First Signs Finger Spelling Board Book

Description

First Signs Finger Spelling Board Book

Our First Signs Finger Spelling Board Book takes your little one’s signing skills to the next level by giving them the building-block letters to spell out all kinds of words!

Suddenly they can spell their name, label new discoveries, or ‘say ’ things they don’t know the sign for yet. Plus, it’s a super fun way to explore the English alphabet together!

Children understand hundreds of words and concepts before they can communicate verbally, and teaching basic signs to children benefits both them and their parents by providing a means of communication before and during speech development.

You can begin introducing signs as early as you want (the earlier you do means more practice for you!), but studies show babies as young as six months old can remember and recognise a sign. By eight months some children are able to imitate gestures or communicate using simple one-word signs.

Features:

• Format: Board Book
• Size: 160mm x 160mm
• FSC certified paper (sourced in an environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and economically viable manner)
• Includes the two official languages of New Zealand – Māori and New Zealand Sign Language
• Features illustrations and a simple easy to follow description
• Suitable for ages 6 months and up
• Written by Jenna Brockett

 

How it works

You can begin introducing signs as early as you want (the sooner you start, the more time you have to practice!), but studies show that babies as young as six months old can remember and recognise a sign.

By eight months, some children are able to imitate gestures or communicate using simple one-word signs.

Start with a couple of key signs which are linked directly to your child’s world e.g. ‘milk’, ‘mum’, ‘dad’, ‘sleep’.

Keep eye contact as you sign and say the word out loud, using the sign in direct context to start with (e.g. ‘bath’ during bathtime, or ‘food’ as you serve food.)

Repeat the signs regularly and suggest that other caregivers or family join in.

It’s very likely that your child will invent their own signs or use variations of a sign you use.

If they do, that’s fine. Keep using the ‘official’ sign and let them do their sign.

Approximations of a sign are fine, as long as you both understand the meaning.

Using sign language as a pre-verbal aid is all about the joy of communicating, not about ‘getting it right’.