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  • Writer's pictureForthe Baby

Best age to start teaching your baby

Updated: Nov 13, 2022



Introduction

You've probably heard that teaching your baby sign language is a fantastic way to improve their communicative skills and strengthen the bond between parent and child. But how do you know if your little one is ready to learn? Are there certain things they should be able to do before you start? And how can you make the most of this opportunity? In this post, I'll break down everything you need to know about when and how often—and with whom—you should start teaching your child signs.

Your baby might not be ready to start learning sign language when you are.

For some parents, the idea of teaching their baby sign language may seem like a good one. But you should wait until your child is old enough. The best age to start teaching your baby sign language is between 6 and 12 months old. If you wait too long, they will have forgotten what they learned and if you start too early, they will not be able to understand what you are saying.

The reason you want to wait until your child is old enough is because they are not able to communicate with you yet. If you start teaching them sign language too early, they will most likely not understand what you are doing and will become frustrated.

What you can do instead of teaching your baby sign language, is to teach them to communicate with you physically.

  • Get their attention. Use your voice! This is the most important thing you can do when dealing with your baby. If they are not responding to your words, try making noises that would grab their attention if they were awake.

  • Get them to respond to your commands. Once you have their attention, use it! Tell them what you want them to do and how you want them to do it (and keep repeating yourself until they get it right). You can also be specific: "Put the spoon in my hand."

  • Teach them when they please you by praising or encouraging them verbally (or vocally). Positive reinforcement will make all of your efforts worthwhile!

Make sure you are giving your baby attention as well. It is important to pay attention to them while they are eating or drinking, so they know they have your full focus at that moment. This will help them learn how to get your attention and how to interact with others.


Don't just do one things to get your baby's attention, use all senses.

One of the key ways to engage your child is by using all of their senses. Instead of just talking, use body language and touch as well. Don't just talk to them using your voice, but also use touch and smell.

The same goes for taste: if they're eating something you can use it as part of a fun game or activity. For example, if they're eating corn on the cob try pretending like it's a dragon with claws! Then when they bite into it—they'll be surprised (but not scared). And don't forget about hearing; play some music and dance around together!

Use all of your senses to engage your child.

The two best ways to teach your baby sign language is by combining distraction and repetition.

The two best ways you can teach your baby sign language is by combining distraction and repetition.

  • Teach the sign when they are distracted. Your toddler is going to be interested in whatever it is they are focused on at the moment, so use this to your advantage!

  • Repeat the same sign over and over until they get it right. If you see them starting to repeat a word or phrase, but aren't quite sure what comes next, try signing that same word while they are saying it—they'll pick up on how to spell the word faster than if you just told them what letter came next!

You can also use the same sign for multiple words. One of my favorite signs to teach my son was “more.” He would ask for more food or drink, but he wouldn't know how to say it. So I taught him the sign for "more" by using both hands cupped together and moving them up and down with each word—kind of like a wave in slow motion!


Try not to teach them too many signs at once because it will overwhelm them.

It is best to teach your baby only one sign at a time, as they can become overwhelmed if you teach them too much. Also, make sure that the signs you are teaching are ones they will actually use in their daily life. For example, if your baby is a foodie and loves eating, then it would be beneficial to teach them how to say “more” and “hungry” but not “clean up after yourself” or “take out the trash.”

The reason for this is that babies are very visual learners and they learn best when they can see what it is you are trying to teach them. If you try to teach them signs that have no meaning to them or are difficult to understand, they may become frustrated and give up on learning sign language altogether.

You need to stay patient with your child because they will learn the signs that they need more quickly than those that they are less interested in.

It is a good idea to stay patient with your child when they are learning signs. They will learn the signs that they need more quickly than those that they are less interested in, so don’t become frustrated if it takes them some time to grasp a concept or sign.

It is also important for you as the parent not to push your baby into learning these new skills too early, as this can make them feel overwhelmed and cause them stress in regards to their ability to communicate with others. In fact, it is better if they take control of their own learning by doing things on their own terms rather than having someone else force something upon them.

Only teach them signs that you will be using on a daily basis so they have the chance of recognizing it when they see it in other places.

Teaching your child sign language is a great way to improve their communicative skills and strengthen the bond between parent and child. But it's not as easy as it looks, so don't expect immediate results!

You can start teaching your baby signs at any age, but only teach them signs that you will be using on a daily basis so they have the chance of recognizing it when they see it in other places.

It's important to remember that babies learn through repetition and association, so if you want them to learn a sign quickly, it should be something they see or hear often. If possible, introduce the sign as soon as they start learning other words like "mama" or "duck."


Teaching your baby sign language is a great way to improve their communicative skills and strengthen the bond between parent and child – but only if you're patient!

The most important thing to note when teaching your baby sign language is that it will take time! The process of teaching sign language is not so much about quick results, but rather long-term improvement.

Teaching your baby sign language has several benefits. It helps improve their communicative skills and strengthen the bond between parent and child, but only if you're patient! You should also be aware that each child learns at his or her own pace, so don't compare them to other babies or expect them to learn signs at an identical rate.

The best way to teach a new word is by demonstrating it with actions and showing how they relate to the object being discussed. For example: if you want your baby boy named Riley James Thomas III (a very common name in America) who just turned six months old this past November 14th (which was also Thanksgiving), then I would recommend teaching him "thankful" before "food".

Conclusion

In conclusion, teaching your baby sign language is a great way to improve their communicative skills and strengthen the bond between parent and child – but only if you're patient! The most important thing is to keep it fun for both of you by using lots of repetition/redirection, distraction, and positive encouragement.


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