Teach your baby to sign

Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby

Make your child the star and place their picture in the framed cover of this book! This is a wonderful story about the signs that can be easily learned by parents and interactively fun to communicate with your child. Soy based ink is used in this 8" x 8" rounded edge board book with 16 flap signs and includes a colorful reference guide.

SIGNING WITH YOUR BABY

Numerous experts have documented the benefits of teaching basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs to hearing infants and toddlers to enhance early communication and language skills. Using ASL, children as young as seven or eight months old can convey their basic wants and needs, as well as initiate conversations on topics of interest to them. These communication skills can prevent many of the frustrations and temper tantrums commonly experienced before children learn to speak verbally. But for parents and caregivers, the task is daunting: in order to teach ASL to their children, they must first learn it themselves. Many of the books geared toward teaching ASL to adults are overly technical and difficult to absorb for anyone on a tight time schedule (and what parent or caregiver isn't?). And most of the existing children's sign language books are little more than colorful ASL dictionaries.

"Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby" is the ideal gift for baby showers, new parents, first birthdays and daycare centers, this sturdy board book presents an entertaining story that children and caregivers love to read, while also enabling them to learn a few key ASL signs along the way. The movement of the signs is shown in a lift-the-flap format that is fun for children to explore while making the signs easy for adults to imitate and use in their everyday routines.

Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby, features vibrant multicultural illustrations by Polish native Katarzyna Adilman, an early child art educator who now resides in MI. A framed front cover allows the book to be personalized.

REVIEWS

When moms and dads offer snacks, a bottle, or a bath with bubbles, the reader learns American Sign Language (ASL). Lifting the flap the reader sees the signs for change, share, tired, and song appear magically under the flap.

Tanya Kuza has written a sturdy board book in which each page teaches a new word in ASL. She sees the need to encourage parents and teachers to be patient and understanding with children who can not vocalize.

Set in their everyday home atmosphere, each opened flap helps promte communication for their daily routines. When the author couldn't find this type of resource, she ventured into new territory and wrote it herself. She aspires to strenghthen family bonding by everyone learning ASL.

Katarzyna Adilman has degrees in early childhood and art education. She continues to learn about the world through her two children's eyes.

- Jo An Martin (April 6, 2008)

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I love this book. I use this with my children and the children I work with in my day care. It really grabs their attention and they all want to move the flaps. As a parent I found it to be a wonderful tool to not only interact with my children while reading the book but to use it on a daily basis. This is a very easy book to use. Children do not all develop spoken language at the same time and this is a wonderful and easy way for your child to communicate his/her needs to you. Sign language is essentially another language, but, easy and fun to learn and use with your children, even after they are speaking.

This book has a place on the front cover where you can insert your own childs picture (over the woman holding the baby). The illustrations portray people of various nationalities/color which is fitting for the culturally diverse world in which we live. And lastly has a beautiful index in the back with all of the words used in the book and a description of each. It also has the American Manual Alphabet.

I have also purchased one as a gift for a friend who just had a baby, and she loved it.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun sign lanugage book in story book format.

Sincerely,

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Of all the picture books I’ve read, yours is the best! I’ll spread the word! Your book is so clever! It’s probably the most creative projection for children that I’ve seen to date.

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Tanya,

Thanks for sending the book. I think it is great, and that it will find a wide audience. I hope you will be pleased that I passed it on to my daughter's in-home therapist, who was thrilled to receive it. Hopefully you'll get some good word-of-mouth as she shares it with families and other professionals.

Best of luck with your series,

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Thank you for sending me Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby! I will also show it to our children's book buyer at the independent book store where I work part-time. She likes this kind of book as we've had a few parents come in and want to teach their children signing & are looking for more accessible books.

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A basic sing language book for youngsters, fitting signs with words using all ethnicity, gender and age groups. Beginning words are well chosen and for the most part concrete – and easily understood. The signs make sense for the words, also. As with any “flap” book care should be taken against tearing, however if tearing does occur, it will not rip into the page. Illustrations are very well done, the page matching the flap beautifully. The “Everyday Signs” series might well be used for handicapped of challenged children.

RECOMMENDED!

Book approved by: authors, parents, teachers, librarians and kids!

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Since I’m soon to have a little wee one of my own, I’ve been interested in books that can help you to teach sign language to babies (it’s a way to potentially communicate with them before they can actually form the words). Tanya Kuza’s self-published board book takes a bit of a different approach than most of the books I am familiar with.

