Sign language videos for the
very young are part of a new wave of products for teaching
babies and toddlers wordless communication. Parents of fussy
toddlers who are frustrated because of a loss of words
to communicate their needs may welcome a system that helps
kids express themselves more effectively.
The truth is, practically any system of signs--even made-up
ones--will do the trick, as long as it is consistently used. This
video presents over 30 key signs in American Sign Language and
Signing Exact English. If parents are going to use a signing
system with their kids, it does make some sense to use these
universally recognized ones!
The video systematically cycles through basic words,
introducing the signs one by one. Viewers are asked, "Can you
sign baby?", for example, and then live-action scenes of
babies in different environments are shown, as well as a few
models--both adults and children--each demonstrating the featured
The program starts with words describing people (mother,
father, baby, boy, girl, grandmother, and
grandfather), and then
introduces various verbs (like eat, drink, sit, and
courtesies (like please and thank you), and nouns (such as
potty, socks, hat, and shoes). The sign for
more is particularly useful
for little ones, and is presented here as well.
Parents should probably watch the video along with their
kids--if children start to use the signs, parents will need to
know them! Realistically, though, most kids will not use the signs
on their own without reinforcement in the real world. Parents can
support the learning in the video by actively using at least some
of the signs on a daily basis.
The developers have responsibly represented people from
assorted ethnic backgrounds in the video. However, we do wish some
of the roles weren't so stereotypical. For example, scenes show
grandmother baking cookies and grandfather going fishing. It would
have been fun if grandma were fishing with her grandchild, and
grandpa baking up a storm in the kitchen!