Show Me

A good friend of mine shared a little tip with me about signing with my children.

She used the phrase "show me" instead of "sign" when it came to asking her daughter to sign her needs and wants.

As my own daughter just turned one year old, she is at that stage of many needs and wants.  I am not able to read them and provide for them as readily as I was just months before.  As she is beginning to sign, I find myself wanting to inquire of her needs more.

I then remembered the tip of saying "show me" to replace the word "sign."  

For example:

• when your child is sleepy and is ready for bed but is crying instead of heading towards her bed, you can say "show me sleep" as you sign "sleep"
  
• and even if your child is not yet able to sign "sleep," you are reinforcing the action by saying "show me" and then signing "sleep" followed with words such as "you want to go to sleep," "let's go to sleep" as you continue signing the word "sleep."
  
• when you child is hungry and ready to eat but the food can't come fast enough, you can say "show me eat" or "show me more" as you sign "eat" or "more"
• again, even if your child is not yet able to sign, you can continue to reinforce the action by saying different phrases and signing the focus of need
  

We can then show our children what signs they can show us!  And as our children learn more signs, we can soon merely use the words "show me" and they will finish the rest with a sign.

Written by Shawna Tran: www.mybabydetails.com and www.vietnammylife.com