Baby Sign language can look much different than American sign language in the way that the signs are articulated. While some signs do remain the same, quite a few are modified to accommodate their developing cognitive and fine motor skills. The modifications serve as a platform for baby’s and toddlers to more easily and efficiently convey their message, while also still learning and ironing out other new skills that they are acquiring. Our babies, at Young Scholars Academy, are communicating with us daily through the help of our highly trained teachers and their abilities in ASL. The question is… are you listening to these messages? If not, you are probably like most parents that are completely in the dark on what their small children are saying to them. Just like cooing and crying, these small jerky and sometimes uncoordinated hand motions are a form of communication.
Here are some pointers on what to look for when looking for signs in your babies and toddlers.

1. Repetitive motions- for the the most part, sign language is depicted by repeating a motion at least twice. Small children will typically repeat the motion that they witness using added emphasis. This is typically seen in the form of agressive repetition, meaning they might repeat the motion five or six times in a row to obtain your attention.
2. Body language- what does your toddler’s body language suggest? This can play a major factor on how the sign looks and what it means. If they are frustrated the sign may be a little more hasty and to the point. Are they tired? The sign could look a little more drawn out, slow or even sloppy. Sign language illustrates a ton of nonverbal emotion in addition to the vocabulary they are portraying, therefore, it is extremely important to pay attention to these body language cues.
3. Verbal communication- Toddlers will inevitably begin ununciating small words in addition to signs they have learned along the way. Most of the time, toddlers begin verbal communication by saying the word they are trying to articulate with the sign that the word is also associated with. Make sure you are paying close attention to signs that are present when a word is being used in conjunction. You may not always connect the two but understanding one or the other will help you understand what you didn’t pick up on.
   Finally, sign language is a “complete natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken language,” therefore signs that your baby learns count as a portion of their early vocabulary. Additionally, studies have been conducted to compare babies who learned sign language over babies that only learned verbal communication to “show how babies and toddlers who know signs have improved cognitive and emotional development which also lead to increased rates of verbal development in toddlerhood.”
   https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/american-sign-language….
   https://www.babysignlanguage.com/basics/research/….

Thank you for reading! For real examples find us on Facebook and check out our videos!
-Ms. Morgan
Parent Connection Coordinator

One of the things that contributes to a person’s likelihood to be successful is his or her academic achievements. Individuals who are academically successful are more likely to build stable careers and enjoy more opportunities for professional growth. School success is also important because this helps us tackle the challenging demands of life in general. When we progress academically, it can help to boost our self-esteem and equips us with skills needed to be better prepared for the future. 

As parents, we play a significant role when it comes to helping our kids achieve academic success. Our support and involvement of our children’s academics is crucial. However, it’s also important to remember that parental involvement doesn’t merely entail helping with homework. So how do we as parents help our children achieve school success? 

Read on for some tips you might find handy!

Create a routine

One of the most common mistakes many parents make is lack of direct involvement or discussions with our kids about school.  This is especially true for families in which both parents work. However, it’s important to remember that our kids need our help and involvement. As parents, we need to carve out time to support our children’s learning. If we don’t do this,  it’s more likely that our kids will become more dependent on screens and electronic gadgets. 

It’s crucial that you establish a routine in your home. Set a specific time for homework, and be sure this schedule works for both you and your kids. Establish a window of time for homework, either before or after dinner, so you’re available to monitor your child’s homework, and assist if needed. Allow your child independence, but remain available to offer guidance and be ready to help if your child gets stuck.

Dedicate a space for homework and studying

Some kids focus better when studying in their bedrooms, curled up on their beds, while others may need a dedicated space for schoolwork. Find out what works best for your child, and be sure to provide necessary materials and other items. If your child works best in a quiet workspace that allows him or her to concentrate without distractions, carve out a quiet corner or a spot in your home that is conducive for homework. Make sure everything your child needs is accessible and organized nearby. This area should also be free of screens so your child can focus and perform his or her academic tasks efficiently.

Establish rules

Rules are essential when it comes to providing the structure that children need to accomplish their daily school-related tasks successfully. Rules around homework will help ensure that your kids, as well as the rest of the family, are aware of the “dos and don’ts” pertaining to homework and school responsibilities.

For example, access to screens should not be permitted during school assignments. Another rule may be that homework must be finished before  children can use their game consoles. Some families don’t allow children to watch TV the night before an exam. 

Consider offering rewards

Some parents believe that kids shouldn’t be rewarded for doing things that are expected. However, offering incentives may work for some families. When we use a reward system, it can boost a child’s motivation and inspire him or her to make academic progress.

Incentives or rewards don’t necessarily need to be in the form of toys or tangible objects. They can be as simple as giving your child more time for outdoor play, offering a favorite snack, or taking a trip to the beach over the weekend. After all, our kids deserve to earn something good for a job well done.

Encourage a positive attitude towards education

We’ve all had varying experiences in our own educations. Some of us have enjoyed positive academic experiences while others’ may have been more difficult or challenging. These experiences have shaped how we may view the institution of education. In order to help your child achieve school success, it’s important that we foster a positive attitude towards education, even if it means putting aside our own negative experiences. We need to avoid perpetuating the notion that teachers have “favorite” students, or that all kids can be mean. Instead, work to cultivate a positive attitude towards school in your home, as this will help to inspire your child to be more motivated, and hopefully even to love  school. 

Our parental involvement and support plays an important role in our children’s academic success. Help your child achieve his or her academic goals, and provide your kids with the academic support they need by following these tips!

