Born2Sign - Infant Sign Language

Sign	Gesture
Airplane	When your child sees an airplane; When your child hears an airplane flying above them; While reading picture books together. (Remember to pair the sound an airplane makes while signing "airplane".)
Apple	When a child requests an apple; When giving child an apple; When grocery shopping in produce; When child sees an apple.
Asleep	Bedtime - naptime.
Baby	Describe a baby.
Bad	Do not use the sign "bad" in association with the child. Use the sign "bad" in association with a viewed behavior. Ex. "bad dog" or "bad apple"
Ball	Use this sign while playing ball with child. Ask the child, "Do you want to play ball?" while signing.
Balloon	Children love balloons! Point them out at birthday parties or while grocery shopping. This is a sign your little one will surely pick up!
Banana	Use this sign prior to giving child a banana. Ask the child to sign when requesting a banana. Ask what a monkey eats.
Barn	Pointing out buildings at the farm.
Bath	While telling child that it is bathtime; While child is in the bathtub.
Bear	Use this sign to label childs favorite teddy bear. Make the sounds of a bear while signing to add interest.
Beautiful	In describing a beautiful picture the child draws; Telling your little girl she is beautiful in her new dress.
Bed	This sign can be used for "good night", "nap-time", "crib", etc. Use this sign when telling a child that it is time for bed. You may find it helpful to say, "Night-night time in five minutes" while signing "five" and "bed". This prepares child for bed-time and gives them a chance to finish their activity before going to bed.
Bird	When childs sees a bird; While taking walks outside and child hears bird (May pair the two signs "hear" and "bird"); While reading picture books. (Remember to pair animal sound with gesture.)
Black	In teaching child colors.
Blanket	At bedtime; In naming blankie
Blocks	Playing with blocks.
Blue	In teaching child colors.
Boat	While exploring environment; During bathtime.
Book	While asking child if he/she would like to read a book; Ask child to bring his/her favorite book to you to read.
Bottle	Ask child if he/she would like his/her cup; While preparing juice/milk for child, you may sign "cup" while explaining what you are doing.
Boy	When child begins to discriminate gender.
Boy	When child begins to discriminate gender.
Bread	At mealtime when serving bread.
Brother	Use this sign when referring to brother. This sign may strengthen the bond between siblings because the older child may want to teach this sign to the younger child.
Bubbles	When playing with bubbles.
Build	While playing blocks together.
Butterfly	When child sees a butterfly while taking walks; While reading picture books together.
Car	Use this sign while playing with toy cars or pointing out cars while driving. Make car sounds while signing with your child to add interest.
Cat	Use this sign when referring to family pet. Make cat sounds while signing to add interest. You may want to teach child the sign for "gentle touch" in order to keep them from being too rough with small animals.
Cereal	Mealtime
Change	While changing diaper. (May find it helpful to pair this sign with the "potty" sign as the child matures.)
Cheese	mealtime
Chicken	When eating or talking about a chicken
Children	When child sees a group of children at playground, schoolbus, etc.
Clean	Cleaning after playtime or when washing hands
Clean (alternative)	When it is time for the child to put away toys. To tell the child that you are cleaning.
Climb	When playtime involves climbing
Cloud	When exporing environment together.
Coat	While preparing child to go outside you might ask, "What do we need to go outside?" and model "shoes" and "coat".
Cold	While opening the refrigerator; Before stepping outside in the winter; When child touches something cold.
Color	In teaching child colors; This sign can also be used for "crayons".
Computer	While playing on the computer.
Cook	At dinner time when someone is cooking
Cookie	When child requests a cookie; Prior to giving child a cookie; While baking cookies; While shopping in grocery store.
Corn	Eating corn at meals or asking for corn
Cow	At the farm or learning about cows
Cracker	For a snack
Cup	Ask child if he/she would like his/her cup. While preparing juice for child, you may sign "cup" while explaining what you are doing.
Cute	When introducing discriptions of people and things. ex. "That chick is so cute!"
Daddy	Use when refering to father. May find it fun to use this sign to get child excited by saying, "I hear Daddy! Daddy is home!"
Dance	Use this sign whenever child dances. If child pulls you toward him/her and wants you to dance ask, "Do you want to dance with Mommy?" while signing. You may also want to teach the sign for "music" which is the same gesture, but instead of the index finger and middle finger open, all of the fingers are open and close together (ie. palm waving over arm.)
Dance	To play or put on a show to have fun
Different	When child begins to discriminate categories and opposites.
Dirty	When introducing discriptions and opposites. When child begins to learn to clean his/her room. While doing the dishes, describe what you are doing to the child while signing. "See the dirty dish. Mommy is going to clean it. All clean!"
Dog	When child sees a dog; While taking a walk and child hears a dog barking; While reading picture books together. This may be a difficult sign for children. You may find it helpful to make up your own sign signifying a dog tail wagging or tongue panting. (Remember to pair animal sound with gesture in order to add interest.)
Donkey	While learning about a donkey or at a farm or zoo
Down	When child requests to get out of highchair, swing or crib. (This sign may be paired with the sign "finished".)
