Foods are great starter signs for babies. Babies are often very motivated to learn food signs, especially foods they love. It is also easy to teach food signs because normally during mealtimes you have your baby in a high chair; this allows for great face-to-face interaction. You have their undivided attention as you sit in front of them offering food. Take your time during meals. For example, if you are offering your baby apple sauce you can really take your time and teach the sign for APPLE. Make the sign APPLE and then offer your baby a spoon of apple sauce. Then the next spoon you can do the same thing, make the sign APPLE and offer her the spoon. You can even take her hand and place it on her cheek and say, “Yes! That’s right, you are having APPLE!” while helping her make the sign. If she seems frustrated with this game then simply stop and try again the next time you offer a food item. Make sure signing is fun, if it’s not fun then wait and pick it up again at a different time.
Here is the sign for APPLE from our new animated dictionary:
Laura Berg
My Smart Hands
2 Responses to ASL sign for APPLE
Love learning this, Laura. I’d love to teach my daughter sign language and learn for myself as well!
hi there, i think learning to sign and teaching my son signs is one of the greatest thing we do together. I have also became a signing instructor while i was on mat. leave. My son is almost 2, he’s an early talker, but we find that signing may have contribute to his early speech skills.