I first discovered Baby Signing Time on YouTube when Big Brother was about thirteen months old. I knew I wanted to teach him to sign, but I didn’t know any signs so to the internet I went. I searched “baby signing” and watched a few of the videos that came up. There are some pretty cooky signing videos that were apparently made for kids, but are just weird. Then we stumbled on Baby Signing Time, and Big Brother was instantly captivated!
The magic and effectiveness of the Baby Signing Time videos is created by a combination of cute, engaging animation, an adult teacher (Rachel) who teaches the signs one at a time, simple and catchy songs, and children and babies who show off their signing skills thus encouraging your own little one to try.
Here is a one of Big Brother’s favorite clips on YouTube
After about two weeks Big Brother had all the Baby Signing Time signs YouTube had to offer and I was determined to buy him the videos. These videos are probably the best toy/video purchase I made for Big Brother during the first few years of his life. There are 4 volumes in the Baby Signing Time series, each running 30 minutes–perfect for the attention span of a toddler.
The videos in the Baby Signing Time series teach signs that your infant or toddler need for everyday communication: eat, sleep, milk, wash hands, hurt, sorry, please, happy, mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, car. ball, bear, doll, and many, many more. Signing Time also has videos geared toward children 3+ that teach hundreds more signs for more advanced signing.
I love that the Baby Signing Time videos are so good at promoting active learning instead of just passive viewing. Big Brother and I watched the videos together and made the signs together. And, in addition to teaching communication through sign, watching these videos together with your child can actually strengthen the parent child bond.
The result?
By 16 months Big Brother had about 30 signs and could communicate his basic wants and needs. That’s not even all! Thanks to Signing Time’s great attention to the developmental age/needs of their audience my son also learned how to label his emotions and the emotions of others. At 16 months! He would hear a baby crying in church and sign “baby”, “cry”, “sad”. Because he learned to communicate the things he needed so well we can count on one hand the number of tantrums we’ve ever experienced with him. Now, at the age of 3 he gets compliments every day about how well he speaks and expresses himself.
Here is a video of Big Brother at 16 months doing a few of his signs
Bottom Line: I would totally and unreservedly recommend this product to anyone! Signing Time is perfect for parents with young children, grandparents to give as gifts or keep at home for when the grandkids come over, childcare workers, and parents of children with certain disabilities. The results you’ll get from the Signing Time videos is well worth the cost of the videos! This is a purchase you’ll never regret!
Buy It! The wonderful people at Signing Time are offering 10% off any Signing Time products now through 11/8 with the code SAVVYMOM ! So head on over to SigningTime.com and check out all their amazing products! (Plus, all of their sets are currently on sale!)
Win It! Signing Time has graciously offered to give away Baby Signing Time Vol. 1 to ONE of my readers! If you don’t win now stay tuned for the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop! Signing Time has agreed to sponsor my blog!
Tweet: Enter to #win Baby Signing Time Vol 1 @ohsosavvymom #giveaway http://bit.ly/bmf28N . @signingtime
6. Enter any of my other giveaways! (1 entry per other giveaway entered)
I would like to thank Signing Time for making this giveaway possible. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions expressed are my own.
