Forget “These Feet Were Made For Walking”… Did You Know These Baby Hands Were Made For Talking?

When GrandGirl #1 used some sign language recently, I did a double take. She bumped her 2 tiny fists together several times as she sat in her booster seat beside the kitchen table. What the heck was that all about?

My son translated. She was saying “more.”

More blueberries, to be specific!

Wow!

My daughter-in-law taught her this, starting at 18 months old. She also has signs for “love you,” “tree” and “eat.” She’s not using verbal language yet unless prompted, but it’s interesting to see how it’s not really needed either. She just points at what she wants, or she takes your hand if that’s what she needs or she stretches out her arms if she wants to be picked up. That covers plenty of bases in her world.

What I discovered on that day was the fact that sign language for toddlers is a new trend! Who knew??

The internet, of course, knows all about it. So I conducted a consultation with it and learned quite a bit.

“Teaching toddlers sign language is gaining popularity due to its numerous benefits for communication, cognitive development and emotional well-being. Signing is based on the simple observation that children can be taught to use their hands to "talk" long before their mouths can catch up.

Benefits: allows toddlers to express their needs and feelings before they can articulate them verbally. This can reduce frustration and temper tantrums.

Research indicates that using sign language can enhance cognitive skills, including vocabulary acquisition and literacy development. Children exposed to sign language often develop larger vocabularies and more advanced language skills at an earlier age compared to peers not exposed to it.

Plus there are emotional and social benefits. Sign language fosters a sense of autonomy and emotional well-being.

In case anyone is thinking that this could delay the use of verbal language, fear not! Studies show that it can actually facilitate and encourage language growth. It provides toddlers with earlier access to language and helps them understand the mechanics of communication.

So how does one teach a toddler sign language?

Consistent use of signs during daily routines helps create an association with actions and objects. For example, signs can be used for commonly needed words like “milk,” “more” and “play.” Repetition is a key part of the training process.

The wild part of this whole exercise…GrandGirl #2 will make the sign for “more” too because she copies so much of what her older sister does. Except #2 has no idea what it means.

The two girls, however, often “talk” to each other with their own high pitched baby yelps, devoid of any real meaning but loaded with entertainment value. They think it’s very funny. And so do we.

Oddly enough, language without any meaning still seems to communicate.