Making the most out of transition times!

Transition times can be the most frustrating part of a toddler's day. Transition Times are the times of day when you move from one activity to another. I am trying to make a conscious effort to have transition times not only move smoothly for myself and my almost 2.5 year old daughter, but also be fun and educational.


Sing a Song:
For example, Clean-up time.  You are cleaning up because you are getting ready to move on to doing something new.  Singing a song is helpful here, "Clean-up, clean-up everybody, everywhere, clean-up, clean-up every body do your share."  Also I find it easier sometimes to make Clean-up time a game, asking my daughter, "Can you find the red Lego and put it away?" or "Mommy is going to put the books away and you put the cars away." "Can you count five cars and put them away?"  This promotes identifying colors and counting.

Another way is to make up your own song. I made up a song I use at the end of bath time that transitions into bedtime.  It goes, "all gone water, all gone water, all gone water, it's time to go to sleep," and "read read read books."  You can substitute read books with whatever it is that you do next, brush teeth, etc...  When Clara was smaller, I signed and sung this tune to her and paused at the end for her to sign read books.  Now she sings the whole song.

Break it Down:
Another transition time is getting ready to go out of the home.  It can be overwhelming: you need to change your clothes, go potty, wash your hands, brush your teeth, and get your coat, hat and shoes on.  There is a lot there that the child is hearing on what they need to do and sometimes within a short period of time. I often break it down using a chalk board, dry erase broad, or etch a sketch with an attached writing pen. I will write whatever it is I want my daughter to do next; i.e.,  "Brush Teeth time" when she has completed this task, I have her pull the lever  on the etch a sketch to erase the prior task and then I write the next task, "Potty Time."  She is really into this right now.  I think it is as gratifying to her as it is to me to check something off my To Do List.  This has a huge literacy component to it: spelling, writing, and reading.  Clara, my daughter, has fun trying to guess what I have written or what I am going to write next, "I think Put on Shoes Time, Ma-ma!"  Also she will remind me when I have forgotten to use the board or if it has not been erased yet from the night before.  "Oh Ma-ma, it still says, Bedtime!!"  She laughs a lot at this.

Just Wait a Minute:
Sometimes, I guess you need to wait a minute to see what your little one is going to do.  This morning, I wrote Put on Coat Time and Clara went the other direction into the kitchen. I was starting to get upset and was about to say this to her when I observed her with her magnetic letters, pretending to spell Coat Time.  "See, Ma-ma, says Coat Time."  It didn't, but the idea was there, that's what's important.

Get Visual:
When I used to teach Preschool, I had a schedule of the day posted on the door; this is also handy.  I used photos that I had taken of the children.  For example, I had a photo of the children eating breakfast with word 'Breakfast' next to it and the time 8:00- 8:45am.  For clean-up, I had a photo of children putting toys away or washing hands and the schedule went on for the whole day until the children left, waving good-bye, Go Home Time. It was extremely helpful when Ia new child entered the class. It is something that can be done at home as well.

There are a lot of ways to do it.  I use photos. You can use magazine clippings, or clip art from the computer.  You can laminate and use Velcro to have the pictures be  removable.  This is helpful and fun for a child to match the picture to the word of what is next on the schedule.  You have your child get involved and ask him/her what should we have on our schedule and he/she can help decorate.  I have seen this done in a binder or on a big poster board. You can also just do it for one portion of the day that might be difficult for the child such as "Potty Time,"  "Bedtime,"  "Dinner Time," "Bath Time," etc... Children love having a routine: it makes them feel safe and gives them boundaries.

Give Choices:  
Transition Times can be taxing because you are asking your child to move on and do whatever comes next.  If you put yourself in your child's position, he/she is hearing a lot of 'do this' or 'do that' and maybe he/she does not want to cooperate.  I find this is the case because the child wants control.  Give choices of two things that you would like your child to do and have them chose what he/she would like to do first (within reason, of course, and not all day long at every transition).  "Do you want to brush your teeth first or go potty?"  You can also say let's do something Mommy wants to do and then do something Clara wants to do.  Mommy wants you to eat lunch first and then after that, we can do something you would like to do, like get the mail, or read a book, etc.. This gives the child the control that he/she is seeking and a voice to say what he/she wants.

Baby Signing using ASL

I have had a lot of friends and family, and who have been curious about Baby Signing.  As well as, people who have observed me signing in the neighborhood, who have lots of questions for me.  I also figured that discussing signing would be a good follow-up to my first ever blog "Why a.k.a Baby Elbows?" in which I touch on aspects of signing.

I will write briefly here about my experiences signing with my daughter and what I found helpful, as well as the reasons I chose to sign with her. Of course, I am talking from my own personal experience here and I found signing with my daughter to be extremely beneficial experience.

