Although very young toddlers below two years age have not developed sufficient verbal skills, they do try to communicate using non-verbal techniques, mostly sign language. Toddlers are constantly trying to tell something to their parents or elders. An observing parent can easily understand their non-verbal action cues by constant interactions.
Young toddlers try to substitute their lack of verbal skills by showing around their parents or teachers the things they want to be done or understood. Very often, the children lead the parents or teachers by holding them by the hand around the rooms or the yard and pointing out the things they want. Parents need to develop a special sense to understand these messages. This could be done by constant interactions with the kids and trying to read their mind.
One method to make the pre-verbal toddlers to communicate easily is to teach them some sign language. Very young toddlers are quick imitators, and they pick up sign language more easily than verbal language. The American Sign Language is quite perfect to teach these youngsters some communication skills with their hands. After all, they use their hands to gesture and communicate a lot of things, which an intelligent parent can easily understand.
Even toddlers under one year have a lot of things to say. They, and their seniors, have spent months observing the behavior and communication of other people around them. They are constantly in touch with new and changing circumstances around them and are fascinated by these developments. So, it is natural that they want to say something about all these things that they see and experience every day.
Professional teachers who have spent many years interacting with toddlers below 3 years often teach the kids sign language for better communication. There are internet sites and DVDs that instruct parents and kids to communicate through sign language. Kids become very easily interested and focus their attention on these sign languages. And soon they start mimicking these signs. It becomes a sort of fun and play for them if their seniors and other elders also join in.
Learning to communicate through signs at this early age is not only good for the present but also help them in the future by empowering them with a communication skill other than verbal skills, which they will pick up in due course, any way. Besides, it will help the toddler to learn verbal communication more easily.
Posted on March 2nd, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Child Care, Language Development, Toddler
Leave a Reply