I was super excited when the amazing team over at Signing Time offered to send me some videos to review as this is a company I am passionate about! Before I tell you about why Signing Time is the BEST sign language program for kids I have seen, let me first tell you why I am so passionate about it.
Sign Language for Kids that Works!
My little sister (now 11) has a pretty serious medical condition as well as a slight gene deficiency. Because of the large age gap between us, I was there when she was born and through a few of her earlier years when we first started discovering things like palate and hearing issues. Signing Time was HUGE part of our family. They are fun videos filled with music, colourful and fun animations, videos of kids doing sign language, etc. We of course watched these videos with her, over and over and over again, and we communicated a LOT through sign language for a few years to help boost her communication skills. I honestly know 100s of signs, not through a class or course, through these videos!
When we started having kids, we were on the Signing Time train right from the get go! My kids were signing before they were speaking! I noticed a huge difference in their behaviour when they could communicate things like “please”, “more”, or “eat”. They could even tell me what they wanted to eat or if they needed help. It really helped fill the gaps as they learned to talk and I think contributed to a much happier toddler stage in our house!
I have two personal experiences with this program that can attest to the value of of it not only for babies and toddlers, but for any child with a speech delay or developmental delay, as WELL as a tool to teach sign language for kids as a second language.
What sets Signing Time apart?
There are a lot of things that set this program apart for me. First of all the background and philosophy of this program are ones you just can’t help but fall in love with. Rachel is so engaging and fun and real as she explains how her and her sister started the series after discovering her daughter was deaf.
I LOVE that they have such a range of children on there, all different ages and stages and all of them signing as best as they can. It gives the kids a TON of other children to watch doing the sign, see how it is done and at the same time not feel pressured to do it perfectly.
The music! All the songs are original sung by Rachel and written by her and her dad. They are simply put, AMAZING! I know half of them by heart. They are fun, catchy, and every single moment is an educational bomb in your little one’s head! You learn SO much from the videos.
They aren’t annoying. I put this in there because half of the stuff my kids watch or do drives me crazy. Signing Time isn’t boring or insane,they are short 20 minutes (ish) videos packed FULL of signs and learning videos.
Rachel and the Treeschoolers
Rachel and the Treeschoolers is a series of videos put on by Signing Time that are essentially a comprehensive preschool curriculum! There are 6 videos in the series including:
- Ep. 1: A Rainy Day
- Ep. 2: Incredible Insects
- Ep. 3: Plants and Flowers
- Ep. 4: Awesome Animals
- Ep. 5: The Amazing Human Body
- Ep. 6 : Happy, Healthy Me
These videos are packed full of facts, they are super fun, and they use ASL (American Sign Language) to support learning and also enhance it.
The episodes are largely animated with the exception of Rachel. The kids loved the characters, they are full of songs and while sign language isn’t the primary focus of them, they still pick up on a lot. I love multi-dimensional learning like this so they were a huge hit!
You can purchase the videos either as DVD’s or digital downloads. We love the digital downloads (I have the whole kit and caboodle from them and we can take them on any of our devices at a reduced price) at http://store.signingtime.com/treeschoolers.
If you are interested in any of these great options for Sign Language for Kids, head over to browse through the online store. From Baby Signing Time to the complete curriculum, there is something for everyone! I highly highly highly recommend them and I know you won’t be disappointed!
