Want a smarter baby? Learn the signs

Diaper change? Check. Bottle? Check. Blanket? Check. So, why is the baby still crying? There is a better way! Starting Saturday, April 10, Pierce College’s Continuing Education program is debuting a new sign language course for parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers. The Sign With Baby course will teach the basic signs babies need to express their wants and needs. The 90-minute class will be held at 9:30 a.m. for six Saturdays, April 10-May 22 (no class April 17), at Pierce College Puyallup. Cost is $99.

“Children as young as 8 months can learn to sign,” explained Nancy Clapp, teacher for the Sign With Baby series at Pierce Puyallup. Clapp teaches American Sign Language courses at Pierce College and Orting High School. “All infants can benefit from watching and learning to recognize signs used by parents and caretakers. This course will provide the basic vocabulary skills so that adults and older children can communicate with babies and toddlers who do not yet have the verbal skills to express themselves.”

In addition to easing babies’ and parents’ frustration, said Clapp, studies have shown that early exposure to sign language can have lasting impact on a child’s brain development and future education.

“Studies show that learning to sign at this tender age actually increases the number of neural pathways forming in the brain and the frequency of synaptic activity,” Clapp described, adding that the IQs of children who learn to sign as infants “tend to be several points higher than those of non-signing infants.”

The first session on April 10 is a parents-only class, but parents may bring one preverbal child with them to each subsequent class.

Register in person at either Pierce College Puyallup, 3901 39th Ave. SE, or Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 1601 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood; by phone by calling the Registration Line at (253) 864-3330; or online at www.piercece.com. For questions or additional information, call (253) 840-8450.

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