Signs for Animals and Nursery Rhymes

2. Signs for Animals -

If you have a pet, these are great signs to begin with. The sign for “dog” is made by slapping your leg, as if calling a dog. My daughter slaps her bum instead, which I find too hysterical to correct. The objective it to encourage communication with your child, so you may have to make some modifications to the signs and that is okay!

You may also pair the sign with your pet’s name and you will discover that your pet may begin responding to both the sign and verbal commands. I have found that the ability to communicate with our dog has increased my daughter’s confidence when attempting verbal approximations.

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For some great belly laughs, teach your child the sign and the sound an animal makes the next time you are reading an animal picture book. This combination of audio, visual, and kinesthetic cues speaks to your child’s multiple intelligences. The animal signs are fun to act out, as well.

For example, you pretend like your arm is a trunk when making the sign for “elephant” and scratch your arm pits to make the sign for “monkey”. Before you know it, it will appear as if your entire family is engaged in a game of animal charades.

3. Signs in Nursery Rhymes -

Nursery rhymes are a great way to build your child’s early literacy skills. Rhyme and repetition help develop phonemic and phonological awareness. These are the building blocks of reading.

Nursery rhymes also improve your child’s cognitive development, as it builds memory capabilities. Adding the physical component of adding signs to the rhymes also improves memory of the rhyme, while teaching rhythm. Singing, dancing, signing, and performing these classic rhymes will also build your child’s confidence. Go ahead, do the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” song with your child for the millionth time today. You are actually setting your child up for life long success!

Related Article: The Baby Signs That Changed My Life

More fun baby signs next!