Meanwhile, it does make for some interesting sign language. As with most kids who are learning signs for the first time, Nik tends to modify many of the signs to suit his physical ability. Children tend to learn the signs which come in toward their bodies sooner or easier than those which reach away from them. For example, more— which is signed by tapping your thumb and fingertips of both hands together —is easier for a child to sign than play which is signed by folding the middle three fingers down so the thumb and little finger make a “Y” then gently rocking them back and forth.
But I digress with my rudimentary sign instruction!
Nik’s picked up lots of signs since we began using the Signing Time videos several months ago; rather, I should say he’s picked up lots of words. The signs, well, many of them look kind of similar. I like to think of them as multipurpose signs. I don’t know if Nik signs this way because it’s physically easier or if it’s mentally easier —he already knows the one sign and “the other is sorta kinda similar…” but not really. Here are Nik’s equivalents:
Please = Yes
More = Shoes
Book = Open
Share = Show Me
Bye-Bye = Play
He also knows how to sign eat, apple, cat, and cheese (gotta love that Silly Pizza Song!). He understands many more signs such as sit, stop, no, drink, wait, ready, up, down, outside, want, diaper, toy, car, and others.
I’ve been working with him to learn some signs for other toys he has so he can be more specific in his requests; it’s challenging when he stands at the armoire and looks up at that basket and simply signs please. So it was with great delight that I watched him express a desire for a different toy this weekend —a ball —one he doesn’t yet have a sign for.
Again, Nik had difficulty manipulating his fingers so he improvised. Here’s his newest equivalent:
That’s a mighty big cheese ball! (Cheese is signed by mashing your palms together and slightly twisting them.)
If you serve him cheese in a ball, of course he’ll refer to balls as cheese. Makes perfect sense to me 😉
It is so hard to wait and see with developmental skills, I think. Nik is making so much progress. The signing just thrills me to no end.
Great photo!
Very impressive! What a cheeseball!!
LOL – I couldn’t resist…