This month we will learn the following new signs:
~ Rabbit ~
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The rabbit looks like the long ears of a rabbit, twitching. Make both hands into a fist and place them on top of your head, with middle and index fingers extended to make the rabbit ears. Bend and extend the middle and index fingers, to make the ears twitch.
~ Book ~
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To sign book, put your hands together, palm-to-palm. Then holding your pinkies together, open up your hands as if opening up a book.
That book opening motion is often difficult for babies, so you will see this approximated as the end of the sign with the hands apart. Or sometimes it will just be the start of the sign like the hands together.
~ Happy ~
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To sign happy, take your extended hand and brush it in little circles up your chest a couple of times. The sign for happy is very similar to the sign for excited. I tend to just choose one of those two signs and use it for both.
~ Up ~
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The sign for up is made by taking your index finger and aiming it skyward. Raise and lower your arm so it is like you are pointing up at the sky.
~ Down ~
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The sign for down is made by taking your index finger and aiming it down toward the floor. Raise and lower your arm so it is like you are pointing down at the floor.
~ More ~
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To do the sign for more, flatten out your hands then bring your thumbs under to make an O shape. Then, bring your hands together and separate them repeatedly. Your baby will often simplify more, gleefully clapping their fists together. As they get older and more proficient, you may want to encourage the more correct form of flattening out their hands and creating the “O ” shape with their thumbs as a fun way to help them develop fine motor skills.
~ Walk ~
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The walk sign looks like two feet walking along the ground. To make the baby sign for walk, take both hands with fingers extended and together. Position the palms facing the ground and move one palm up, forward and down. Then move the other palm up, forward and down.
~ Dance ~
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Signing dance, looks a bit like a pair of swinging Elvis legs on a dance floor. To make the dance sign, take your weak hand and hold it out in front of you with the palm side upward. On your strong hand, extend your middle and index finger and swing them back and forth.
~ Sleep ~
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To sign sleep, start with fingers extended and spread apart. Beginning with your hand over your face, move your fingers down to end with your hand below your chin and your fingers touching your thumb. As you make the sign, feel your face relax and your eyes get droopy to add to the sleepy effect.
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