Learning languages at a young age encourages babies, infants, and toddlers to explore more about communicating what they feel. Speaking through words is probably one of the best ways to encourage expression and thought. However, many people today have circumstances that make it difficult to express emotions and feelings through words. A creative way to resolve this communication problem is through a baby sign language class. Is it easy to learn sign language? Families can benefit from learning sign languages as early as their babies are a few months old. Not only will babies learn to develop their cognitive abilities faster, but they may also become more socially and emotionally stable.
What Is Baby Sign Language?
Babies have a way to communicate with their parents. Whether it is babbling or being cranky, mothers or fathers are already aware of their needs. In the same way, many forms of communication may get lost during the verbal stages of infants, babies, and toddlers. A baby sign language is a visual gesture or a vocal signal from an infant to express their feelings and thoughts. Instead of speaking words, a baby may move their hands near their mouth and make a gesture related to “drink.” On the other hand, some cognitive disabilities, such as being deaf or mute, may also need to learn formulated sign languages such as the American Sign Language (ASL).
Benefits Of Baby Sign Language Class
Parents are the first teachers of a family. Significantly, a mother can teach a baby to learn social, emotional, and physical responses to different situations. In the early years, learning baby sign language class can help family members to communicate with the child. Learning with baby sign language class offers various benefits in preventing behavior problems or tantrums. Check out other advantages which may encourage you to sign up as soon as possible.
Build Self Confidence And Trust
The first on the list of benefits in learning a baby sign language is to help the baby trust their family members. Using symbolic gestures and being able to give the baby’s needs helps them communicate even more. Self-confidence and trust go hand in hand as babies should be taught how to express what they want.
Alleviate The Frustration Of The Baby
Frustration in a baby can be a critical factor in their psychological and emotional aspects. A parent may be able to understand their babies further by teaching specific sign language gestures correlating to what they want to say.
Prevents Speech Or Language Delay
Babies who aren’t able to speak at an early age may develop speech disorders. Delayed speech can also lead to other problems like not being able to express pain, accidents, or injury. Besides, learning to speak in any form may improve muscle memory for future use.
Don’t Forget These Reminders About Sign Language
Sign language is not a replacement language for babies without cognitive disabilities like being deaf or mute. Continued use of this language with no distinctive words combined with the gestures may result in improper speech development. Learn to use the sign language correctly so that your baby won’t suffer from these risks. Parents are also not compelled to enroll in a baby sign language class if these aren’t their preferences. The child should still learn verbal skills at around ten to fifteen months old. However, it is expected that children will have at least the age of four to construct sentences fully. If you’re suspecting that your child has a speech disability, consider going to a speech-language therapist first to diagnose the health concern.
