Want to Reduce Your Toddlers Tantrums? Try Teaching Them Sign Language!

A few months ago, my 1 year old son started whining. For the first five seconds of his moans, I frantically looked around for what he could possibly want. I came up empty-handed. Fearing his whines would ramp up at any moment, I mentally prepared for an all out tantrum, but was stopped short when he put three middle fingers up to his mouth and tapped it a few times. “Water. He wants water,” I said to myself. I got him water, and he was happy. All of this probably took 15 seconds — sign language saved the day yet again.

I have been a teacher for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for 10 years now, and learning and using American Sign Language (ASL) since I was 12 years old. I always knew that when I had kids of my own that I would teach them sign language. Sure enough I had my son two years ago, and I began teaching him sign language from Day 1 (OK, maybe more like Day 10 due to, you know, having a new born and postpartum recovery), but sign language has proven to be beneficial in more ways than I can count.

Why Should I Teach My Child Sign Language?

I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of sign language with my students and my own son, and as one mom to another, I feel compelled to share them.

1. Sign language is another way…