Children cannot speak from birth, yet we still talk to them! To learn a spoken language, babies need to hear it on a daily basis – to internalise and remember the sounds required, long in advance of their first words.
By around the age of 6 months, a ‘typical’ baby is already able to make connections between ‘things’ and their names. E.g. who ‘mummy’ is and what she looks like. However, babies do not have control over their lip muscles at this stage, and so saying ‘mummy’ is physically impossible; communication and recognition will come in the form of a gurgle at best.
However, a baby can use sign language to express themselves as soon as their motor skills develop, which can be as early as 4 months – therefore providing an outlet for communication and a way to demonstrate their levels of understanding. By signing from birth, or as early as you can, you have the opportunity to teach your child the most useful signs they’re going to need, and give them enough time to take them in and remember them, before they can physically sign back. By attending weekly TinyTalk classes, your confidence to sign at home will rapidly grow, and your baby will love spending quality time with you. You’ll be amazed by what your baby has to say.
Find your nearest class here.
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