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An interview with Gymtime’s Tiny Tot Fitness Director, Melissa van Wijk

Tiny Tot Fitness Director, Melissa van Wijk leads Gymtime’s youngest students through gently structured movement, music and gross motor activities that help stimulate growth and development. The Tiny Tot mini-gym located within Gymtime’s NYC preschool facility is designed to engage specific skill sets including balance, coordination, cross-lateral movement, gross and fine motor skills and independence. Sign language is also integrated into activities, empowering pre-verbal babies with a new communication tool.

Melissa offers a depth of experience in both movement instruction and childhood development, holding a master’s degree in Dance Education from NYU and is certified in sign language instruction by the Sign2Me Instructors Network. She is the founder and owner of Signing Up, a New York-based company offering products and services that teach families, teachers and caregivers how to use vocabulary from American Sign Language (ASL) with their babies, prior to speech development.

How do babies sign before they can speak?
A baby’s receptive language initially develops faster than their verbal expressive language. They can move their hands long before their vocal chords, lips and mouths are fully ready for speech. Most infants have been taught to clap, give a high-five, wave goodbye or a blow kiss before the word “high five” or “goodbye” actually come out of their mouth. By using signs, you are teaching your child to let their hands do the talking. Most people are amazed to learn how much a pre-verbal child really can communicate when using simple signs.

What is Signing Up?
I started Signing Up when I realized that many families with young infants don’t know about what a great tool American Sign Language can be for them and I wanted to help as many families as possible learn about this concept. Signing Up offers products and services like classes and workshops that teach families, teachers and caregivers a “new” way to communicate with their pre-verbal baby – through sign language. We have created the ‘A, B, Signs; Infant Sign Vocabulary’ DVD and the ‘Sign-Along-Songs’ DVD/CD (with songs performed by Moey’s Music Party). Both products help families incorporate signs into their every day lives.  I mostly give in-home workshops where a small group of parents get together and I offer them the tools they need to begin signing successfully with their babies.

What are the benefits?
Most importantly it gives babies a tool for expression at a time in their lives when they can’t verbally express themselves yet. This strengthens the bond between parent and child, eases frustration, and lessens tantrums and biting.  Studies have shown that babies who use sign language to communicate have long terms benefits as well, such as more complex sentence structure and a larger vocabulary by the age of 24 months.

At what age can a child begin using sign language?
A baby as young as six-months-old, can begin learning signs. I recommend starting when your child has acquired enough sitting balance to have his hands free for signing and has developed some short-term memory. Any child, from ages six months to 18 months, will benefit greatly from the use of ASL.

How long does it take for your child to sign back to you once you begin communicating with sign language?
The rate at which your child learns sign language is dependent on several factors, including:

• Age of child. Babies who start learning sign language at six to seven months, usually will begin to “catch on” after a couple of months. After a baby has learned his or her first signs, he or she will acquire new signs more quickly. Children who begin learning to sign at 12 months and older pick it up at a much faster pace and can learn several signs within a few days.
• Priorities. Families that sign with their babies consistently and are dedicated to the process will likely see their child learning to sign faster than if they only casually use this to communicate. It is important to involve as many people in teaching sign in a child’s life as possible. The more people who sign with your child, the better.
• After a baby has learned their first signs, they will likely acquire new signs more quickly.
• Every child is different. As with anything, a baby’s progress will be unique to his or her personality and development as well as to a family’s needs. It’s important to realize that this is a tool and families should feel free to use it in a way that is most helpful to them.

What signs should you start with?
Initially, stick with simple, need-based signs that you use on a daily basis. Babies tend to learn these signs quicker, because these signs allow them to have their needs met. ‘Food’, ‘More’, Water,’ ‘Please,’ ‘Change my Diaper,’ are all good signs to start with. As a child gets a little older and knows more signs, you will see how readily they can learn new signs for things like animals, colors, activities and feelings. They will also be able to combine signs, such as “more please.” This process goes much quicker than when you first start signing.

How do you incorporate signing in the classroom?
In Tiny Tots classes, we use the signs for ‘More,’ ‘All Done,’ ‘Clean Up,’ ‘Please,’ ‘Thank You,’ ‘Jumping,’ ‘Bubbles,’ ‘Rainbow,’ ‘Stars’ and ‘Sit.’ Additionally, we teach songs that use signs for things that families can use at home like food or changing diapers. It was in fact these songs from the Tiny Tots classes that were the inspiration for the Sign-Along-Sings DVD and CD!

Do you use any specific tools to help babies learn to sign?
Puppets! Puppets fascinate infants and toddlers, keeping them engaged, interested and helping them absorb the information. Sesame Street is a great example of the benefits of puppet and human interaction.

“Sesame Street was built around a single, breakthrough insight: that if you can hold the attention of children, you can educate them” – Malcolm Gladwell