Story, Sign and Song

 

I used this technique with my son starting when he was 4 months old. By the end of the first day, he was signing "milk"; by 8 months, he was signing about 20 signs, by the time he turned 1, he could tell me if he was hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, tired, or hurt, what he wanted to eat, drink, play, or do, that he wanted to go outside, that he wanted more or was finished, and which way he wanted to go. It saved us so much frustration because it was a rare occasion that we did not know what he needed or wanted. The only time we dealt with tantrums was when he wanted something we weren't going to give him. People marvelled at our ability to communicate, his happiness and calmness, and his general ability to think for himself. I can't prove it but I believe deeply that it lead to his being more independent and to being very self-possessed early on. I know it helped us as parents worry less.

 

The point of this class is to:

1. Give you a fun venue to practice and introduce sign language to your child without sitting in front of a dvd

2. Give your child the chance to practice his/her signing outside of the family unit

    (This helps us solidify what we are learning because we can connect the material to the functions of the outside world.)

3. Give you some (maybe) new techniques for practicing at home.

 

This class is very interactive and requires a caregiver to participate throughout the class.

 

You will be exposed to vocabulary that will help you communicate with your child about:

 

Emotions and Feelings

Food and Drink

Basic Commands and Instructions

Basic Greetings 

Animals

Vehicles

Activities

Family Members

People in the Community

Colors

Numbers

Letters