BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — "More, please" sounds like a simple enough request, but for many parents understanding when your child wants something isn’t always easy.
“I feel like one of the biggest struggles as a parent is when you see your child want something but they can’t sat what they want," said Autumn Strode.
While many associate sign language with hearing impairments, it can also be a vital tool for parents of infants and toddlers. At The Learning Experience, one of the ways they’re working to ease early learning frustrations is by helping the children communicate through sign language.
Strode had her 2-year-old son Maverick start at The Learning Experience when he was 10 months old. While he can hear, he couldn’t quite yet speak. Turns out, he had a lot to say.
“It was easier for us to say ‘do you want milk’, ‘do you want to eat’, ‘What do you want’, and he was able to say yes or to tell us what he wants," Strode said,.
At the learning experience, children in the toddler program and even through the infant class begin learning certain signs like milk, please, water, more, and all done.
Toddler Teacher Rachel Crowder said learning these communication tools increases their vocabulary at an early age.
“There’s a lot of frustration in the classroom when they can’t communicate, especially around 1. They’re not advanced at making full sentences so you don’t always understand what they need," Crowder said. "So I think teaching them sign language, that will help them especially to move up.”
Not only do the toddlers gain a sense of autonomy, but begin reading and speaking earlier as well as better relationship building.
“This is kind of crucial because they’re learning their colors, their numbers, their name, how to communicate with people, so you’re just kinda helping them setup," Crowder said.
Strode said thanks to the education learning to sign, Maverick's “terrible twos” haven’t been so terrible.
“A lot of people said ‘Get ready, get ready’, but a big thing was ‘help’ in sign language," she said. whenever he would start to get upset and we would ask him do you need help and he would calm down and show us he needed help.”
To learn more about The Learning Experience, see here.
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