Baby sign - using key word signing with babies, builds on the natural method of using gestures to communicate.  Baby sign gives infants and their carers an easy, specific way to communicate basic messages. Sign & Speak Australia promotes a combination of eye contact, slow speech and simple hand signs to teach early communication skills. 

Baby sign focuses on very simple, repetitive movements. The hand signs are fun for babies to watch and easy for carers to use.  At all times, the learning is done with an attitude of fun and playfulness, with no sense of pressure to perform.

Baby sign is suitable for most babies, toddlers and their families.  Six months is a great age to start, but this is a guide only.  Key word signing is great fun for the whole family and is usually beneficial at any age.

Some examples of signs that babies as young as 8 months have learnt to understand and use include:

bird, dog, hot, bed, man, daddy, mummy, baby, bottle and cat.  

Sign & Speak Australia run  Play and Learn Workshops for parents/carers and babies (aged up to 24 months).  The workshops are conducted in a relaxed, friendly manner and are suitable for complete beginners, as well as people who have some prior knowledge of sign language. 

Hand signs are demonstrated at a slow, easy pace, with plenty of repetition and handy hints.  Parents and carers are encouraged to bring their infants and join in activities throughout the workshop. Yes it’s noisy – but it’s so much fun. A lot of laughter guaranteed!