APPROXIMATION

You are signing with your baby for quite some time, and waiting for the day she will sign back. One day, here it is… your baby is attempting a sign. Your initial response, “was that really the sign for MILK?” “Was he really signing MORE?” I often say to parents, if you think it is an attempt to communicate, it is a sign! Now, respond with positive reinforcement.
Often times your baby’s sign doesn’t really look like the sign that you’re signing. Due to your child’s developing dexterity and fine motor skills, she cannot quite grasp the exact formation. While your baby tries to mimic your sign, the sign may look different. You may ask yourself,” does my baby really signing or just playing with his fingers?”
For example, the sign for MORE is to bring all five fingertips from one hand to the five fingertips of the other hand and tap them together. Many children will approximate the sign into one fingertip onto the palm of the other hand.
See pictures: all children sign MORE.
Approximation is signing! It is almost like saying dada for daddy at first. Please, do not manipulate her hands to form the right sign. Keep demonstrating the correct formation, encouraging your child to sign, and the right hand shape will come with time. This is one of the reasons that it is important to sign ASL so everyone will sign the same way without modifying the sign by their needs.
By accepting your child’s approximations, and encouraging her to keep signing, you will reduce her level of frustration. Consistency is the key. If you use the ASL version repeatedly, your child will eventually follow your lead and sign that version.

Let the Sign Shine!
etel

Etel Leit, M.S.
Founder & Owner http://www.signshine.com/
Publisher http://www.babysignshine.com/

For children LOVE spelled T-I-M-E!

Happy Valentine’s Day! The stores are filled with beautiful displays of chocolate, stuffed animals and love-inspired t-shirts with all kinds of sayings. It’s a fun and meaningful holiday – a time to give just the right present to bring joy and express your love. The gift possibilities are endless, but how do we really express love to our children? Is it by buying the latest and greatest toy? Perhaps another cute outfit with matching socks and shoes? Maybe first row tickets to Hannah Montana’s next show? Don’t get me wrong, special presents are exciting, but what I am trying to say is that TIME is the best and most enduring gift we can give our children. Just plain old time and undivided attention will be remembered long after they outgrow the toys and outfits. It’s free and it’s precious and our kids value it above all else (even if they don’t come out and say it directly).

Last year my daughter and I baked a Valentine’s Day cake using a recipe from a parenting magazine. We went to the market to buy the ingredients and then came home and had a great time baking together. It is one of our favorite memories. In the end, the cake didn’t exactly look like the one promised in the magazine, but it was filled with love and it was so special for both of us. We took pictures to put the great memories in our album.

This Valentine’s Day, spend quality time with your little one. Make a list for daddy (or mommy or other family members) with all the reasons you love them. Prepare a song to perform for the family on Valentine’s Day. Do an arts and crafts project together, like the one below:

How to make I LOVE YOU sign:
- Skin colored construction paper
- Popsicle or doctor’s stick
- Glue
- scissors
- Cut out hearts and other decorations
- Markers or crayons

Instructions:
Teach your child what the American Sign Language sign for I-Love-You is. Have them practice making the sign. Trace your child’s hand on the construction paper or foam. (Cutting the hand out is too detailed for many preschoolers to do on their own, so let them ‘cut’ one hand while you are cutting the other). When the paper hands are cut out, help them to fold down the two middle fingers. Glue the fingers down to the palm of the hand. Glue the entire hand cutout to a popsicle stick (or even a plastic spoon). Now let the creative fun begin – provide glitter, buttons, stamps, stickers, and other decorations. Encourage your little one to use his or her imagination and decorate the heart in whatever way that they would like to.

Enjoy the time together and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Let the Sign Shine!
etel


Etel Leit, M.S.
Founder & Owner http://www.signshine.com/
Publisher http://www.babysignshine.com/310.613.3900 etel@SignShine.com