Promoting Communication and Language Development in Infants and Toddlers: Using Signs and Gestures (Part 5)

Hello again, wonderful caregivers! Welcome back to our series on boosting communication and language development in your little ones. If you’ve been following along, you’ve already explored observing and following your child’s lead, modeling language, providing choices, and reducing questions while using more comments. Today, we’re diving into another powerful tool—using signs and gestures—to support and encourage your child’s ability to communicate before, during, and after their spoken words emerge.

This strategy is an incredible way to give your little one another way to express themselves, reducing frustration while building confidence in their ability to communicate. And the best part? It’s simple, natural, and backed by research that shows it can enhance rather than delay speech development!

Why Use Signs and Gestures?

If you’ve ever seen a baby wave "bye-bye" or raise their arms to be picked up, you’ve already witnessed how naturally children use gestures to communicate. Babies and toddlers often understand much more than they can say, so adding gestures and signs helps them express themselves before their words fully develop.

But there's another key reason why signing is so effective—it aligns with how motor skills develop in young children.

Gross Motor vs. Fine Motor Development

Imagine Motor skills are categorized into two types:

Gross Motor Skills: These involve large muscle groups and broader movements, like waving, clapping, or reaching. Babies gain control over these muscles earlier than the finer, more precise movements needed for speech.
Fine Motor Skills: These require small, controlled movements using muscles in the hands, fingers, and face. Speech is actually one of the most complex fine motor skills we develop—coordinating tiny muscle movements in the lips, tongue, and jaw to produce different sounds rapidly and smoothly.

Why does this matter? Because young children develop control over gross motor movements before fine motor ones, they can physically sign words before they can clearly say them. This is why signing is such a natural bridge for communication—it gives them a way to express themselves using movements they can control while their speech skills are still developing.

For example, a baby might be able to sign "more" by bringing their fingertips together at 9 months, attempt to say "more" at 12 months, and finally pronounce it clearly around 18-24 months as their fine motor coordination improves.

By introducing signs and gestures, we’re working with a child’s natural development rather than against it, giving them tools that match their current abilities while strengthening the motor pathways needed for speech!

How to Introduce Signs and Gestures

The great thing about this strategy is that it doesn’t require a big change in your daily routine—you can start incorporating gestures into everyday interactions right away!

Here's how it works:

Pair Gestures with Words: When you introduce a new sign or gesture, always say the word at the same time so your child can connect them. Look up or Google the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for things your child loves so you can start to incorporate the signs into your daily life and routines. For example:
- When handing your child more food, say, "more ____(name of food/drink)" while bringing finger tips together (the ASL sign for "more").
- When you know your child wants to play with a "ball," say, "ball" while you put the fingertips from each hand together with you palms separated but facing each other (the ASL sign for "ball").
Start with Functional, High-Frequency Words: Begin with signs that are useful and meaningful to your child's daily experiences. Here are a few great ones to start with:
- More (bringing fingertips together): when your child wants more food, toys, or playtime.
- All done (hands flipping outward): to indicate they're finished with eating or with an activity.
- Help (place a thumbs up hand on your flat palm and lift both hands slightly): when they need help with something.
- Eat (fingers of one hand touching lips): to indicate they're hungry or want food.
- Milk (open and close a fist on the dominate hand): for requesting milk or a bottle.
- Play (hands in a "hang loose" position and moving side to side like shaking a rattle): to indicate they want to play or continue playing.
- Go (pointing outward with both index fingers): to request to go somewhere, such as outside, to school, or the car.
- Want (hands open, palms up, fingers curled up, pulling your hands toward your chest); to express the desire for something, like a toy, snack, or activity.
Follow Your Child's Lead: Rather than drilling signs or making it feel like a lesson, use them naturally in real situations. If your child shows interest in something (a toy, snack, animal), use the related sign as you talk about it. If they attempt to use a sign—even if it’s not perfect—celebrate their effort and respond!
Use Repetition and Consistency: Repetition is key! The more frequently your child sees a sign paired with a word in context, the more likely they are to understand and use it themselves. Incorporate signs into daily routines, such as mealtimes, bath time, and play.
Make it Fun!:
- Use songs with gestures like "Wheels on the Bus" (round and round motion) or "If You’re Happy and You Know It" (clapping, stomping).
- Play games where you act out animal sounds and gestures ("Hop like a bunny!").
- Read books and act out parts of the story using gestures.

Real-Life Examples

Let's bring this to life with some everyday scenarios:

Scenario: Mealtime

Instead of: "Do you want more?"
Try: "More?" (saying the word and modeling the sign "more") and waiting for them to respond with the sign or atn attempt at the word.

Scenario: Playtime

Instead of: "Do you need help?"
Try: "Oh, you need help!" (verbally saying this and coupling it with the sign "help") and waiting for their response.

Scenario: Getting Ready

Instead of: "Are you all done with bath?"
Try: "All done?" (verbally saying the word and pairing it with the sign)

Addressing Common Concerns

Will using signs delay my child’s speech?
Nope! Research has shown that using signs can actually enhance spoken language development by giving children a way to express themselves while they build their vocabulary. Many children drop the signs naturally as they become more verbal.
What if my child doesn’t sign back right away?
That’s okay! Just like with spoken words, it takes time for children to learn and use signs. Some will pick them up quickly, while others may take longer. Keep modeling and stay patient!
How many signs should I teach at once?
Start with just a few essential signs that match what your child is interested in and what they need to communicate. Once they master those, you can introduce more!

Wrapping It Up

Using signs and gestures is a fantastic way to bridge the gap between understanding and speaking, giving your child a tool to express themselves before they have all the words they need. Plus, it builds stronger motor skills that will support their speech development down the road.

Next up: Being Face-to-Face!

One of the most powerful ways to support your child’s communication is right in front of you—literally! In our next post, we’ll explore how positioning yourself face-to-face with your child helps boost engagement, improve language learning, and strengthen social connections.

Stay tuned for Part 6, where we’ll break down easy ways to incorporate more face-to-face moments into your daily routines. It’s a simple shift that makes a BIG impact!

Stay tuned for Part 5, where we’ll explore using signs and gestures to introduce your little one to the power of communication! You’ve got this!

Call to Action

Parenting can feel like a whirlwind, but remember—you’re already doing incredible things by seeking out ways to support your child’s growth. At RosyTalk, we are dedicated to helping parents support their children's communication development. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or share your own experiences trying these strategies. I’d love to hear how it’s going for you and your little one!

If you have concerns about your child's speech and language skills or need personalized guidance, feel free to contact us a text at 815-587-4452 or email at rose@rosytalk.com. You can also schedule a free 15 minute consultation here. Let’s keep growing, learning, and celebrating the amazing milestones in your child’s language journey—one comment at a time.