Teaching Sign Language to Babies

There is a lot of "buzz" these days about teaching babies sign language so they can communicate their needs.  For those of us who have actually taught their babies certain signs,  we know that it really is a very valuable skill.  Children have less frustration and tantrums because they can let their parents or caregivers know exactly what they need.  This in turn helps develop a stronger bond between parent and child.  Developmentally, babies begin working on fine motor skills at a young age so it makes sense that they would use their hands to communicate needs.  Studies have shown that signing does not delay speech development and in fact, children who sign have much larger vocabularies and acquire verbal language much easier. 

When I started teaching Leah sign language, I felt it was helpful to actually see the sign being used.  A simple picture of an action was not enough.  So, we made some very short videos so you can see the signs in action!  Suggestion:  When teaching your child a sign, it is helpful to take their hands and actually do the action.  Yes, watching you do it will help, but feeling how it should be done will be extremely helpful!

Making the most of dinnertime

Last night I was doing some reading on the value of family dinners and I thought it was worth sharing.

Various studies show several benefits from eating dinner as a family:

- Families have a stronger emotional connection

- Children are more likely to open up to their parents

- Test scores and overall school performance is increased

- Teens are less likely to drink, smoke or do drugs

Some thoughts on making dinner a valuable time:

As your children get older, involve them in making dinner and cleaning up!  Give them responsibilities (depending on their age) such as putting out the napkins, getting beverages or scraping off the plates. This makes dinner a more cooperative experience and children will appreciate it more because they were involved in making it happen.

It is important to get everyone talking during dinner. Give each member of your family a chance to share something from his or her day.  Parents should also share!  If you want, you could have a question that each person answers-  but do not use a question that has a yes/no answer.  Examples include: What was the best part of your day?  Or, What made today special?  Specific questions will elicit better responses.  

One thing that many parents (and teens) will really struggle with is turning off the phones- or at least keeping them away from the kitchen table. Show your children that they are worth uninterrupted time. A phone call or text notification could really be distracting and make a child lose their train of thought.

We really want to make dinnertime an exciting and important time for our family.  Leah is young and I know she can't fully appreciate our conversation at dinner. However, 6 out 7 nights a week, we sit down at the table to eat.  Consistency and routines are so important for children.  Even though Leah doesn't fully comprehend what we are doing and why we are doing it, we always make a point of saying "Ok Leah, it's dinner time so we are going to sit at the table." We know she understands what is happening because she walks right over to her high chair.   So, even at a young age, it is possible to get kids into a routine and make a habit of dinnertime.

After a long day, it is easy to just plop on the couch and get lost in television shows.  Although relaxing is definitely necessary, do not compromise your dinner time.  Make the most out of it and create lasting memories your children will always cherish!

Visit to Barnes and Noble

I was really excited to take Leah to the Barnes and Noble in Plymouth Meeting.  I was hoping she would enjoy the Thomas the Train table and all of the books we could read (there was even an opened Melissa and Doug puzzle for the children to play with).  Unfortunately, Leah found it more exciting to run around the store and pull the stuffed animals off of the display racks.  Her lack of interest in the store I attributed to her age and not to the store.  The children's section at Barnes and Noble is certainly a wonderful place for children- children who are slightly older than 16 months!  Barnes and Noble encourages children to read as many books as they please and also has storytimes for young children.  If your child is a little less active then I suggest you try visiting your local Barnes and Noble. The Plymouth Meeting store has storytimes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:30.  Check your local store for storytimes!