She is just starting to do a hand wave that I think might be her first attempt at “all done.”

Would you like more of that pouch, Veronika?

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All done!

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Baby Sign

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I’m a firm believer in no screen time for babies until they reach two years old, with one exception… Baby Signing Time.

These DVDs, from Two Little Hands media, are a fantastic intro for parents and their kids to baby signing, a simplified version of American Sign Language. I started the videos with Travis when he was five months old, and I’m getting an even earlier jump with Veronika. Now that she’s three months old, we broke out the old DVDs.

What are the benefits of signing? Baby’s can use their hands more competently before they can use their vocal chords, which means “words” come earlier. That means less frustration for kids and for the parents who are trying to understand him.

Veronika was rapt with attention right away, since the DVDs put each word to catchy music, and show other children making the signs.

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If you don’t want to invest in the DVDs, you can always learn a few of the most common words you use in your day. Try learning the sign for milk, which is just your fist squeezing (like you’re milking a cow!).

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Water, which you can also sign at bath time, is your fingers in a W that bounces on your chin.

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You can even make up your own signs, as long as your consistent with it! The key is to use the sign every time you say the word out loud.

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I’m also hoping that signs will alleviate Travis’s frustration that his baby sister can’t talk yet. Older sibs can sign to and with baby, and open up the lines of communication earlier.

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We can’t wait to see which one is Veronika’s first sign!

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