Over the past month, I’ve started working on teaching the little one sign language. We had used it a bit in the past, but with no real luck, we stopped. Need. Instant. Gratification.
Anyway, we picked it back up and have had SUCH luck! Now that Charlotte actually understands words, it seems so simple to associate motions or signs to them. The easiest sign to teach was “more”… I literally taught Charlotte that sign in a matter of one dinner and it has become a sign that is used constantly.
According Charlotte, “More” means, “Gimme dat”… she literally uses the sign to point out anything and everything that she wants. In a store filled with blown glass figurines? <MORE> Walk into a restaurant… <MORE> Eat just about anything in front on Charlotte… <MORE> – You get the point. This sign has MANY purposes.
The next sign we taught her was for “water.” This one was a bit harder, as the sign requires you to make a “w” using your first three fingers and put it to your chin. This is difficult for Charlie, but she has adapted the sign to essentially just entail her putting her little fist to her chin.
The most interesting one has been “All Done.” This is a sign we use quite often, but Charlotte has literally NEVER done. She never ever made a single attempt to try it until all of a sudden, yesterday she started doing it perfectly. Since yesterday, she’s been using it regularly to let us know when she’s done eating, done with milk, done playing, etc. LOVE “all done”… sure beats her chucking all her food on the ground to give us the “heads up.” Not that she’s totally stopped that… but whatever.
We’ve also been working on the sign for “milk.” The first day I taught her the sign, she used it perfectly and so sweetly. I had fed her one side (yes, I’m still breastfeeding C), and she looked up at me with total puppy dog eyes and made the sign for milk. <MELTY HEART> So sweet.
All in all, I’m really excited about signing. I think we’re going to work on “thank you” and “I love you” next.
Any other helpful signs that I’m forgetting?
Playing House 
haha soo cute! just wanted to say that. i don’t have any more sign suggestions – i even downloaded a Baby Signs app on the iPad back in the day, but my girl who is sitting at 19 mos now 100% refused to sign (thankfully she spoke by 10 mos so that, paired with some pointing and screaming, worked out). i haven’t been on here for awhile so i’m looking forward to catching upon your posts!
Thanks! And don’t worry, you’re not alone in that. Charlotte’s favorite communication method is the scream 🙂
When Bumbi first started in speech therapy she was very delayed so we started with signs for more, give me, and all done. She still uses them now with the words sometimes. Those were 3 big ones for us to help with her frustrations with communication. I think learning I love you would be a great one to work on.
I feel like thank you and I love you will be challenging because they’re concepts that are harder to understand. I’ll let you know if we have success! I’m currently working on “help”, as she tends to cry when she needs my help.
Help is a big one! Keep me posted.
That’s awesome! My husband’s entire family knows how to sign (his cousin and cousin’s wife are deaf) so I want to start her soon so she can communicate with them at family events. I started trying to teach more but she just claps instead. lol I think she might need to be a little older. It’s hard!!
When Charlotte hit a year, it became way easier! Don’t worry… It’ll happen!
Jude did “more” for a day. Now he’s back to throwing his sippy and food when he’s done. Fabulous. And he signed “all done” once. “Milk” on the other hand, he signs all the time! So glad it’s sticking for you! The dreadful whining noises can get a little irritating 😉
Like nails on a chalkboard. C’s new strategy seems to be tossing the food/waterbottle to the floor and finishing off with an “all done”… Baby steps, right?