Sign with Me™ Infant Signing

Signing Menu

or select a catagory:

Term

Gesture

Make the "I Love You" sign with one hand (Thumb, index and pinky finger extended.) Move your hand across body horizontally.

Apple

Bring the fist of one hand to cheek and twist wrist several times.

Asleep

Spread hand over face and pull down closing fingers together while looking down.

Baby

Pretend to rock a baby back and forth in your arms very gently.

Bad

Beginning with the fingertips touching lips, turn wrist and move hand forward and down, ending with palm facing down.

Ball

Tap fingertips together in front of body several times and smile wide.

Balloon

Cup hands in front of mouth and move hands outward in circular motion in front of face, palms facing in.

Banana

Point index finger up of one hand. Use the other hand to illustrate the action of peeling a banana.

Barn

Outline the shape of a barn with your hands.

Bath

Rub fists against chest in circular motion as if washing your body.

Bear

Cross arms in front of chest and open and close fingers several times.

Beautiful

Begin with hand open palm in front of face, move hand in an arc motion in front of face, ending with fingers closed near chin.

Bed

Place palms together to the side of face and tilt head towards hands as if laying head on a pillow.

Bird

Position index finger and thumb if front of mouth and open and close fingers like a bird beak.

Black

Pull the extended index finger from left to right across forehead.

Blanket

Bring both "b" hands (four fingers extended, thumb in) from the chest up to the neck. (Sign represents covering your body with a blanket.)

Blocks

Outline opposite sides of a square with your hands.

Blue

With four fingers extended and thumb in ("b" hand), palm facing left, wave hand back and forth several times.

Boat

With both hands cupped in front of body, extend hands out in a bouncing motion (Hands represent a boat bouncing on waves.)

Book

Hold palms of both hands together in front of body and open hands like a book opens.

Bottle

Hold flat hand palm up in front of body. Place other hand on top as if placing a cup on a table.

Boy

With hand against forehead, close fingers to thumb in a double movement. Represents the bill of a ballcap.

Boy

With hand against forehead, close fingers to thumb in a double movement. Represents the bill of a ballcap.

Bread

Pretend to slice bread.

Brother

Bring one hand with index finger and thumb open from the forehead to meet the other hand with index finger and thumb open.

Bubbles

Flutter fingers while raising face-down palms.

Build

Alternatingly move the hands over each other in an upward motion.

Butterfly

Hold palms in front of body with thumbs interlocked. Wave palms of hands like butterfly wings.

Car

Place fists in front of body and move in circular motion as if driving a car.

Cat

Bring hand with index finger and thumb touching to cheek area and touch cheek several times illustrating cat whiskers.

Cereal

Move the cuped hand palm facing up from the palm of the open hand towards the mouth with a double movement.

Change

Hold fists together in front of body and twist them so that they switch positions.

Cheese

With the heel of both hands, palms facing each other, twist hands as though grating cheese

Chicken

Tap the thumb with index and middle finger pointing outword on the chin

Children

Palms facing down, move hands away from each other making small arcs movements. Represents patting children on the tops of their heads.

Clean

With one hand palm facing upward, and the other palm facing down, wipe the bottom hand as though cleaning something

Clean (alternative)

Rub right fist over left palm in circular motion.

Climb

With both hands curved and facing outward with one higher than the other, move hands one at a time upward like climbing a ladder

Cloud

With hands open, palms facing out, move hands in arc motion ending with palms facing in.

Coat

Bring fists from shoulders to midline as if putting coat on.

Why Sign with Your Child

By: Lisa Hopen

Ball Imagine waking from a sound sleep. Walking into your child’s room as she stands in her crib crying. Is she hungry? Wet? In pain? You quickly evaluate her needs to no avail. She is unable to express her concerns to you. You feel helpless.

Now imagine for a moment as you walk through the door and sweep your child into your arms, she signs “juice”. You give her a cup of juice as she smiles at you in appreciation. You kiss her and put her back to bed. What a success! She was able to communicate her needs to you and you were able to satisfy them.

Shortly after birth, infants are equipped with the ability to comprehend language. However, they usually are not able to produce speech until after 12 to 24 months of age. As parents, we are left to wonder what is going on inside their little heads as we wait in anticipation for their first words. While their articulators (mouth, lips, tongue, teeth) are slowly maturing, they are quickly mastering their manual dexterity (ability to manipulate objects with their hands). By teaching your child gestures or signs as well as spoken words, they are more quickly able to understand and communicate with the world around them.

In the last few years research has been conducted to show the benefits of signing to your pre-verbal child. In the mid 1990’s it was revealed that, contrary to belief, signing does not deter or delay your child from speaking. It actually encourages earlier communication. Sign enables a child to be an active communicator at a much earlier age. He can initiate communication exchanges instead of being a passive observer. Additionally, researchers at the University of California have linked infant sign to a boost in IQ scores. They discovered a 12-point gap between a group of second-graders who had been trained to sign as babies and group that had not.

I have been signing with my daughter since she was 6 months old. Infant signing has opened her thoughts to me. Thoughts that she would not have been able to share until she was much older. When we go for walks together, she points out all of the wonderful things she is seeing. The birds, butterflies, flowers. When her grandmother visits she is able to quickly catch up on Anna’s new signs and communicate with her. This alleviates the fear and frustration that usually arises when a child is left with a caregiver. It instills trust when a child realizes that the person caring for her is able to understand and satisfy her needs. We have taught everyone who enters her life this special language. Her aunts, uncles, cousins. It has created a unique bond for our entire family.

The good news is that infant sign is easy! You do not have to enroll in a course or be certified in American Sign Language (ASL). Start out with the simple signs illustrated below. Watch your child to discover his interests. Does he have a fascination with airplanes, elephants, fire trucks? Go to your local library or bookstore and look up these signs or make them up on your own. The purpose is not for your child to be certified in ASL but for you to be able to communicate with each other.

When signing with your child keep these points in mind:

Always pair the spoken word with the gesture.
Be patient. (It usually takes several months for infants to produce their first sign)
Share the child’s signs with family members and caregivers.
Follow your child’s lead.
Be creative. (Make up your own special signs)
Start simple. (More, Milk, Finished)
Always praise your child’s attempts.