Using signs and gestures

What are actions?

Actions are movements with your hands, and can include gestures and signs. They give extra information to the words you say, like when you wave bye. Children often start to copy and use actions before they start to say words.

Why use signs and gestures?

Using signs and gestures helps children to understand words. For example, asking “do you want a drink?” while acting out drinking from a cup.

Children can often use signs and gestures before they can say words. They sometimes even make up their own gestures to indicate things that they want. Encouraging the use of signs and gestures can give children a way to communicate even if they are not talking yet.

People sometimes worry that using signs and gestures might impact their child’s talking. This is not true. Research shows that using signs and gestures encourages language and communication development. Using gestures and signs also means that a child has a way of communicating. This can mean that they feel less frustrated.

Using gestures

People usually use gestures with children without thinking about it. For example, waving goodbye or pointing at something. Some early gestures include:

• Waving hello and goodbye
• Clapping
• Pointing
• Shrugging
• Waving hand (smelly)
• Nodding and shaking head (yes and no)
• Tapping for attention
• Reaching  (“give me”)
• Hand up (“stop”)
• Thumbs up and down
• Arms up (pick me up)
• Finger to lips (be quiet)
• High 5
• Fist bump

There are also popular nursery rhymes with actions, including:

• 5 little ducks
• The wheels on the bus
• Wind the bobbin up
• If you’re happy and you know it
• Baby shark
• Row row row the boat
• 5 little speckled frogs

Using signs

Signs are similar to gestures. They are an action with your hands that carries the meaning of a word. Using signs might feel a bit strange at first, if you need to learn and practice the hand movement. You only need to pick out key words that are interesting or useful, do not sign every word.

Useful early signs can include:

• More
• Help
• Finished
• Go
• Food
• Drink
• Milk
• Sleep

There are lots of different sign-based communication systems. For example, British Sign Language (BSL, used by the Deaf community), Baby Sign, and Makaton. You may be familiar with some Makaton signs already. Mr Tumble on CBeebies uses it, and lots of nurseries use some simple Makaton too.

How to help your child to use gestures and signs

Think about what actions your child is already using. What new gestures or signs could be useful or interesting for them?

• Choose 1 to 2 actions (gestures or signs) to focus on at a time.
• Use the action and say the word at the same time.
• Use the actions repeatedly throughout the day. Be consistent and try to use the action every time you say the word, and ask other people to do the same.
• Make gestures fun and exciting, by using facial expressions and tone of voice.

You can also practice using gestures and actions in songs.

Do not expect your child to use the gesture or sign straightaway. They need to understand them before they can use them.

If your child uses an action, show that you have understood by copying and saying the word that matches it.