Baby Brains and Math- The Concept of More
When our first child was born, my husband was studying special education at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He became very interested in using sign language to communicate with non-verbal students so he began studying it. When Noah came along, Larry was convinced that we could communicate better with him if we gave him “language” before he could produce oral language.
One of the first mathematical concepts that infants begin exploring is the concept of “more.” That was the first sign language Noah learned. He learned how to say “more,” ask for “more,” and respond to “more.” This simple sign became his first way of communicating with us, confidently expressing his needs. This concept of “more”is one of the basic foundations of quantity.
Simply bring your thumbs up to the other four fingers and tap both hands together while saying or asking, “more.” You will be amazed how quickly an infant will learn to mimic the movements (if not exactly, fairly close) and then use the language appropriately.
It would be very beneficial to the child\’s development if all parents knew that the \”simple\” concept of asking for \”more\” is an early sign of number sense. Knowing this would let the parents help the children further develop it.
Wow! This is interesting. I have an infant and she is demonstrating early signs of number sense. I would like to try this with her.
I love sign language with children. Even preschoolers think it is fun to communicate this way. It gives them confidence and helps build self esteem that children need to enhance their learning process.
Babies who learn the sign language improves confidence and self-esteem as well anger may not occur often because they able to communicate to us.
sign language great way to communicate with babies
Working in infant room, I know the children in our class know the concept of the word meaning of more.