Communication between parents and children begins at a young age, even before children can speak. One method is using sign language, a powerful learning and developmental tool with countless benefits. Sign language opens an exciting new channel of communication, enabling infants and toddlers to express their experiences, needs, and desires more effectively. That’s why American Sign Language is integrated into our curriculum at The Gardner School.
Incorporating Sign Language at The Gardner School
Sign language is used daily at The Gardner School, particularly in the infant classrooms. Our Executive School Director at TGS Chicago – Lincoln Park, Kathryn Centorcelli, shares, “Many toddlers can be seen using the signs they learned in the infant room and carrying that knowledge over to the toddler classroom. Generally, the younger children who are first learning how to communicate are constantly being taught to sign their needs and wants. As our students become toddlers, they’ll often use signs along with words to aid their learning process.”
The Benefits of Sign Language for Preschoolers
- Emotional and Social Development: Sign language allows children to express their needs and thoughts before they can verbalize them. Using sign language can reduce frustration, foster a sense of autonomy, and encourage interaction. Being able to clearly communicate can also help strengthen the bond you have with your child. Sign language even fosters inclusivity and empathy, helping children understand and communicate with peers who may have different communication needs.
- Cognitive Development: Cognitive skills involve thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving. Sign language engages multiple senses and promotes cognitive development by reinforcing memory, concentration, and comprehension skills. Bilingualism has been shown to provide similar benefits, strengthening children’s cognitive skills, including creative thinking, problem-solving, and more. Many of our schools offer on-site enrichment courses that include foreign language programs!
- Improved Literacy: Studies have shown that children who learn sign language often develop a larger vocabulary and show improved reading and spelling skills.
- Speech and Language Development: Sign language provides a visual representation of spoken language, which helps children understand the meaning of words. This can help them better understand spoken words, making it easier to understand sentence structure and form longer sentences as they get older.
How Sign Language Improves Development for Older Preschoolers
It’s becoming more and more popular to use sign language with older children. Sometimes, children who can already talk might not yet display clearly developed speech skills, so sign language can provide further information on what the child is trying to express. Logan Frank, our Executive School Director at The Gardner School of Midtown in Nashville says, “By correlating sign language to verbal communication, we are empowering children. Our children can communicate clearly, and teachers help them learn and transition to the appropriate words they are looking for.”
Using Sign Language Skills at Home
Our sign language program provides guidance and tools to parents and caregivers on how to continue the use of sign language communication with their preschoolers at home. As a parent at The Gardner School of Midtown in Nashville shares, “Sign language has been tremendously helpful, especially at meal time. My daughter was only eight months old when she started communicating with us at home. She could tell us when she was hungry, when she wanted more food, and when she was all done, and she learned it all at The Gardner School. It was incredible to be able to communicate with her before she developed her verbal skills.”
Teaching sign language to infants and toddlers not only accelerates their communication skills but also enriches their overall development, making it a valuable tool. By integrating ASL into our curriculum, we foster a more inclusive and communicative environment that benefits both children and their families. Contact us today to learn more about the educational benefits of attending The Gardner School.