As with Franny, I love doing baby sign language with Cole. I didn't document exactly when he started signing, but I believe he was about 13 months when he first started using the sign for "milk". "Daddy" soon followed, and now he has nearly 80 signs that he uses. Amazingly, 25 of these are animals; it may seem somewhat silly to some to teach him these, but he gets so much satisfaction out of communicating anything to us, whether it is while we are reading books or just within our daily routine--his face will light up; he will nod or shake his head; or he will just smile, as he is so obviously pleased with himself. He is so adept to it, that it is difficult to keep pace with his ability to learn, especially since the context of his vocabulary has begun to move beyond just noun identification and verbs. And, he is also adding to his verbal vocabulary daily, so he will sometimes start using a word and it's sign at the same time. I am all too aware that his transition from using signs to talking has already begun, so I am enjoying the signs while I can. Not because I don't want him to talk, but there is a certain sweetness about the silent communication of young toddlers.
No comments:
Post a Comment