image by Will Bragg

In recent times an immense interest has been shown towards teaching pre-verbal hearing babies sign language. Parents, baby-sitters as well as daycare centers have now adapted to teaching babies with easy to learn and remember signs. Even though in early days it was believed that teaching sign language would delay and harm the speech of a baby, latest research has now shown that it is the contrary. Teaching sign language to babies actually enables the baby to speak early as well as it increases the intelligence level and helps develop cognitive skills of the baby.

One of the most popular reasons for the acceptance of baby sign language is that it minimizes the frustration that babies and caregivers go though while communicating with each other. This is especially beneficial for daycare centers since it enables the caregivers to easily understand and meet the needs of the children and minimize the stress and frustration they face each day. Also this in turn provides the caregivers with more available time for activities which enhances the progress of the child. Another advantage of teaching sign language to babies in daycare is that it enables the baby to communicate his/her needs, thoughts or questions and answers with ease, thereby naturally reducing the amount of irritated screams and cries at the center.

It is not hard to teach baby sign language to infants/toddlers. Previous experience or qualifications are not required. But patience, commitment and consistency are the main factors required in teaching babies sign language. As a caregiver you can easily learn simple and everyday used signs by the help of a sign language book or website. Usually signs such as “milk”, “eat”, “sleep”, “more” and “no” are the ones which are popularly used with babies. After you are fluent with the signs you can start teaching them to the children under your care. Starting with one sign and being consistent is the key to success. Always remember that you should speak the word out loudly while signing it. This enables the child to easily understand as well as say the word as well.

It is believed that signing can be taught to babies as young as 6 months of age. An important fact to remember is that the baby would not be able to sign back at you as soon as you teach him/her. Also in the first stages the signs the baby shows will not be as accurate as the ones you have taught him/her. This is where you need to be patient and committed. Keep on signing with the baby and ensure that you are consistent. Every time you say out the word make sure that the baby is able to clearly see the sign as well.

Baby sign language is the best and easiest way to communicate and bond with all children under your care and help them develop their speech.

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Source: http://www.articleheaven.com/article_620617_59.html

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A new electronic toy seems to be helping children with autism develop language skills. Helma van Rijn developed the toy as part of her graduation project at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

The electronic toy, which is called LINKX, consists of blocks that the children must place against a specific object. The objects -- for example a table or a window -- are equipped with a small electronic device of a certain colour. If the children place a block against such an object, the block lights up in the same colour as the object and the child hears the word that corresponds to the name of the object (this word has been pre-recorded by the child's parents).

Van Rijn has tested this method on autistic children (aged 3-5 years old). Parents and teachers have reacted extremely positively to LINKX. More importantly: it appears that the children do indeed learn new words, although it is still too early to arrive at any definitive conclusions about the long-term effects of the toy. Following further tests, the project group for which Van Rijn designed the toy, plans to include the toy in its product catalogue.

Van Rijn: "The most important thing is that I first thoroughly familiarised myself with these children and then, based on my experience, I created the design. I also worked very intensively with the parents, because they are the experts with regard to autistic children."

The approach taken in the design represents a departure from the most commonly used methods; these methods primarily require children to learn the language via a computer. Van Rijn's method is clearly based on real-life experiences.

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Adapted from materials provided by Delft University of Technology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Word search puzzles are pen and paper puzzles containing a grid of letters. The player's task is to locate words hidden within this grid. Each word is in a straight line, but can be placed in any direction, horizontally (left to right, or right to left), vertically (upwards or downwards), or diagonally. Just to make the puzzle that little bit more difficult, words may overlap or intersect, and of course not every letter in the grid is actually part of a word.

Most children seem to enjoy solving word search puzzles - they're an enjoyable way to pass the time. Parents often like these puzzles too, as they can keep the kids busy, instead of getting bored, on a rainy day, or during a long plane or train journey.

It should also be remembered that while word search puzzles are mainly about fun, they can also have educational benefits too. Solving a word search puzzle requires concentration and attention to detail. Furthermore, in order to solve these puzzles, kids need to focus on the exact spelling of words.

It is possible to buy books printed with word search puzzles, however a more flexible option is for a parent or teacher to create the puzzles themselves with the help a computer and word search puzzle maker software. Simply enter a list of words, and the computer can generate a puzzle in an instant! Doing it this way has the big advantage that you can tailor the puzzle, for example choosing words based on this week's spelling list or around class project, or perhaps turning off some of the more difficult directions when creating puzzles for younger kids.

By S. Tanna. To create your printable word search puzzles for kids, please go to http://www.wordsearchprinter.com/

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