We are beaming with excitement and happy to announce that we have teamed up with Wits University and the Awethu Project to launched the first set of South African Signs for babies.
Learning to sign to your baby can help you communicate from early days which help with increasing IQ, EQ and Tantrums.
The ability to sign basic words could prove helpful in boosting communication and providing a “bridge to the spoken word.”
Infants who learn baby sign language also are thought to gain psychological benefits, such as improved confidence and self-esteem. Feelings of anger due to an inability to communicate may not occur as often. Having the ability to sign could be a lifesaver when a child is too distraught to speak clearly.
Parents say that signing is rewarding and aids bonding because of the need to make more eye-to-eye and tactile contact. Also, as children age, it may be easier and perhaps kinder to reprimand the child in public using sign language, saying “no” for example, and equally can become a way of giving praise privately.
It has been suggested that learning sign language can delay speech, but this is refuted by experts who claim that in fact, it aids speech development. Most baby signers speak earlier than babies who do not learn sign language.
Psychologist Dr. Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon of the University of Stirling, UK, recently reviewed the research on baby signing. She writes, “Communication is at the heart of child development, be it cognitive, social, emotional or behavioral.”
From the parents’ point of view, baby signing could bring many advantages. It helps reduce the guesswork of understanding your infant’s thoughts, as well as allowing two-way conversations. Parents may develop a better understanding of the child’s personality. It also could save much time and frustration.
Finally, teaching an infant baby sign language can be a fun process in itself. Infants enjoy learning and games, eagerly soaking up more and more signs. It creates playful interaction and a chance to glow with pride in your child’s abilities.
It’s possible that infants will take the initiative and invent their own signs. If so, use these rather than the “official” sign.
It doesn’t really matter what the sign is, as long as you agree on its meaning.
The child may be resistant at first, or never show an interest in signing. Children are all different and it does not by any means indicate a problem. Occasionally the infant may understand and respond to the signs without ever trying to copy them.
Our official start date:Date: Monday 9th February
Time: 2pm -3pm
Venue: The Bub Hub Broadacres Centre
Cost: R700 for once a 5 week course.
Sing, Signing kit included.
BOOK: info@thebubhub.co.zaPerfect for moms (& even domestics).
Sign them, Read them, Sing them and Do them!