Take a stroll around the San Diego Zoo, Sea Word, or Balboa Park and you’re bound to run into a baby or two just at that age where they point at fascinating things all around them with exuberance. Watching a child stare at a huge water fountain with delight or watch Shamu perform a dozen splashing tricks has to account for some of the reasons we venture into parenthood. The Skyfari ride at the zoo is another good place to catch a lot of pointing, watch for it next time.
A fun time for these parents for sure; at least when they’re out and about and it is clear what the baby is pointing at. Sometimes it is not exactly clear what Little Susie is pointing at though. We have to run through a series of questions: “Do you want your sippy cup? Are you pointing at Mommy’s keys? The camera? The magazine? What do you want?” It is a tiring job, in part because of the guesswork involved.
Pointing is unique to human babies; it bridges the gap from being nonverbal to verbal. Well, sort of. There are some parents, in fact a LOT of parents in San Diego finding that they can do one up on pointing. They’re teaching their babies to sign. And, not just the common signs that everyone learned from “Meet the Folkers” like milk, more, and poop. Nope, they’re taking it to a whole new level; talking about the silly monkey at the zoo, the beautiful flowers at the Rose Garden, and what a big whale Shamu is, all with using American Sign Language.
As babies grow into toddlers they think about things that are not present and pointing will be of no use in these situations, but signing will.
A great way to get started is attending a signing story time program hosted by several San Diego branch libraries. Check event schedule here:
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