Search - Signing Time! Vol. 1: My First Signs DVD on DVD

My daughter loves these!

EmElle | California | 08/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I started trying to teach my daughter with a mommy/baby sign class when she was around 6 or so months, and it took several months before she would sign anything back. I stayed with the basics, like eat and more. I figured there was no point in moving on if she doesn't want to use these two very common words. She did start signing back eventually, and I wanted to find away to foster this and continue with something that can be repeated. I bought volumes 1-3 of Signing Time, and she did seem to like them, but as with all infants and young toddlers, she has the attention span of a gnat. After several watches of each volume, she really started to tune in more, and started to get excited when her "friends" Alex and Leah were coming on. She was learning sign and her words at the same time. We then bought volumes 4-6. By 18 months, she knew over 30 words verbally, and about 10 in sign that she didn't say, plus there was some overlap. Now she'll be turning two next month, and she's been learning 1-4 words a day for a few months, sometimes both in sign and verbal. She LOVES these DVDs. In the past couple of weeks, she's been handing them to us to play, and calls them "Tummy Tum" and even does the signs for "Signing Time". When she points to the TV and asks for music, she means Signing Time. She squeals in excitement when these are on, and she dances to all the songs. She really does try to watch full episodes too, but she does get distracted easily still. These have helped her learn her words and her letters, as well as numbers just a bit, and we all learn sign language.

I have found signing to be very handy when she can't pronounce the English quite right, or when she adopts the same verbal word for two or more things. It's also handy in a movie theater, when she can't really talk but needs to tell me she wants to eat. Or when we're in a situation where she doesn't feel like talking, so she'll sign instead. It HAS NOT "virtually eliminated" the terrible twos as Rachel says in one or more of these DVDs. She definitely has her moments, but when I know she is capable of communicating, but is refusing, it's easier for me to ignore her until she signs or verbalizes what she wants.

My one complaint is that my daughter seems to identify a bit too much with Leah, and pronounces some words as Leah does. I'm sure this is transitory, which is why I have not deducted any stars. It's up to me to correct these things, and I know there will be plenty of other sources for mispronunciations as she grows up. It's why I don't like Baby Bear on Sesame Street, because I don't want my daughter learning to pronounce words like the character does. Leah, in a DVD like this, makes sense, as the audience will most certainly include deaf children, or friends of deaf children. And those of us who can hear will need to learn how they might pronounce something so we can make sense of it. It's like adjusting yourself to any accent. When you know where the person is from, it's easier to understand what they say.

I will say that in Volume 4, Rachel appears a bit low energy. My daughter hasn't noticed and doesn't care, so I'm not deducting stars for that either.

We will be requesting volumes 7+ for her upcoming birthday, or getting them ourselves."