Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving meal is a great time to reinforce manners. Even little ones too young to talk can use the signs PLEASE and THANK YOU. Remember to always pair the sign with the spoken word.
These signs can also be used without speech to to serve as a visual cue for older children to use their manners. Sometimes we start sounding like a broken record with our verbal reminders and our children start tuning us out. Changing it up and using a visual reminder rather than a verbal one can help.
Thanksgiving is also a time for family. Some family signs you may want to teach your child are BROTHER, SISTER, GRANDMA, and GRANDPA
Don't forget to remind your little ones to use the sign for FINISHED or ALL DONE. (See below for an illustration of this sign.) Sometimes babies will start dumping their food out on the floor or even their heads when they have had enough! Rather than getting upset with them for making a mess, teach them to communicate that they are finished so you can quickly take the food away, preventing the extra cleanup and giving yourself more time to enjoy your turkey dinner. So if you notice your baby tossing food, say, "Oh, I see you are FINISHED." as you sign FINISHED. Then say, "Can you sign FINISHED?". If they don't attempt to do the sign, gently take their hands (if they allow you to) and help them sign FINISHED as you say the word. Then praise them for doing it, "Yay, you signed FINISHED. I am taking your food away because you are FINISHED." Note how many times the word and sign FINISHED was used. Try for 5 times!
Remember the 3 R's:
- Relevant: Make signs/words you are teaching your child relevant to his daily life - does it help them express their wants and needs or is it something they are really interested in talking about.
- Repetition: Children needs lots of repetition to learn a new word, so try to use the 5 times rule, and look for and even make opportunities to practice the word throughout the day.
- Reinforcement: Praise your child's attempts even if it is not quite correct. With practice, repetition and modeling, they will improve over time, but if they become discouraged and don't try, they can not improve. You learn by your mistakes! It is also important to reinforce your baby's use of the signs by immediately following through with the action that the sign indicates. If they sign MORE, give them more immediately so they understand the connection between the sign/word and getting more. If something works, then it increases the likelihood that it will occur again. If it doesn't seem to work, your baby will probably stop trying. Consistency is key.
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