https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:46:17 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-865207 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:36:56 +0000 littlek 865207@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our LO started learning baby sign language in daycare. They start teaching them right away, so he started around 4 months old. They send a list of basic signs home with him everyweek so we can practice. I think there are a lot of good books on amazon that you can use. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-865163 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:21:34 +0000 Mrs. Pen 865163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I actually wrote a blog post on this! I still do signs with my 16 mos old. He signs: milk, ball, shoes, more, please, hat, eat and water.</p> <p>I really love the baby signing time videos! And he does too. He loves the songs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-865089 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:55:14 +0000 Weagle 865089@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NaturallyCathy: Baby Sign Language Basics by Monta Z. Briant and google have been my resources so far :). I'm looking into flash cards and signing time right now. I think he's at a great age to learn. I'm glad I didn't stress about it earlier, LO is picking signs up in a day now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-865046 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:36:14 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 865046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We used baby sign language w/ DD starting around 9 months but she didn't really catch on until now. Now she'll sign "more", "please", "yes" and "all done". Those 4 words have made a HUGE difference in amount of tantrums and fussiness we have. We just did a lot of repetition to get her to understand when to use them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864997 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:20:50 +0000 Mrs. Twine 864997@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have this: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1401902901" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1401902901</a> and I also had these with Ellie: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Sign-Language-Flash-Cards/dp/1401917704/ref=pd_sim_b_3" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Sign-Language-Flash-Cards/dp/1401917704/ref=pd_sim_b_3</a> (not because we used them as flash cards, but because she liked to look at the pictures, and I used them to teach myself more useful signs). I signed lots with Ellie, because, like your son, she had a HUGE receptive vocabulary but wasn't talking (was barely putting two words together at age two). It helped immensely in her feeling confident and like she could communicate with me and with others. I was planning to sign with Lorelei, but she is already putting multiple words together at 14 months and so we just ended up skipping it because it didn't seem like she would benefit too much. I started with Ellie when she was a year old, and because she understood so much, it only took seeing most signs a handful of times for her to pick them up and start using them. It also helps to focus on the ones you think he would use the most (typically things like, 'eat,' 'more,' 'help,' etc.). Good luck! Signing is such a wonderful way to build relationship and communication. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864980 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:12:21 +0000 T-Mom 864980@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do baby signing with the kids, but only select words. We also have the Baby Signing time series and it's really popular with the LOs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864933 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:58:59 +0000 mynoahbear 864933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have the "baby signs" app and LO loves watching it. She's 17 months and has been consistently playing with the app for about two weeks. She's picked up on several of the signs already, like eat, finished, bath, hurt. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864919 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:52:28 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 864919@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NaturallyCathy: we started signing with our kids at 4-6 months, so it's hard for me to know how to do it with a toddler. They just picked it up on the fly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864888 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:39:54 +0000 Mrs. Grizzly Bear 864888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: @TemperanceBrennan: @Mrs. Jacks: @Honeybee: Thanks so much! I will check those sites/ resources out! I'm guessing repetition is key? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864883 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:38:04 +0000 Mrs. Grizzly Bear 864883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: I merely thought ASL would be a good starting point. I learned some ASL in high school and I wanted to teach him something he could grow into. I know he'll take the signs and make them his own. I won't be strict, just wanting to teach. I think he's craving structure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864854 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:25:47 +0000 T.H.O.U. 864854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you are just looking for a way for him to communicate with you, it shouldn't matter what version of sign language you use. It could be ASL or baby or whatever. Plus each kid will do each hand movement slightly differently. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864849 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:18 +0000 Honeybee 864849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do ASL with the kids. I just look up the signs I think are useful on <a href="http://www.aslpro.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.aslpro.com</a>. they also have videos of "baby signs" which are usually just simplified versions of the regular signs. I think it's been very useful, with both kids! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864810 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:07:26 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 864810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NaturallyCathy: sure. There is an ap, I think it's called "baby sign". There is a video series that we rented from the library called "baby signing time" and there is a book called "American sign language for hearing parents of deaf children" that we found useful. It got us more fluent than just a few words :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864807 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:06:25 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 864807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p><a href="http://www.lifeprint.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.lifeprint.com</a><br /> This is a good site with videos of signs. I find the site hard to navigate at times, but I think it does a good job of explaining the signs. It also provides memory aids that help me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864799 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:01:59 +0000 kiddosc 864799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>They teach E some signs at daycare. He occasionally flashes one at me, and I didn't know what they meant so I looked up this chart. <a href="http://www.babysignlanguage.com/chart/" rel="nofollow">http://www.babysignlanguage.com/chart/</a><br /> I want to get more consistent about using them at home now that he's one and started to use them more often. I would definitely be an improvement on the whining.</p> <p>ETA: if you click on the link for the PDF it shows the pictures much larger and you can see the signs more clearly </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864783 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:54:49 +0000 Mrs. Grizzly Bear 864783@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Weagle: What resources did you use to teach your LO? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864778 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:51:05 +0000 Weagle 864778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use ASL signs with our LO. We do basics, just so she can communicate without grunting. It's worked really well we didn't really start until a year, and even then we're not super gung-ho. But she's picking up on it really quickly and consistently uses what we've taught her, along with trying to say the word with it. I wasn't a big believer, but it's nice to see her not be so frustrated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864763 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:46:22 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 864763@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We aren't ttc yet, but I've always been fascinated by ASL and would like to sign to our future baby. I have a bit of knowledge (very basic noun signs, the alphabet, and numbers.) I signed up for ASL beginner classes this summer at our local community college. </p> <p>Two close friends have done baby sign and it worked great for them. They recommend it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864756 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:44:30 +0000 Mrs. Grizzly Bear 864756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I don't really expect fluency but it would help if he could tell me what he wanted like drink or food or whatever. His actions are usually pretty clear but I think he'd like it. I know I would like to know more ASL. Would you suggest the resources you mentioned? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864744 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:39:12 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 864744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't teach ASL, but we taught baby sign. We have two ASL books and an iPhone ap, but it's hard to put it all together so that you ate speaking fluently without some coaching. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-taught-their-toddler-asl#post-864742 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:37:15 +0000 Mrs. Grizzly Bear 864742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think one of my projects this summer is teaching H (who is nearly 17 months old) American Sign Language. H doesn't talk yet but he's big on expressive movements. I know I should worry about him not talking but he understands more than he's letting on and can follow instructions. But I want to give him some way to talk back so until he decides to talk (and I'm not pushing it). </p> <p>Any suggestions or resources for teaching ASL? </p>