Babies Love Animals!

It is no secret that babies get a kick out of seeing animals and hearing the unique sounds they make. This is probably why there are so many children’s books that incorporate animals; babies and toddlers are engaged by them easily!  One of the classics is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.

In this video I’m capitalizing on the rhythm and cadence of this prose to introduce the signs for each animal and its color. This particular version of the book is great because as the story progresses to introduce the next animal, there is a peek-a-boo window that shows the next animal.

Babies and toddlers in the Signing Story Time program I have all over San Diego have been prompted to sign along, especially when we make the sound of the corresponding animal as a group. Being silly is a great way to get your child to imitate you, and that’s exactly what we want them to do when we are teaching them new signs.

Many of the parents in our classes have shared with me that they will read the book at home alongside this video as an additional way to practice their signs at home. Practicing your signing through reading books is a wonderful way to grow your child’s interest in books and it also enhances their language acquisition. Try it out with your little one and let me know if they enjoy it!

Joann Woolley

Joann Woolley of Sign4Baby is a Master Level Instructor in the Signing Time Academy. ASL is her first language (her mother is deaf) and her first sign was MILK. Both her fluency in ASL and understanding of ASL culture provide an insight to the language that opens the eyes of her students.

Note: This Perspectives Blog post is written by a guest blogger of DrGreene.com. The opinions expressed on this post do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Greene or DrGreene.com, and as such we are not responsible for the accuracy of the information supplied. View the license for this post.