Research and Information On Signing for Children

From as early as the mid 1800's advantages offered to hearing children who signed were documented. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, developer of American Sign Language, saw that hearing children's language development increased from the use of sign. This led him to believe that “the more varied the form under which language is presented to the mind through the various senses, the more perfect will be the knowledge of it acquired, and the more permanently will it be retained," (Daniels p.126)

This “varied form” or multi-sensory approach to learning has been widely embraced. Leading the way is Howard Gardner who says there are multiple ways we learn. His list of Multiple Intelligences is widely accepted today. Basically, children do not have fixed intelligence nor do they all learn the same way. Children learn in multiple ways and their intelligence is developing continuously.

Here are Gardner's multiple intelligences and how singing and signing relate to each:

• Physical learning (movement); Signing provides this through hand manipulation, arm and body movement and facial expression;
• Visual learning (seeing): Hand signs are visual by their nature and many of them are iconic (signs that look like what they are);
• Verbal learning (speaking or listening): When singing and signing, children combine words and signs together, simultaneously as they are talking, singing and listening to songs;
• Musical learning (music, rhythm, melody): Singing our wide collection of songs provides rhythms, rhymes and melodies;
• Mathematical learning (reasoning): This is encouraged as a result of the structure and sequencing involved in singing songs;
• Interpersonal learning (with other people): The entire family and the entire class will benefit from signing together and will learn from this interaction.
• Intrapersonal learning (individual learning): We Sign videos and DVD's provide children a way to interact, on an individual basis, with songs and signing.

Gardner goes on to say that he believes it is important to developing children, that they are exposed to rich learning environments allowing them to explore and use as many of these intelligences as possible.

Singing and signing activities work to increase a child's knowledge because they are fun and playful activities, children can succeed in mastering the actions and because they provide rich learning environments allowing the use of multiple learning styles.

There is no doubt that signing and signing activities provide real benefits to children of all ages.  It is fun, playful and interactive. It incorporates a wide variety of learning styles and is based on basic the human experience of “if you involve me I will remember.”   We Sign provides parents and grandparents, teachers and caregivers a variety of ways to incorporate sign into early learning while having fun interacting with children.  We strongly believe that it signing and our signing products are interactive and designed engage adults and children alike.

Notes:

1. Dale, Edgar. Researcher.
2. Pica, Rae, Wiggle, Giggle, and Shake, Gryphon House, Beitsville, MD, 2001.
3. Hughes, Fergus P., Children, Play and Development Third Edition, Viacom Company, Needham Heights, MA 1991. (pg. 181).
4. Holt, John, How Children Learn, Perseus Books, Cambridge Mass. 1983. (pg. 56).
5. Daniels, Marilyn, Dancing With Words, Signing for Hearing Children's Literacy, Bergin & Garvey, Westport, CT, 2001. (pg. 715).
6. Daniels, Marilyn, Frawley, Ken and Georgia, Sign To Speak – Babies Can Talk, Production Associates, Inc, Orange, CA, 2010.  (Sign to Speak – Babies Can Talk. (pg. 36).