Baby Sign Language at 18 Months
18 months! Do you even use months for age anymore? Babyhood is officially toddlerhood, and it is exhausting yet so much fun (as with every age)!! They are explorers, trouble makers, and comedians rolled into one.
Many parents are now realizing that sign language would be useful with their 18 month old toddler because the frustrations and meltdowns are only increasing. Your toddler has a few words already, but you may be wondering if it’s too late to teach your toddler sign language, if sign language would benefit toddlers, and what ASL signs are best to use with this age (plus when to use them). It’s a lot to figure out!
Here’s the good news: teaching your 18 month old toddler sign language is extremely possible and beneficial! Follow these steps and recommended resources:
If you don’t already, please follow me on Instagram for more about how sign language can be a game charger for your baby / toddler’s early communication skills.
Benefits to using sign language with your 18 month old:
This age is a great time to start using sign language because like I mentioned above, they are feeling frustrated around communicating. That is because there is still a large gap between what they can say and what they want to communicate. While many parents may believe sign language is not needed once their child begins to talk, that is not the case at all! That gap is the source to many of their frustrations, but also high motivation to communicate about those things. As a result, it is possible for your 1 and a half year old to learn new ASL signs within a few weeks, or even in just a few days!
This fast acquisition of new ASL signs will greatly reduce the frequency of meltdowns and tantrums because you are able to understand what they are able to communicate more clearly. Sign language can also be used during a meltdown or tantrum to lessen how long it lasts (check out the next section for more on that!)
Sign language facilitates more language, which means that it is possible for your 18 month old toddler to use 2 word utterances! This may be sign + sign or sign + word combinations. This is a big stepping stone to unlock even more communication!
Want to use sign language with your little one?
Tantrums + Sign Language teaches you how to effectively implement sign language during your child’s tantrums for faster recoveries. In this mini-course, you will learn how to best navigate the imbalance in your child’s brain using ASL signs and proven strategies so you can get back to making memories, laughing, and playing in record time.
Look Who’s Signing Now is my signature four part course that teaches you the exact blueprint I use to teach my own children sign language. Beginning with the foundation of why and when to use baby sign language, how to implement it, and what signs to use. With this self-study e-course, you will have the confidence to sign with your baby and boost their early communication while reducing frustrations, tantrums, and time wasted playing the guessing game.
Check out my online resources for parents! Browse my current offerings.
Sign language to use with your toddler:
Reflect on why you are wanting to use sign language with your 18 month old. More than likely, it’s to reduce frustrations, know what they want more easily, and/or foster early communication. Because of this, we want to use sign language for functional vocabulary (check out this blog post for more on this topic).
Your toddler is also wanting to communicate about things they can’t say yet, but they either need or want. Their favorite toys, foods, and activities are highly interesting and motivating to them. Using sign language for these, paired with functional vocabulary, will also be of great benefit to them. It is very possible for your 18 month old to have upwards of 50 ASL signs by this age! Learn more about sign language milestones here.
Keep in mind, whenever your toddler learns a new sign and uses sign language, they more than likely won’t look like yours. Here’s what I mean:
When to use sign language with your eighteen month old:
To truly maximize using sign language with your toddler, it’s important to use sign language during various contexts, settings, and environments. Here are some other ideas:
👧🏻As I described in this previous blog post, toddlers learn best through play. Because of that, use sign language during your 18 month old’s play time - where there are so many language opportunities!
👦🏾Use a mix of functional and high interest signs while you read books and talk about the pictures.
👧🏼When you notice your toddler trying to communicate, or starting to become frustrated, use sign language to help them get their message communicated clearly and to lessen those feelings of frustration.
👧🏿As far as meal time, go beyond the basics with them! What are their food preferences? Include additional language to the routine of meal time beyond the typical “more” and “all done.”
Cheers to the endless learning that is possible with an 18 month old toddler! Have so much fun together learning more signs to increase clear communication and decrease the frustrations. You’ll be amazed at what is possible!