Helpful Suggestions:

• Sign and verbalize the word being signed to encourage signing and to increase vocabulary 
• Assist little hands in signing, take your child's hands and help him or her sign
• Sign in context.  For example sign "more," and"please" when it snack time, give snack immediately after he/she signs successful (not articulately). 
• Do not worry if your child is not signing articulately.  If you know what he/she is signing that is good enough (fine motor skills will increase as your child gets older) 
• Repetitiveness and consistency. Repeat, repeat, repeat daily.  Keep signing
• Start simple. Sign two or three signs (such as "milk," "please," "more") 
• Introduce a new sign each time a sign is accomplish 
• Past the age of 18 months start introducing signing the alphabet and finger spelling. For example: spelling out simply word D-O-G.   
• Sing and sign and read and sign (helps in memorizing signs).

Benefits to teaching baby signing (see the attached articles on the research out there below):

• lowers frustration 
• improves communication
• develops fine motors skills
• increases vocabulary
• can help with reading readiness (using finger spelling)

Below are a few videos/photos of Clara signing for teaching purposes, one of Clara's favorite signing video to watch was of two year old girl signing the alphabet.  It was a major encouragement for her when she was learning.

Clara practicing her signing December 2010 at 15 months old

Clara practicing her signing May 2011 at 18months old

Clara signing "please" at age 11 months

Clara signing "more" at age 11 months

My daughter is now, 2 years old, although we do not sign as much as we did when she was younger (because then it was our form of communication and now she is talking), she wakes up ever morning showing me different letters she can sign, "Ma-ma, this is a X, this is a S, etc...."  Below are photos of Clara  matching her magnetic letters to photos of the letters in the alphabet being signed, a game she made up herself.

September 9, 2011

Please do not hesitate in contacting me with any questions using the comment area below. I am always willing to talk about my experience signing with my daughter. Happy Signing!  :) 

Reasons to sign based on research: 

http://www.deaf-culture-online.com/sign-language-for-children.html

The Benefits of Using American Sign Language with Preschoolers by Laura Berg http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/baby-sign-language-preschoolers.html

Can baby sign language delay speech development?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8060750/ns/health-childrens_health/t/can-baby-sign-language-delay-speech/#.T1tLzYGPWSo

Teaching Your Baby Sign Language  Can Benefit Both of You by Jane Collingwood
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2009/teaching-your-baby-sign-language-can-benefit-both-of-you/

Helpful websites for signing with your baby using ASL
1.       Signing Time Videos to order: http://www.signingtime.com/getting-started/

2.       YOUTUBE Signing Time: http://www.youtube.com/user/SigningTime?blend=2&ob=1

3.       Dictionary for looking up words to sign: http://www.lifeprint.com/

4.       Lexington School for the Deaf, Jackson Heights, Adult Signing Classes http://www.lexnyc.com/

5.       Baby Bundle. Info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B-75_C3yo0&feature=related

6.       Smart Hands:(Smart Hands also has a local classes) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=abc+smart+hands&aq=f

7.       Parents Magazine advice (top 11 signs to teach babies) : http://www.parents.com/baby/development/sign-language/

8.       Parenting Magazine advice (top 21 baby signs) :
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/baby-sign-language-words-to-know

9.Signing Savvy:  animals and colors and for looking up signs http://www.signingsavvy.com/wordlist/animals

Why a.k.a Baby Elbows?

When my daughter, Clara  was four months old I started signing with her using ASL.  I signed basic signs like "more," "milk," "all done," and "please."  At seven months, she began to sign back.  We were communicating with out talking verbally (which she of course, she could not yet do). As, she got a bit older I continued signing with her, signing: animals, foods, colors, ABCs, etc.

At some point near the age of one and half years old, Clara received a baby doll.  She had been signing "baby" for some time (the sign for "baby" is holding your arms as if cradling a baby) and now she was talking as well.  I asked her what she would like to call her baby doll (pointing to the doll).  She signing "baby" to me saying "alba,"  so we named the doll, "Baby Alba."  My husband and I were both puzzled over the name, we didn't know anyone by this name and wondered where she got it from.  As I observed Clara signing "baby" I noticed her holding each of her elbows.  I pointed to her elbow and asked her, "What is this?" Her response to me was "alba."  Yes, she was saying "elbow,"  "Baby Elbow."  Ah, huh!, now I got it, anyway, the name "Baby Alba" a.k.a "Baby Elbows" stuck for the name of the doll.

Clara introducing Baby Alba to Mama.  June 2011

Photo of Baby Alba a.k.a Baby Elbows

As, I struggled to think up a name for this blog about raising my daughter in New York City as a Stay at Home  Mom, I thought it was only fitting to pick a name that came from a child, my child, therefore I chose a.k.a Baby Elbows.  As I embark in this new experience as blogger, I hope to share other similar stories about my daughter and being a Mom.