Benefits of Signing

Proud To Be Me! Teaching Body Awareness Using Signing Time

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed. Children have a lot of natural curiosity about the world around them. From the question of why the dog has a tail, to how the car works, to those sometimes hard to field questions about the difference between boys and girls, there seems to be an endless amount of things in our world for our curious little ones to ask about and explore. Perhaps one of the most important set of questions to address are those related to bodies. One only needs to look as far as the nearest billboard or the TV commercial currently on …

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5 Easy Ways to Teach Responsibility

                              By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed. We all want to raise our children to become responsible people. The kind of children who will do their homework and be kind to their friends, the kind of teenagers who will respect the rules and return the car on time, and the kind of adults who will keep a good job and visit you in your old age. But how in the world do you start to teach responsibility to those wiggly little wide-eyed hurricanes in your care right now? …

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Enhance Education with Sign Language

Signing in your classroom is fun and easy! Save 20% on these educator curricula and product bundles now through March 15: Signing Time Classroom Edition Complete Preschool & Child Care Program Down Syndrome Daily Support Bundle Early Literacy Jump Start Bundle Speech and Language Bundle Autism Play and Sign Set Homeschool Bundle “There are many benefits of using signs with students – from as young as preverbal infants, to those in early elementary, all the way to adult students who struggle with reading or those who are learning a new language. Research has also shown benefits for children with special needs including dyslexia, …

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Making Signing Fun for Families

By Signing Time Instructor Colleen Brunetti In this age of increased focus on test scores, “teaching baby to read”, and some kids being put on waiting lists for preschools before they are even born, it can be easy to get swept up in the desire to give a baby the best start possible, and loose a little sight of the joy of learning and play. Enter Signing Time, and the classes you teach as a Signing Time Academy Instructor. Learning to sign is just plain fun, and you can really bring that alive with the classes you teach in your communities. The …

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Having Fun with Animal Signs

The learning aspect of sign language has been well covered in the white paper: Signing With Babies and Children. From cognitive development to language acquisition and early literacy skills, signing offers great ways to support your baby right up through the elementary years. But what good is all that learning without some fun? We here at Signing Time believe that children should be able to wiggle and giggle their way right through learning, and that’s just what we strive to support. Three of our best videos for learning through play are  included in the Signing Time Animal Signs DVD Set: Volumes 7 – 9. In …

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Why I Became an Instructor

I became a Signing Time instructor in August because of my experiences as a nanny.  I take care of a 16-month old. I began working with her 15 hours a week in September. At that time she would only say “cat,” and point to items she wanted. I started putting on Baby Signing Time DVDs on in her playroom. Occasionally she would look up and watch, but I didn’t think she was paying attention. I was wrong! When she was in her highchair one day, I brought out some crackers. She looked over and not only said “cracker ,” she …

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The Importance of Signing and Play

Have you ever wondered, “Why isn’t my baby signing back to me yet?” Me too. When I first started signing with my daughter (at 7 months old) I had no prior knowledge of ASL or experience signing with babies. Teaching had not even entered my mind! I just loved the idea of early communication and enhanced bonding. I began by focusing on my daughter’s basic needs, using MORE and ALL DONE during mealtimes. But after two months of repetition and consistency with no response, I naturally started to lose my enthusiasm. What was I doing wrong? It wasn’t until I …

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Signing is Expression

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed. One of my favorite things to do when introducing children to sign language is to talk about the value of expression while signing. It really helps the language begin to come alive, and it also taps into a child’s natural exuberance. Last year I had the pleasure of being a guest of the PTA Cultural Committee at my son’s school and I taught a lesson on “Feelings” to four Kindergarten classes and one preschool class. It was a blast, and I thought I’d share the lesson and some of the supplies I used. Feel free to …

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Signing is Expression

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed. If you watched the media coverage of Hurricane Sandy recently, you may have also noticed there was a bit of a buzz over the interpreter who stood by New York’s Mayor Blumberg offering up his message via American Sign Language (ASL). There was, unfortunately, some negative hype over her expressive way of signing. On the other hand, it also opened the door to some great conversation on why exactly signing is so expressive. When you watch someone who is fluent in ASL, you often can’t help but notice just how expressive they are with both their …

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Signing is Movement

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed. Over the last several years, children have become more and more sedentary, spending longer time in front of a screen, and less time running, jumping and just moving.  There’s been a lot of concern over the consequences of this change in activity level: from issues with physical development, to childhood obesity, to learning and behavioral problems. Add to that more time sitting at desks in the classroom, and less time running at recess and gym, and we as a nation have a challenge on our hands. This is not to say all is lost, however. PBS …

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