First day of Baby Sign Language Class

The long awaited first day of Baby Sign Language had come. I joined the circle of mothers and babies sitting on the mat on the floor, finding a place next to a familiar face. (Weren't you in Baby Gymboree?) I noticed immediately that my baby was the only baby who couldn't quite sit up yet. The class was for babies 6-12 months. My baby was not quite there yet. At only 5 months, I had rounded up. I was smiling to myself wondering if the teacher was going to check baby ID's, when in walked a small woman with curly hair stretching down her back.

"Hi, Mommies and babies!" She had the cheer of a preschool teacher, full of bubbles and song.

She sat next to me, dumped out a bag of baby toys in the center of the circle and introduced herself. The babies happily chewed on rattles and toys as she gave us details about the benefits of signing with baby, which echoed my friend' s sentiments. She cited research and shared anecdotes which seemed a bit unbelievable. She shared her passion for signing and told us how happy she was to introduce us to the world of baby sign language. Her passion began to capture my interest. I decided to give this signing thing a fair shake.

After we each took a moment to introduce ourselves and our babies, the natives began to stir. ( My baby seemed to have never ending colic.) Our teacher sensed the restlessness and took action. "Let's sing a welcome song!" Placing an enormous bear puppet in her lap, she belted out a song. After slipping her hands into the bear's gloves, the bear began to sign. His huge purple gloved hands captured each baby's attention as he signed 'hello' to each baby. Babies were laughing, adults were attempting to follow along and the mood was light.

Each week followed suit. The welcome song was followed by a bag of toys emptied on the floor. The teacher introduced the signs for the week, giving us some strategies to encourage signing at home. The pace of the class was quick and entertaining. We learned a few fingerplays and songs that incorporated the 7-10 signs of the week. Then, it was time for centers. We each took turns at stations full of puppets, toys, games and sometimes food where we practiced incorporating signs as we interacted with our baby.

The teacher always gave us clues to help with remembering the signs. "Think...a goat's beard.." she would say as she placed fingers on her chin drawing a downward triangle for the goat sign. I was beginning to memorize signs without having to use our handbook as a resource. The question was....Were the babies?

Then one day, magic happened...

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