Sign Language to Teach Grace and Courtesy from Birth

I’m so excited today to have Nicole with us from The Kavanaugh Report. She is sharing her ideas on how to teach grace and courtesy from birth through the use of sign language. Please give her a warm welcome and share with others!

Hi! I’m Nicole, blogger at The Kavanaugh Report. I have two children — Henry and Nora. We are a Montessori family in Minnesota. Today, Marie was kind enough to let me share how we have begun to teach our children grace and courtesy from birth through the use of sign language.

Montessori principles tell us that even small babies are full human beings from the moment they are born. They are eager to absorb the world around them and learn how things work. The quickly become full and participating members of their home, classroom and world.

As adults, it’s our job to prepare the environment to help them not only to succeed but to thrive. One of our roles is teaching social graces — including manners. But not through just forcing the child to say please and thank you, but by modeling this respect to the child. This is grace and courtesy.

You may not think that babies could benefit from being taught this type of respect. But, they can! Even the youngest children deserve respect since they are full individuals. For them, the use of sign language, beginning at birth, becomes a bridge to communicate until they are old enough to speak. Starting from birth allows the sign language to become as much a part of the environment as that beautiful shelf or basket. It opens up a way to communicate for a person that often has a lot to tell us!With both my children, we started using sign language with them as newborns. In particular, with Nora, my nearly 6-month-old, we have made a big effort to use signs with her on a daily basis. This includes “please” and “thank you.” But also other basics like “mama,” “milk,” “all done,” and “brother.” While she can’t quite sign yet, she does understand them. I know that in time she’ll be able to sign and communicate to us with ease.I personally think that using sign language is total no brainer. To me, its no different than using a child sized table or chair. Its creating a change in the environment to adapt to the needs of the child. Henry, who is now almost 4-years-old, used signs until a couple months ago. They became a second language for him and helped to ease his frustrations well into toddlerhood.If you’re thinking about using sign language, don’t leave out the pleases and thank yous. Model the behavior you want to see. Be consistent and you’re child will be too.

Thanks again to Marie for letting me post today! Follow The Kavanaugh Report on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram for more on our adventures with Montessori!

Follow Marie @ Child Led Life’s board Montessori For Us on Pinterest.

More Montessori activities here: Child Led Life Fun Activities

I am excited to have you here and look forward to chatting with you on any of our social networks on Facebook, G+, and Pinterest .

When we started using the Montessori method in our home, I was overwhelmed with all the information I found on the internet. So many lessons, materials, and how-to’s I didn’t know where to start! After 3 years of creating a Montessori Inspired home, I’m excited to bring all that I have learned to parents and teachers.

Do you need affordable help setting up your Montessori-inspired environment, homeschool planning help, or just need someone to bounce ideas off of? Find all the consulting information here!