Dress- Up	For playing with dress- up clothes
Drink	When child requests a drink; While asking the child if he/she is thirsty.
Duck	Use this sign to label a duck. Make duck sounds to add interest. Use sign while child bathes with his/her rubber duckie.
Earache	When asking child if he/she is in pain; While giving antibiotics for ear infection.
Eat	Use this sign to ask child if he/she is hungry and wants to eat. Use it consistently just before offering food to child so child will link the concept to the sign and be able to request something to eat in the future.
Egg	To want, cook or eat eggs
Elephant	When child sees an elephant at the zoo or while reading a picture book together. (Remember to pair animal sounds with gestures.)
Family	When introducing relationships to child.
Farm	To tell the child that you are going to the farm or the child tells you that they want to go to the farm
Fast	When introducing opposites like fast vs. slow.
Father	While refering to daddy; When telling child that "Daddy is home!" While playing Hide-and-Seek you may pair the signs "where" and "father" while asking "Where is Daddy?"
Finished	During mealtime, use sign to ask child if they are finished eating. During bathtime, use to ask child if they are ready to get out of tub. Same as "All Done."
Fire	When introducing safety to child.
Fish	Use this sign when child sees a fish in a fish tank or aquarium or while reading picture books. Make the "fishy face" while signing to add interest.
Flower	When child sees a flower; While reading picture books together. (Remember to pair the sound of sniffing with the sign "flower" in order to add interest. The child may prefer to sniff rather than sign "flower". Always follow your his/her lead.)
Friend	When introducing relationships to the child.
Friends	You can play with your friends and go places together
Fun	When introducing child to descriptions of activities. ex. "Playing ball is fun!"
Funny	When introducing child to character discriptions. ex. "Daddy is so funny when he makes that face!"
Gentle Touch	Use this sign to teach the concept of "gentle touch" to children with small pets or younger siblings.
Gift	You can tell them that they are getting a gift or they can tell you.
Giraffe	When introcing child to zoo animals.
Girl	When child discrimates gender.
Glue	They will ask for glue to make an arts and crafts
Go	To tell the child to go or to do the sign when you are in the car and the light turns green
Good	Use this sign as a form of praise. Whenever child responds appropriately to request, consistently sign "good" while saying "good job", "great effort", "perfect".
Goodbye	This is one of the earliest signs that a non-signing child masters, however this is not the extent of their capabilities. Use this sign when entering or leaving an area while saying "hi" or "bye".
Goose	At the farm or zoo or also learning about a goose
Grandfather	When referring to a grandfather; when looking at photo albums of distant relatives. Always remember to say the name while signing (ie. "Grandpa".)
Grandmother	Use this sign whenever referring to grandmother; When looking at photos of distant relatives. Always remember to say the name of the person you are referring to while signing (ie. "Grandma".)
Grass	When exploring outside.
Green	In teaching child colors.
Happy	When introducing and labeling emotions. You may wish to introduce your child to feelings by making happy, sad, surprised faces in the mirror.
Hard	When introducing opposites hard vs. soft. In giving safety warning. (ex. a rock is a "hard" surface to fall on and will cause pain.)
Hat	Use this sign when putting hat on child before going outside. This is a sign that can be mastered at an early age. The sign "hat" may be used interchangeably with the word "head" when labeling body parts.
Hear	To sign all of their sences and if you read a book they miht sign hear to talk louder
Hello	To say hello to someone coming in or coming
Help Me	Use this sign whenever a child appears to be frustrated by the inability to accomplish a task. Sign "Help Me" and provide assistance. This is a great frustration reducer to use when the child reaches walking age.
Help Me (Alternative)	This is an alternative to American Sign Language that has been used by many infants. It is easier to master this sign than the traditional version.
Hide	To play hide and go seek and they sign hide because they want to hide
Hop	To race hopping or to hop to a place
Horse	When introducing farm animals and animal sounds. To add interest, remember to pair the animal sound with the sign. Have fun! Animal signs are some of the first signs your child will attempt.
Hot	When introducing opposites hot vs. cold. When warning against safety concerns such as a hot stove.
Hug	They might sign hug if they want one or to give you one
Hurt	If they were outside and they fell they might sign hurt
I Love You	Before the child goes to bed they might sign that they love you
I Love You	This is a wonderful sign to teach a child. It is such a wonderful feeling to have your child express love at such a young age. You may want to introduce this sign after his/her first birthday. Remember to reward all attempts because this sign is dificult to master. (See: "I Love You Alternate")
I Love You (Alternate)	This sign may be used as an alternate if you feel that the other sign is too dificult. You may find that the child produces one or two of the three signs. Always remember to praise all attempts. The goal is for them to communicate love at an early age, not to master ASL.
Ice Cream	If the child wants ice cream then they might sign this
Juice	When offering "juice" to child. You may prefer to use the "milk" or "drink" sign when introducing child to cup and add the "juice" sign once the child is able to discriminate and request a certain beverage.
