It’s Here…My Smart Hands has come to Chester County!
Imagine communicating with your child before he/she could even speak! Enrolling in a My Smart Hands class teaches you the skills to be able to use sign language with your hearing child. At My Smart Hands we use 100% true American Sign Language (ASL) signs in all our classes.
The benefits of signing with your hearing baby or toddler are numerous and, after over 25 years of research, proven. We, as a family, have reaped the rewards of signing with our children. When our daughter, Paige, was 6 months old, we began teaching her ASL signs. Soon she was signing back to us when she was nursing (milk), eating (eat, all done, more) and as she grew tired (bed). She could tell us when she was hungry, thirsty, tired, or just needed out of a situation. Her manners were developed at a young age as we introduced the signs for please, thank you and sorry. By the age of 12 months, she had a combined verbal and signing vocabulary of over 50 words.
When Jalyn was born, signing was already established in the family and we continued learning more signs and teaching her as well. By 18 months, she could correctly sign her colors, among many other things. Most recently, Joyce joined our family via international adoption and we were prepared to teach her signs as well in order to help overcome the language barrier.
Using signs with your hearing child increases parent-child bonding, reduces frustrations
and tantrums, builds your child’s self-esteem, increases their vocabulary, gives them a
boost in school and increases IQ.
Contrary to a common myth, there is no proof that signing with your hearing child delays speech. In fact, the opposite is true. When you sign with your child you actually say the word much more frequently, allowing him/her to hear. If you just read a book, you might read “Brown bear, brown bear….” and then turn the page. If you are also signing, you may say “Brown bear, brown bear… do you see the bear? What’s the sign for bear? This is the sign for bear. Can I help you make the sign for bear?” In the second scenario you have said the word “bear” three times more! Signing does not replace the verbal language, rather it enhances it.
My Smart Hands of Chester and Lancaster Counties is currently offering a Level One class. As we grow we will be adding Level Two, Sing and Sign, Parent Workshops and Educator Workshops. In addition to the current scheduled class, we can come to your location! If you choose to gather a group of interested parents and host at your house, you, as the host, can earn an additional discount. The $130 cost for the class includes a full color manual and CD and is for the child and up to 2 caregivers (bring your babysitter, nanny, grandparent, etc, so you are all on the same page when it comes to signing). Additional family members may attend at a reduced price.
In addition, exclusively for Chester County Moms blog readers, you can take $15 off your first class fee if you enroll by September 27th. Our first class starts on September 30th and runs for 8 weeks. Another class will be opened if need be.
Please visit My Smart Hands for more information, FAQs and class times and “LIKE” us on Facebook.
Philaburban Mom 