Activity 3: Fun with Breakfast!
Breakfast can be the quickest meal of anyone's day. With the rush of getting to work or dropping off children to school / daycare, breakfast can almost feel like force-feeding!
This next activity has a few prerequisites!
Baby will need:
In my experience, discovering signs with food is very effective, especially the foods that baby likes! Furthermore, two 'starter' signs are used during meal times that get a lot of use.
During your next breakfast meal, when baby is refreshed after a long sleep (hopefully), incorporate these two signs!
This next activity has a few prerequisites!
Baby will need:
- To be able to explore/eat non-bottled food. Baby will not get the same effect if still in to purees.
- A relaxing environment for at least 15 minutes.
- A prepared signer to have fun with!
In my experience, discovering signs with food is very effective, especially the foods that baby likes! Furthermore, two 'starter' signs are used during meal times that get a lot of use.
During your next breakfast meal, when baby is refreshed after a long sleep (hopefully), incorporate these two signs!
Sign 1: More
If there was a sign which was used by Baby Taylor the most, I would have to guess it was the sign for 'more.' More banana, more milk, more tickling, more everything! This sign gets used a lot! The easiest way for you to learn the sign is to look at the image to the right!
By simply tapping all of your fingertips together, baby will soon be asking for more, more more! |
At the present moment, Baby Taylor's fine motor development doesn't allow him to be exact with his signs. But this is a learning stage for both of you! As baby gets older, you can encourage them to use correct hand shapes. Baby Taylor will often clap a closed fist and open palm together when he wants more, but hey, it works!
Sign 2: All Done!
Here's another early sign that gets lots of use. When Baby is finished eating, this sign is used. When Baby is finished getting changed, this sign is used. When Baby is leaving the grocery store, this sign is used. You can begin to see how frequently this sign can get used! It's also a great way for Baby to let you know when they are ready for something different. Maybe you've exhausted your time at the park. Instead of baby throwing a tantrum, now they can simply communicate that they are ready to go home!
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When I first tried to teach Baby Taylor this sign, I quickly noticed that the hand motion at 6 months old was a little advanced. We created our own version of this sign with a hand motion that he could do. After about 3 months of this sign, Baby Taylor has transitioned to a long drawn out "awwwwwwwwwww dun!"
Try to communicate these two signs with your next breakfast meal, and continue using them whenever you see fit. Remember, be patient. Baby may not sign back but will quickly associate each sign's meaning!
Check out the videos below for examples of 'More,' 'All Done' and other Breakfast words!
Check out the videos below for examples of 'More,' 'All Done' and other Breakfast words!