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Age Range
6 months to 3 years. Class Structure: 5 session Class Length: 45 minutes |
This beautiful little girl is clearly communicating with someone that she sees a bunny!
What? You don't see how on earth we got "bunny" from her signs?
The hand sign for BUNNY is one hand turned backwards over the ear with the fingers and thumb wiggling in an up and down motion like bunny ears. We can't clearly see her left hand in this picture, but it is reversed as it would be if an adult were signing BUNNY.
With young children, you have to remember there are three main components to recognizing their signs:
1) hand shape - some develop earlier than others: open hand (like the number 5), fist, or extended index finger. Example: some children sign MORE with open palms or closed fists, rather than touching finger tips together.
2) movement - children are more likely to make sign movements that are much bigger and more exaggerated than adult signs. For example, FINISH may be signed by flapping the arms rather than shaking the hands downward.
3) location - often modified by children. Signs produced in front of the body (example: BALL) are usually placed correctly. Signs produced on the body elsewhere, however, (example: CRACKER) are usually signed in a somewhat correct spot (on the wrist rather than the elbow). PLEASE may be a rub on the belly rather than on the chest. Signs produced on the face are often done to the side, near the shoulder. (Example: DUCK may look like a wave from the shoulder rather than like a duck's beak in front of the mouth.)
All of this and more is shared with the parents in the first five weeks of Sign and Sing classes where you learn not only how to sign, but, more importantly, how to recognize your child's own unique signs!
For additional information, please visit our primary Sign and Sing page.
For class times, please visit our Class Schedule page.