Today we are featuring two more favorite toddler & baby books along with matching signs. Our hope by creating this collection is to set the stage for contextual signing.

The books featured come highly recommended by baby sign language friends and fans just like you. Many are already part of your library and many more are totally worth the investment.

Five Little Monkeys

Five Little Monkeys is a classic that has been passed down as a rhyme, as a song and as a book. A wonderful way to teach your toddler the basics of counting. Like most classics almost everyone in the family probably knows the whole book by memory. Let’s work together and learn the following baby signs to complement our reading activities:

Monkey

Bed

Jump

Pajamas

Mama

Are You a Cow?

A totally adorable book by Sandra Boynton, we love the question format and how it challenges babies to identify how they are different from other creatures. We found this lovely video of Betsy and her dad reading Are You a Cow? together. This book is available online with optional personalization to include the name of your baby. Here are a few signs to use together with your little one:

Chicken

Cow

Frog

Lamb

Bear

If you want to check out two other animal books suitable for baby signing go here:

Part I (Animal Books)

If you are teaming up with us and working on teaching baby how to sign animals consider buying a set of model farm and jungle animals to use along with your reading activities.

Together with all our Facebook Baby Sign Language Friends we compiled a list of our most loved books for babies and toddlers. Our first list is focused on books about animals. We have included a few signs associated with each book to help you and baby expand your signing vocabulary while embracing the joy of reading.

Sheep in a Jeep

This book by Nancy Shaw is a lovely treat. While it is recommended for ages 4 and up I think most of us agree that Sheep in a Jeep is a tremendously fun read with endless rhymes lots of silliness and wonder. We love that it incorporates lots of onomatopoeia and has lovely illustrations by Margot Apple. Nancy has a whole series on sheep certainly worth exploring. here are a few baby signs you can incorporate while reading Sheep in a Jeep:

Sheep

Push

Go

Help

Weep

Giraffes Can’t Dance

What is not to love about Giraffes? This book is full of hope as it celebrates differences. We love how it introduces babies and toddlers to new jungle animals. We love it as a book but it is also wonderful as a song. You can listed to it here.

In addition to the improved motor skills achieved by dancing while reading this lovely book we think it makes a great read when combined with these signs:

Dance

Giraffe

Tall

Tree

Lion

Moon

Enjoy reading and learning new signs. Tomorrow we will continue with two more baby and toddler animal books suitable for learning baby sign language.

Even as I type this post some places in the United States are still experiencing snow. If you are one of the lucky ones who happens to live in a place where Spring has in fact arrived we have created a guide to planting a garden with your toddler. This simple free printable contains a collection of signs for vegetables that are easy to plant and easy to sign. Your baby will learn to sign nine different vegetables while connecting illustrations to real world concepts. The free printable baby sign language kit includes:

1. Instructional with toddler-friendly tips that will help you keep baby safe and frame gardening concepts in a way that encourages learning, exploration and development.
2. Nine printable cards with real-life images of common garden vegetables and illustrations to help you learn the sign for each vegetable.
3. Large format markers to print and fold over a wooden stick and mark each crop.

For those moms that want to print the vegetable deck but skip the rest select pages 4-6.

• If you don’t have a large backyard this project also works with container gardening.
• Laminate your crop markers and flashcards to be able to use them outside while you play with water and dirt.
• Involve older siblings. This can be a fun family project.
• Take advantage of the real-life and illustration images we have provided to teach your toddler to make associations between real images and representative illustrations.
• Share photos of your toddler gardening via our Facebook page or via email at [email protected]

Click on the link below to download your free kit:

Gardening with Baby Sign Language

Or if you are ready for the full baby sign language experience why not buy your very own kit with excellent resources your baby will enjoy from birth until age 4.

Because you asked for a more integrated baby sign language program a few months ago we introduced the Baby Sign Language Premium Kit. The Premium Kit provided all the materials from the Deluxe Kit plus the 4 DVDs and 4DVDs from the famous Signing Time Collection. We have been amazed by your response and we are extra proud that you have rated the kit 4.6 out of 5!

Click Here to Access Offer

BabySignLanguage.com coupon code is: ALL4ONE

We wanted to do something awesome and exclusive for our fans, particularly those that already had the deluxe baby sign language  kit and wanted to sample Rachel Coleman’s wonderful collection. For just a limited time Signing Time is giving all of Baby Sign Language fans unlimited access to their whole digital library. Here are the details:

You are invited to purchase the all-access digital pass to to Signing Time for just $1.00 for the first month. This pass will give you unlimited online and offline access to over 100 hours of engaging videos and catchy songs specially produced with your baby and toddler in mind. You will enjoy hundreds of songs and famous DVDs inclusive of Potty Time and the Baby Signing Time Collection.

If you decide to keep the subscription it is just $9.99 per month. We thrilled to share this awesome opportunity with you and super thankful to Signing Time team for allowing us to give you such a special deal!

Again, here is the link and coupon code:

Click Here to Access Offer

BabySignLanguage.com coupon code is: ALL4ONE

Not too long ago our friend Lauren asked us to suggest a few toys suitable for babies whose learning style is more three-dimensional and tactile and have in a way outgrown flashcards. In our book we dedicate a chapter to teaching baby sign language using visuals and props to help baby interact with objects that she can associate to concepts.

Like most parents our main objective with baby’s first signs was to find effective ways to meet her needs. Her initial needs were of course associated to basics such as food and diaper changes. During this stage we had no props and we simply used the real thing. It made sense to use the real things because they were readily available and engaged all her senses. A fruit is something that she could touch, smell,taste and see. As her needs and wants expanded we needed a little extra and we found that representative toys had an immediate result and kept her highly engaged.  We wanted to share with you three toy sets we found specially useful.

Jumbo Jungle Animals

At home we don’t have a TV and most of our visual feedback comes from the Ipad. Our little girl has demonstrated a strong interest for animals. This set is made of plastic and washable. Each animal is big enough to not present a shocking hazard and small enough for baby to hold it with ease. Award Winner – Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award(2006).

New Sprouts Fresh Picked Fruit & Veggie Tote

While we love to use real food in teaching baby how to sign fruits and veggies we often find it challenging to find ways to expose her to the appearance of a fruit or veggie before processing. For example, our girl may get a few pieces of chopped lettuce in her salad but have no familiarity with the appearance of a whole lettuce head. This kit was particularly useful as we worked on expanding her vocabulary between 22 months and 3 years. It was fantastic for her signing skills as well as her verbal development. Currently it is part of her kitchen set and it has provided endless hours of enjoyment.

Melissa & Doug Transportation Chunky Wooden Puzzle

This recommendation comes from my friend Sarah who has a very active and curious boy. Sarah’s  boy can sign over 100 baby sign language signs from airplane to zebra. Because Sarah and Lucas live away from bodies of water or train routes the majority of his exposure to these means of transportation is via books or TV. Sarah tells me the puzzle along with flashcards made it a breeze to learn all their transportation signs.

If you have spotted awesome toys that have worked for you please feel free to share.

Lauren, thanks for asking this very important question and we hope these toys help you and your baby stay busy and learn quickly.

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