Babies may not be getting ready for back to school, but parents of babies can begin that lifelong journey of learning by singing and signing the ABCs. Everyone can sing the alphabet song; it is short, the tune is easy, the words are not hard to remember. New parents may find they don't recall the words to common nursery rhymes or time tested lullabies, but the alphabet song is a great "go to" for parents to sing to baby. Add in signing and a child will be visually captivated as well.
Many of the ASL letters look similar to the written letter, providing a great connector tool for when it comes time to learn to read and write. More and more teachers are implementing the use of sign language into their classrooms for a variety of reasons including classroom management, assisting differeing learning abilities, and quiet dialogue exchanges. Children take to it well because it is interesting and fun, adding a different dimension to their learning day. One common problem preschoolers run into when learning the Alphabet Song is they do not distinguish between the letters L, M, N, O, and P because that part of the song is fast. Signing and slowing down shows children each of the 5 distinct letters.
While play is the work of children, there's no shortage of tools available to create learning fun for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, making back to school the perfect time to facilitate learning even for the littlest ones.
1. Signing Time Volume 5 ABC Signs
2. Sign4Baby local classes provide ample opportunity for practicing the ABC's
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