Quality education is an important factor in one’s success. Be sure to send your child to a school that offers the best quality early childhood education – Young Scholars Academy. Please give us a call for more information. 

Fall is finally here! So many fun fall activities go on during the month of October. One of the topics we really enjoy doing is pumpkin exploration at YSA. This year we are unable to do some of the normal sensory and exploration with pumpkins that usually happens during this month due to Covid. I wanted to give parents a few activities and ideas that are easy to do at home with your preschooler that will for sure keep them busy and excited during the fall months!

Go over the parts of the pumpkin with your kiddo. Explain how pumpkins grow and give them the details of the life cycle of a pumpkin. If you happen to visit a pumpkin patch, point out the area where the pumpkins grow so they can see them on the vine and make that real-life connection. If you have talked about the life cycle beforehand, let your child pretend to be the “teacher” and let them walk you through the details. It’s extra fun for them to take that role and having them explain the details of the pumpkin life cycle back to you is taking that knowledge base a step further.
One of the gooey fun activities is exploring a pumpkin. Have your preschooler help you pull the gooey guts out of the pumpkin. For some, this will be the first time they have ever touched the inside of a pumpkin. There may be some mixed reactions at first. Be encouraging, allow them to take their time reaching in and pulling out the stringy insides. This is a new type of sensory touch for some, sometimes having gloves on hand is a good idea. Some children will not want to touch and manipulate the pumpkin guts, just be patient and demonstrate for them. Lay the pumpkin goo and seeds on a baking tray, save the seeds! Let your preschooler pick through and sort the seeds from the slime. This is such great exposure to a new texture and use of fine motor skills.

Pumpkins seeds are a fantastic manipulative to use. After your seeds have dried out, it’s time to put them to use! Have your child use the seeds to do basic math problems. They could practice counting the seeds, this is called 1:1 correspondence and it is a skill we work on and assess at YSA. Being able to count objects and make that connection can be challenging for a kiddos at times, so this is a fun way to practice at home. Have your child touch and count the seeds in different quantities. Keep practicing! If they don’t get the hang of it right away, model how to touch and count for them. If their math skills are more advanced, you can have your kiddo use the seeds to do simple addition and subtraction. Even create a story problem while using the seeds! They will really enjoy “playing” with seeds while working with you!

Another fun activity to do is create pumpkin faces using the seeds as teeth. Depending on your preschoolers age, either draw a pumpkin outline for them or let them draw their own pumpkin face. Don’t fill in the teeth! Let your child glue on seeds for teeth, there will be some silly and fun smiles from your child once they create their masterpiece. This is also a fun art project that grandparents would love to get in the mail around Halloween time!

Have fun this fall with pumpkin exploration! There are so many fun pumpkin activities that you and your child can work on together. These are just a few that encourage science, fine motor, math, and art! Be creative and think up your own, the pumpkin play is endless!

Ms. Whitney
Curriculum Coordinator
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

As parents, we do almost everything we can to make our children’s day stress free and easy going as possible. We get them up in the morning, get them ready for the day, make breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We organize most of their time for the day, always trying to keep them busy. But there is a point where it can be too much. We need to allow space for our children to develop independent skills that they can use daily. Don’t get caught up in making their day your WHOLE day. Allowing them to be able to start caring for themselves is especially important. These are some valuable independent skills that your preschooler can work on mastering at home and school.

One of the first self-skills your child learns is how to hold their own bottle, then as they get bigger use their fingers to feed themselves table food. Then eventually a spoon and fork. At dinner, do you let your child serve themselves? We do this (during non-crazy corona times) at YSA! Its an amazing self-skill that we foster daily. The kiddos participate in family style dining and they should be doing it at home with you too. Do not worry, the messes they can clean that up too! We also embrace spilled food/milk, it is really no big deal to help them learn how to wipe up a mess. Show them how to do it, do hand over hand, then allow them to just take the lead! Be encouraging and proud when they clean up their own messes (even if you had to help a bit) when they are finished. I always make sure to thank them for cleaning up their mess and being responsible, it is a big deal!

Blowing their own noses is another independent skill that is super important! Find a way to get your kiddo to blow dragon breath out of their nose! Or have them spray the fire hose! Make up some silly saying and show/ teach your kiddo how to blow and wipe their own nose. Along with blowing noses is washing hands. Another hygienic task that we work on with your kiddo. YSA kids are some of the best handwashers, we really have put in the practice to make sure all the kiddos are following the safest and complete hand washing steps. This is another thing to practice at home. Ask your preschooler to show you how, ask them what song they sing while washing. You will be surprised to see how awesome they do!

Putting on, zipping, and buttoning a jacket is another multistep skill your preschooler is working on at YSA. A great one to work on at home as we approach chiller temps. Don’t let them fool you! They are working on/mastering this skill at YSA! This is such a great fine mother exercise! Don’t take the practice from them, let them try…fail…try… try again! An easy way to help them to start learning to put their jacket on is by having them lay it on the floor, collar/hood closest to their feet. Then they stick their arms in and superman flip the coat over their back. I will include a picture example : )

And last but not least… wiping. Yep, got to throw that one in too. We work on this skill at school multiple times a day! Ha! Please, show your preschooler and help them master this oh so important life skill. Front to back… need I say more! Haha!

These are just a few of the basic self-skills for your child to learn. As they grow, give them more responsibility to care for themselves and more responsibility. Allow them to help with daily chores, errands, and taking care of pets as they become of age. They really thrive and get excited to help, just have to be encouraging and sometimes make it some silly fun!

Ms. Whitney
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator