Product Review: Everyday Signs Flash Cards (30 cards) from My Smart Hands (0-3)
Educating Young Minds. Sign Language and Play Classes for Hearing Babies and Toddlers.
I took an American Sign Language (ASL) course from a local Red Cross chapter when I was a tween and I am so glad I still remember a lot from that class. Learning the ABCs in ASL was a wonderful way for my best friend and me to ‘talk’ during Algebra. Years later I became friends with a co-worker who was hard of hearing and she helped me brush back up on my ASL as well as teaching me some other (ahem) naughty words. As someone who has also struggled with ear and hearing issues, I even started creating my own signs for home (which I am sure my husband just loves) like pumping my right hand in a thumbs up or down motion for him to turn up or down the television volume. It does make things easier for communication at times and I imagine how frustrating it would be for a baby or a toddler who wants to communicate, but can’t talk. I looked at sign language flash cards for Brooke and I really liked the ones from My Smart Hands.
I started using basic signs from a baby sign language book I got during my pregnancy and learned signs like ‘help’, ‘done’, ‘drink’, ‘eat’, milk’ and ‘thank you’. Before Brooke could say those words, she seemed to have a great understanding of the signs and I believe it helped her learn the words at a faster rate. I have also been signing the ABCs to Brooke since she was at least 7 or 8 months as I sang the song and I catch her trying to sign them when I sing. My mom noticed in a video I sent her of Brooke that she would sometimes sign the letter while she said the letter while we were doing ABC flashcards. I had not even noticed she was doing that until she pointed it out and I went back to look at the video! Brooke has been very quick with language so while our use of signs may not be as strong as babies and toddlers who may be later talkers, she was still soaking in the information and learning signs in conjunction with speaking the words.
Everyday Signs Flash Cards (30 cards) from My Smart Hands has 30 common words (think ball, car, eat, help, I love you, mommy, etc.) with the ASL visual on laminated flash cards so they are teething proof and are held together with a detachable ring. The cards also feature several multi-educational levels such as upper and lower case letters and different colors for learning instruction.
About My Smart Hands: Laura Berg was an eighth grade teacher and pregnant when she decided she wanted to be a Stay At Home working mom and thought her teaching skills in ASL was a useful tool for parents with hearing toddlers and babies. Already a supporter and promoter of teaching sign language as a kinaesthetic and visual style to help promote literacy in our schools, incorporating sign language for language development at an even younger age seemed like a meaningful venture. The success of My Smart Hands grew rapidly through local classes and now is an international success story with local chapters cropping up wherever a teacher is interested in getting certified for the program. The promoting of ASL offers a great way to give your child a dual language to establish more meaningful conversations though our communities.
Find a Class! Interested in taking your baby or toddler to a My Smart Hands class? Check the Find a Class link from www.mysmarthands.com to see if there are any registered teachers in your area.
Interested in Becoming a My Smart Hands Instructor? Check the Become an Instructor link to learn more!
Check out Laura’s Blog: Laura has a fantastic blog (www.babysignlanguageexpert.com ) that has lots of great information, games and even has some video demonstrations of different ASL words through animation.
Everyday Signs Flash Cards from My Smart Hands
List Price: $12.99 + $5 Shipping
Momma's Bacon 