Hesperian Health Guides

Help your child learn different kinds of signs

In this chapter:

In addition to learning the names of objects and people, your child needs to learn many different kinds of signs. This will help her learn more about the world around her. it will also prepare her to be able to think and sign in sentences later on. You can use the same steps as on the previous page to teach your child "action signs", "feeling signs", and ‘describing signs’.

  • action signs
A man, woman and 2 small children sit and eat together.
Eat your
soup, Thuy.
Signs for "eat", "sleep", and "drink" are often the first action signs a child learns.
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eat soup


A woman signing to her daughter.
You look sad, Ramona.
Signs for "happy", "sad", and "angry" are often the first feeling signs a child learns.
  • feeling signs
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pan
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hot
A woman signing to her daughter.
Hot?
Stay back, Seema.
The pan is hot.
Signs for "wet", "dry", "hot", or "cold" are often the first describing signs a child learns.
  • describing signs


Another kind of sign that is important to know is:

  • name signs (the name given to each person)
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Yena
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Konti
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coming
A woman signs to her daughter as 2 older children approach them.
Look, your cousins Yena
and Konti are coming.