Kids can’t talk even though they have a desire to speak with their parents about what they need. However, what children can do is to learn gestures for words as their hand eye coordination evolves much more quickly than their language skills.   

Diligence and reiteration are the keys for learning baby sign language, which is really not that hard. You can learn and begin to instruct your child right away just by having a little knowledge about it. You can find plenty of stuff available on baby sign language online, the only thing left to do is to learn how to make use of it. Below are instructions on common baby sign language which you might find useful.

Common Baby Sign Language to Teach Your Kid

Below are some baby sign language charts which tells about some common baby sign language as well as the way to make these signs.

Baby Sign Language for Feelings and Actions  

Baby Sign Language

How to Do It

Cold

Hunch your shoulders and lean forward a little. Now shake your body as if you are shivering from extreme cold with your hands clenched as fists.

Drink

Curve your hands in the shape of an imaginary glass and tip it in such a way into your mouth as if showing the child that you are drinking water.

Eat

Join your fingers and your thumb together and start touching your mouth repeatedly as if to show the kid that you are eating a piece of food. 

Hot

Hold your hand in the shape of a claw and pretend as if you are eating something. Now making a dropping motion with your hand indicating that the hot food has been spitted out by you.

More

Join the fingers and thumb together of both hands and start tapping them together. This is going to indicate the child that you are gathering more stuff.  

Pain

Touch the tips of both index fingers together and have a painful expression on your face to indicate pain.

Play

Make the ”y” sign by closing the index, middle and the finger next to them and start pivoting them around your wrists.

Baby Sign Language for Friends and Family

Family

Move your hands in a circular motion in front of your body with your palms ending in a closed circle facing in.

Friend

Bent the index fingers of both your hands and hook one of them over the other. Keep changing the position of the hooked fingers to indicate the word friend. 

Daddy

Put you hand in a sideways posture and touch the thumb of your right hand on your forehead in a repetitive motion. You can wiggle the tips of your finger while demonstrating this sign too.

Mommy

Put you hand in a sideways posture and touch the thumb of your right hand on your chin in a repetitive motion. You can wiggle the tips of your finger while demonstrating this sign too.

I Love You

Point your index finger to yourself. In the next motion, cross your chest with your arms. In conclusion, point the index finger towards the kid.  

Baby Sign Language for Greetings and Other Daily Words

All Done

Wipe your one hand over the other indicating that the work or activity you were doing is over.

Help 

Place your one hand under the other. Close the hand on top into a fist with the thumb protruding out. Now move both the hands in the upward direction.

Please 

Place your hand on your chest with finger stretching out flat. Now start moving it in a circular fashion.

Goodbye

Keep on repeating the motion of bending and straitening the fingers of your palm. Make sure that your palm is facing the kid.

Hello

Touch your forehead with your hand and then move it away from your head towards the side. Keep your palm facing outwards while doing this gesture.  

What

Furrow your brows and place your hands in front of your body with the palms facing towards the sky. Now shake them a little to give a questioning gesture. .

Where

To show where sign, you must have your palms stretched in front of you and start shrugging your shoulders while in this position.

Baby Sign Language for Animals and Items

Dog

Tap your thigh and then make a snapping motion with your fingers indicating that you are signaling to a dog.  

Cat

Join your index finger and thumb and slide them across your upper lip as if to show whiskers. It is up to you to use one hand for this sign or both.

Toy  

Tuck your thumb in betweenyour middle and index finger and turn your hands into fists. Now start twisting your fists to indicate the sign of toy.   

Book  

Place one of your palms over the other and then move it in a way as if you are opening a book. It is better to hand the child a book when showing this gesture.

More Signs

Ÿ   To show scared sign, you must repeatedly tap your chest.

Ÿ   To show rabbit sign, you must hold two of your fingers over your head and wrinkle your nose.

Ÿ   To show car sign, you must mimic the act of steering a wheel.

After reading through the above baby sign language charts, the following video shows clearly instruction on common sign language to teach to your kid:

How to Correctly Teach Sign Language to Your Baby

It is important to check if your baby is responding to your gestures before making use of baby sign language. If you find him wanting to speak or communicate which is probably going to happen when he turn 10 months old, then it is high time for you to start making use of baby sign language.  

  • ŸIt is better to start off with signs that the child likes and is likely to respond to and understand quickly. For instance, the “more” sign is one that kids tend to pick up pretty quickly when asking for food. 
  • When showing the sign, it is important that you speak the word as well so that the baby can associate the word with the sign.
  • ŸThe signs you use must always remain the same or it might confuse the baby. You can increase the repetitions of the signs, but make sure that the words associated with the signs are repeated as well so that the baby can make the connection between the sound and the sign easily.
  • Have fun. There is a chance that the baby might not start making use of the signs you are teaching him for days so it is best to remain patient and not lose hope. Try to incorporate the signs into activities so that they become more interesting for the baby. Remember, the more fun and entertaining the activity is the more is the likelihood that the baby will pick up the sign quickly.