After signing with both of our daughters and teaching ASL vocabulary to more than 100 young children, I have witnessed countless benefits of sign language for kids! Parents love knowing exactly what their little ones are thinking about and the child’s self-esteem is strengthened.
Whether you have a baby, toddler, or preschooler — there are many benefits of using sign language! And I have never met a child who didn’t LOVE signing. Make it fun, and be consistent.
Here are five more benefits of sign language for kids:
- Sign language is helpful for all learning types, especially visual, tactile, and kinesthetic!
- Signing often reduces tantrums and increases the bond between child and caregiver.
- Signing allows pre-verbal children to initiate conversations with the adults in their lives. And since fine motor skills often develop before language skills, babies and toddlers can express their needs and feelings with less crying and whining.
- Isolating hand movements for each sign builds fine motor and gross motor skills.
- One study showed that a group of children who signed when they were preverbal had higher IQ scores as second graders than the group of children who did not sign.
Some parents will learn (and use) ten signs with their baby, and some will learn hundreds of signs with their preschooler. There isn’t one “right way” — and countless benefits, no matter how much you sign with your little ones.
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of using sign language with your kids, check out our sign language FREEBIES over in our Resource Library (where everything is free!). Remember, it is never too late to get started.
More about sign language for kids:
- Will signing delay speech? (Click here.)
- Can sign language make potty-training easier? (Click here.)
What is YOUR favorite benefit of signing with your child?