Rather than be targeted towards the parent (with the requisite lessons and advice), this activity / board book is really targeted towards the baby. Instead of reading a book and then practicing the signs with your baby, this book is made to read with your baby and includes simple illustrations suitable for youngsters and a “lift the flap” feature to “animate” the sign.

Each sign also features a sentence as an example of usage, such as “A warm bath brings me so much joy!” The illustrations themselves are very multi-cultural, featuring both parents and babies of different ethnic backgrounds.

There are only 16 signs in this book, along with an appendix in the back with further descriptions and a demonstration of the American Manual Alphabet. The appendix is definitely useful, as some of the signs are confusing without the added bit of description.

I think this would be a good supplemental book to reinforce signs directly with your baby, but could not be your sole resource for signs as there are too few (though they are some of the more common ones, like “milk” and “eat” and “drink” and “bath”). As a board book, it seems sturdy enough to stand up to the rough usage of a young toddler (though not having one in the house yet, I do have to wonder how well the flaps will survive…they seem pretty sturdy, but it is hard to tell without seeing how a child interacts with it). Recommended for parents who wish to teach their child some basic signs to enhance communication with them.

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This book isn't just for teaching the newborn - my toddlers like learning the signs too. I really like the idea of the flaps. It is great way for my older child to learn the signs and the words as well. Plus my kids like to lift them up, it keeps them interested.

Sincerely,

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Dear Tanya,

Thank you for sending us your book.  Zinaida and I received it a couple months ago and promptly read it but over the course of harvest I lost track of time … until now … so … mercifully the grape harvest has finally come to a conclusion and I have turned my attention to the massive amount of important yet non-urgent things that have piled up at home.  Sound familiar?  Anyway, over the course of my wife's pregnancy we had learned of this "signing" and were very curious.  Your book was a wonderful introduction to this family activity and challenged us to communicate in new ways.  The illustrations were well done and the flippy-strips helped with our understanding of the signing motions.  It's a good thing their construction is robust because our daughter has found the flippy-strips to be a culinary delight.  Having piqued our interest in signing, as a family we have enrolled in a sign language class at our local community center and we continue to develop our communication skills.

Thanks again for sharing your book with us,

Greg, Zinaida and Frances (December 17, 2007)

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Like many parents, I have used basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs with my children to help them communicate at an early age. I taught them a few simple words and phrases so that they could convey their wants and needs throughout the day. It has been a helpful tool for me and it definitely cut down on their communication frustration. “Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby” is a wonderful flip-up board book that introduces key ASL signs throughout the story. This entertaining book, with its warm colorful illustrations, will not only delight children and parents, but it will also help them learn 16 new ASL signs.

“Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby” demonstrates each sign through lift-the-flap pages that are fun for children to explore. It also makes learning the signs easier for adults. The signs used in the book are very common and can be used in every day life and routines. There’s a detailed index with specific hand instructions as well as a chart of the American Manual Alphabet. This book is a great way to introduce sign language to your baby in a fun way! You’ll also love “Everyday Signs of Zoo Animals” and “Everyday Signs for Bed Time.”

Mom Tip: Choose a few words or phrases from “Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby” and consistently use them while communicating with your baby. Many babies are able to sign what they want before they can say it!

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This is a wonderful book for parents to read to children of all ages. As a psychologist I know the value of parents reading to their children and this book gives them the opportunity to learn sign language together. They not only have the opportunity to read together but to share in the joy of learning and speaking together in sign. The book is interactive and allows the child to engage while flipping the inserts and discovering and learning different signs. The story and illustrations are entertaining and inviting.

I have read this book to toddlers, preschoolers and an eight year old and they all found it interesting and entertaining. As parent and child learns to sign together they share a special bond that they developed while reading the book.

I highly recommend this book for parents of not just newborns but all preschool and early school age children.

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I LOVE to give books as gifts, especially to new babies in my life. Who needs another onesie or rattle, right? Books are gifts that keep on giving, plus, I love to write or have my boys write, a little message to the recipient on the inside cover. In Motion Books makes a fabulous new board book for little ones called "Every Day Signs for the Newborn Baby." This charming book features beautiful multicultural illustrations with "lift the flap" interactive pages. You and your child can learn 16 different ASL motions together to facilitate communication while speech develops and emerges. I really wish I had this beautiful book when my oldest was a baby. Being 2 months premature, he was delayed globally, including his speech. We started basic signing with him when we realized his speech was delayed, but this was not until he was about 15 months old. This book would have been a great tool from day one!

"Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby" is available on amazon.com AND if you're shopping for a pregnant friend, Tuni & G is offering an adorable gift set that includes the book & a super cute long sleeved maternity tee featuring the "baby" sign illustration from the cover of the book. This would also make a FANTASTIC "Congrats, your pregnant gift!"