Kiss	If the child wants a kiss or wants to give you one then they will sign this
Lights Off	When the lights go off the child might sign this
Milk	This is one of the first signs that a child is likely to learn. It can be used in infancy to symbolize breastfeeding or bottlefeeding. As the child grows he/she will use this signs to request a drink. Please note: You may find it helpful to use this sign interchangeably for milk/juice/water/bottle because it is less likely to confuse the child by signing multiple signs for what the child understands as "drink."
Mommy	Use this sign while refering to a mother. May find it fun to use the phrase "Mommy loves you" with sign language.
Moon	They might sign moon if they want to look at the moon before bedtime
More	For eating, playing and many other circumstances. This is a very important sign and will often avoid outbursts of frustration by your child.
Mosquito	This is a helpful sign to learn for climates that are affected by mosquitos. Use this sign when you notice mosquitos and want your child to come inside. Once a child learns this sign, it is particularly effective because your child will be able to tell you when bit and you are able to respond quickly.
Mouse	If they see a mouse they might sign it
Music	To play music or is telling you that they want to
Nice	To tell you that they are being nice or you can tell them to be nice
No	Use this sign to get his/her attention. You may find that the child responds quicker to the word "no" when it is accompanied by the sign. This is commonly used if the parent/caregiver is on the telephone and unable to verbally reprimand child or in social situations where the parent wants to stop the child but does not want to embarass child in front of others.
No Touch	Use this sign whenever it is unsafe for a child to touch something (ie. light socket, stove, scissors.)
Pain	Use this sign on parts of the body that are in pain. ex. "pain" sign on forehead means "headache"; "pain" sign on knee means skinned knee; "pain" sign near jaw means "toothache"
Painting	To tell you that they want to paint
Pajamas	They will sign it if they want their pajamas on
Paper	If they want paper to color on
Park	If the child wants to go to the park
Picnic	If the child wants to have a picnic
Pig	If the child wants to see a pig or learn about a pig
Please	When child requests something, make sign to teach child to ask politely. Note: This sign should not be taught until 15-24 months of age in order not to confuse child with compound requests (ie. "More please")
Potty	This is a great sign to use when introducing potty training to your child. Make this sign whenever you see your child going potty and call his/her attention to it by asking "Are you going potty?" while signing. This makes the child aware of the process and more likely to alert you to his/her needs during the potty traing process.
Pumpkin	When the child sees a pumpkin the child might sign pumpkin because they want one
Puzzle	If the child wants to play with a puzzle and cant find one they might sign puzzle
Rabbit	If the child wants to hold or play with a rabbit
Rainbow	In teaching child colors: While exploring outside.
Raisin	If the child is hungry and asks for some raisins
Read	If the child wants to read a book
Red	In teaching child colors.
Ride	If the child wants to ride their bike or in the car
Robe	If the child wants to put on a robe
Rooster	If you are at the farm or learning about roosters
Sad	If a child is sad
Same	When introducing categories and opposites.
Sand Box	If a child wants to play on a sand box
School	If they want to go to school or play school
Scissors	To do arts and crafts
Share	To play with friends or sisters or brothers
Sheep	If you were at a farm or zoo
Shoes	Use this sign when referring to shoes. You may find it helpful to ask the child, "What do we need before we go outside? Shoes!" The child may sign shoes whenever he/she wants to play outside and is less likely to fuss because he/she will understand that shoes must be on before leaving.
Sister	When referring to a sister. This sign may strengthen the bond between siblings because the older child may want to teach the younger this sign.
Sit	At the dinner table or in a resturant
Smart	To say that they are smart
Socks	Use this sign when putting shoes and socks on child.
Soft	When introducing textures and opposites.
Sorry	If someone got hurt to say that you are sorry
Stand	To encourage to stand when a baby
Stars	To look at the stars or learning about stars
Stop	To stop running or doing anything
Story	To read the story
Sun	If you go and watch the sun set
Swim	To go in the pool
Swing	Use this sign to ask child if he/she wants to swing. This sign may also be used for "rock" when the child wants to sit in a rocking chair.
Teacher	Going to school
Telephone	Use this sign when pretending to talk on the phone. You may want to say "Daddy is on the phone", while handing a pretend phone to child. If child hears the phone ring, sign "telephone" in order to label that sound.
Thank You	When child hands you something that you requested, consistently sign and say "thank you". This teaches the child politeness and the sign will be mastered before the words because the words "thank you" are difficult to produce at an early age.
Toothbrush	At bedtime when it is time to brush teeth. You may want to teach the signs "bath", "book", "brush teeth", "potty" and "bed" so that it becomes part of the nightly routine and is something the child can participate in.
Towel	They need one to get out of the bath
Turkey	At the farm or at the zoo
Up	When introducing opposites and positions. When child requests getting out of crib or highchair, you may want to teach the up/down signs.
Water	Use this sign when the child is in the bath or pool; while walking next to a lake; or to ask the child if he/she would like some water.
White	In teaching child colors and opposites.
Yellow	In teaching child colors.
Yes	Use this sign to tell the child that he/she responded appropriately to task. You may find it just as easy to nod your head rather that using this sign.