Precious Picks: It’s Signing Time!

It all started with communication. Like all parents, I knew my child was gifted. So when he was 8 months, I decided to invest in a little known program, Signing Time.

In early 2004, signing with babies was on the cusp of popularity, knocking on the door of “babies have to do this!” With no signing experience, my husband and I decided learning to sign would offer a great opportunity for our family to approach something new together.

I researched. A lot. And we discussed. A lot. (I don’t make many decisions without researching and discussing and researching and discussing.) We wanted a program that taught ASL, so that the signs we learned and used would be useful in the “real world,” not just in our household. We wanted a program that was enduring and entertaining, something that would entice our interest, as well as our baby’s, and motivate us to maintain our education.

We decided upon Signing Time! volumes 1-3. Created by sisters Rachel Coleman and Emilie de Azevedo Brown after Rachel’s daughter, Leah, was born deaf, Signing Time! is a ground-roots program, originally produced to help their friends and families easily learn to communicate with Leah. The series offers inviting songs and scenes that teach the American Sign Language sings for common words to babies through school-age children.

But Signing Time! was hard to find. It wasn’t available at the big bookstores or local sellers. And you definitely can’t find it at Blockbuster. Soon after I purchased the first set in the series and started signing with my son, I invited friends for a neighborhood showing, and they were prompt to purchase a copy for their kids.

Signing Time! became Precious Personalities’ first product. Within three years, Signing Time has grown into 13 volumes, with a Baby Signing Time series (created for children ages 0-2), accessories like flashcards and books, and their newest products: Signing Time Practice: ABCs and 123s.

It’s a fantastic program for children and parents. Children’s signing vocabulary grows faster than spoken vocabulary, due to natural gross motor capabilities. Signing children are able to show us what they want… be it milk, sleep, or cereal, long before they can tell us verbally. By associating a word with muscle memory, children’s ability to communicate physically, babies establish a connection so that they are better able to remember the words they learn through ASL, explains Marilyn Daniels, professor of Speech Communication at Penn State, in her book Dancing with Words: Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy, published by Bergin and Garvey in 2001.

I encourage parents to actively participate in signing with their children. You’ll notice a significant difference when you use the signs with your child, incorporating them into your communication. Sit and watch the videos, then continue using the signs in all atmospheres you are in with your child.

Teach your child to sign with the Signing Time series, available at Precious Personalities.