- Swanky Mom Heather (November 26, 2007)

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Hi Tanya,

I received your book, and it is wonderful. I have wanted to contact you sooner, but I have been so very busy with my six children. We have a 4 yr old with autism and I have been busy with him on a new tutoring program at my home along with his 2 yr old brother on an early intervention program. I was thinking that maybe your book could also help them. If you or anyone else that you know have any resources involving the area of autism please let me know. I am always looking for ways to help my son. Your book is just awesome and I admire your commitment to your children. I have been a stay at home mom for all six children and I know that it is the hardest job of all in many ways. I hope to stay in contact with you. Thank you very much for the book.

Take care,

Swan (November 20, 2007)

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I am the mother of three children. I have one sweet teenage girl, a very smart three year old girl, and a wild 18 month old boy! By the time I had my three year old daughter, I had started to hear about the significance of teaching sign language to your children at very young ages. I remember her first signed word “more” used to please us so much, since she no longer needed to cry to get what she wanted. Instead, Daniella would sign that she had wanted “more” milk, food, CANDY, whatever it was she was trying to express. At that time, I really didn’t know much sign language myself. I was already overwhelmed with being a mom of a baby all over again, so I didn’t make too much effort to learn. Now, with my son, Everyday Signs for Newborn Babies makes teaching the basic words so much easier and fun! Our whole family can learn the simplest signs that we truly can use everyday. The flip-up book happens to be my little ones’ favorite type of books, so it peaks their curiosity. This makes it easy for me to keep them interested and to be successful on teaching them the signed words! I would definitely recommend this as the starting place for all newborn babies with regards to learning sign language in a fun and easy way! Thank you.

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I am a German mother of a three-year-old girl and a four-month old boy re-located in the United States. I experienced how difficult and frustrating it is for a toddler to communicate when they still cannot talk, in any language! My daughter knew what she wanted but was not always able to "tell" me. When she was little signing for kids was not so popular and I couldn’t find adequate books or other material. When I saw the book Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby by Tanya Kuza, I was thrilled to see that someone had finally developed a resource that would be fun to read to children while also teaching myself basic signs. Now that I know how much easier and satisfying a life with a toddler can be I know I will start to teach myself and my son ASL and I will definitely use Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby by Tanya Kuza. I haven't seen anything else like this available on the market!

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This large format board book, offers an enjoyable resource for teaching both hearing and deaf children the hand signs for common words. With a racially diverse cast, each page contains text with accompanying artwork. Well designed for its purpose, Tanya’s book is loaded with child appeal as each page has a flap to be lifted by exploring little hands. The whimsical warm colors are utterly charming. This is one book that, now more than ever, deserves a place on your bookshelf. A joyful celebration of diversity using sign language.

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I am a mother of two daughters. When my twenty one-month-old daughter turned nine months old, I tried to get her interested in signing through watching DVDs. She had no interest in the TV and didn’t have an attention span to speak of which made us both very frustrated in terms of communication. I looked at buying some books at Barnes and Noble, but nothing stood out that I thought would interest my daughter enough. When I first saw Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby by Tanya Kuza, I was taken with how colorful it was and how easy it was to read. I knew right away that my daughter would love the flaps as she likes looking at books that are interactive. I can’t wait to begin reading Everyday Signs for the Newborn Baby to my second daughter who is three months old. Tanya did a wonderful job of making learning easy and fun. I would recommend this book to all moms with babies and toddlers.

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Tanya Kuza has woven an enjoyable story into a teaching aid for me to read to my child. While reading the book to my toddler son, he was excited and animated while emulating the corresponding signs. The colorful illustrations kept him engaged, and the detailed descriptions of the signs have really helped me learn and teach the basics of sign language. I plan on using this book with my next child at an earlier age. I am confident it will help improve our communication with each other. I would definitely recommend this book to other mothers desiring to teach useful, everyday signs to their children. It has raised the bar on my expectations for educational books for my kids, and I look forward to more books from the author in the future. Thank you.

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As a mother of a 3 year old and another on the way, I am always looking for new and fun ways to read to my child. Finding a sign language book that combined colorful illustrations with flip up pictures was the perfect way to get my son involved in learning. I know this book will be a big part of my new child’s infancy. It has all of the everyday signs that I have wanted to learn and share with my baby. As an added plus, I learned that the book was printed using soy based inks. This eases the mind of a worried mother in a world of constant product recalls involving lead. I will be eager and happy to recommend this book to my family and friends. Thank you.