ASL and Hearing Children

Do hearing children really need to sign?
Signing is a great way to bridge the communication gap between parents and children when the words just aren't there yet. In addition, hearing children who know signs learn language almost twice as fast. As early as 11-14 months old, hearing children exposed to sign language put little sentences together faster than non-signing children, who do not begin to combine words into short sentences, such as "Da-da car" until the average age of 20 months. Study conducted by Dr. Michelle Anthony and Dr. Reyna Lindert, Signing Smart program founders.

Benefits for Your Child and You
Communicate with your child even before she can form the words. Ease a child's frustration by helping her communicate what she needs, speed language development, and enhance long-term learning abilities. Know when your child is most ready to interact and learn. Learn sign language teaching methods, such as making the sign on a child's body, on the floor, or hand over hand. Recognize and respond to your child's version of signs. Incidentally, the child in the picture is signing "father".

New! Kindermusik Sign & Sing
Sign language curriculum for parents with hearing children - a different approach from other sign language programs. Through songs, toys, and loving playtime between you and your child, Kindermusik Sign & Sing shows you more than 50 signs your child can use to communicate with you. Using research-proven methods shown to speed language development in hearing children, you'll see how sign language can ease frustration and enhance long-term learning abilities for your child.

Songs and fingerplays. Already accustomed to fingerplays and rhyme-songs—such as "This Little Piggy"—you'll easily substitute American Sign Language (ASL) signs in familiar songs, improving your child's language skills, fine motor skills, and strengthen fingers for zipping zippers and using scissors.

Learn when you play. You'll never have to memorize a list of signs. This curriculum gives you the ASL signs that are most useful to you, and most interesting to your child. So playtime and everyday items around the house—ball, bubbles, mom and dad—become the objects of learning in the classroom, and sign language becomes a natural, happy part of your child's day.

Enjoy the Journey All Week Long
Sign & Sing is much more than a weekly class. The At Home Materials you receive from your Educator help you to continue that one-of-a-kind experience at home. Family involvement in your child's learning is a fundamental cornerstone of the Kindermusik philosophy because we believe the parent is the child's most important teacher and the home is the most important place for a child's learning to take root and grow.

Sign & Sing At Home Materials
Family Activity Guide
DVD glossary showing 60 signs
Clip-on flashcards that feature photos of both children and adults using family-friendly American Sign Language signs

Developed by Signing Smart™

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