↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Plano FasTracKids Enrichment CenterSM Launches Baby Signing Program

The local FasTracKids Enrichment Center announces the debut of FasTrack Signing at the Plano center located at 3100 Independence Pkwy #304 Plano, TX 75075. FasTrack Signing play classes are designed for parents or caregivers and their hearing infants and toddlers, ages six months to two years. The classes use play and song to teach little ones how to use their hands to communicate well before their verbal skills have developed. Participants attend a one-hour parent/tot class for 10 weeks.



Learning how to sign through play helps promote early education, enhance the parent/child bond and increase long-term learning abilities. FasTrack Signing was developed by Signing Smart's8482;, a proven method to teach signing using American Sign Language that was created by two PhDs of developmental psychology who both experienced the benefits of signing firsthand with their children.



Baby signing introduces infants and toddlers to basic problem-solving skills and provides them with the tools or signs to communicate. 's8220;Gross motor skills develop before children can talk,'s8221; says Mark Waters, director of the FasTracKids Enrichment Center in Plano. 's8220;Teaching children signs allows them to communicate earlier. The benefits for children and parents are remarkable. Parents of signing children typically notice that the use of signs reduces temper tantrums and increases their child's8217;s self esteem.'s8221;



Children begin developing spoken language skills at birth, but it takes them between 12 and 24 months to begin 's8220;mastering's8221; the sound and intonation patterns of language that enable them to create basic words and sentences. Signing takes advantage of children's8217;s natural movements. The gross motor abilities required for sign language develop months, sometimes years, earlier than the equivalent fine motor skills needed for speech.



FasTrack Signing improves a child's8217;s conceptual understanding, memory and vocabulary. It teaches parents how to bring signs into their children's8217;s world, and how to recognize and respond to their child's8217;s early signs, making signing simple and fun. The play classes incorporate gross motor play, large and small group activities, songs and program-specific strategies for parents and caregivers. In addition, baby signing has been proven to foster early literacy skills. Children who learn signs often show an early interest in books and reading as a result of their newfound vocabulary with objects and ideas.



's8220;For a long time parents have been told babies could not begin talking in short sentences until 18 months of age,'s8221; comments Dr. Michelle Anthony, co-creator of the Signing Smart program. 's8220;After working with thousands of families, our findings prove that children can begin to communicate as early as five to six months of age.'s8221;



FasTrack Signing provides a great way for parents and caregivers to cultivate early communication skills through constructive and stimulating experiences that encourage brain development. Research often indicates that early signers become early talkers. National studies conducted with Signing Smart children show that they are clearly ahead of typical language development. For example, at 12 months, children have an average of 25 signs and 16 words, compared to one or two spoken words for non-signing children. At 18 months, children have an average of 79 signs and 105 words, compared to 10 to 50 spoken words for non-signing children.



's8220;We are very excited to offer baby sign language play classes to our clients,'s8221; comments Waters. 's8220;It gives parents a fun, interactive activity to enjoy with their little ones that has many long-term benefits.'s8221;



Colorado-based FasTracKids International has more than 150 Enrichment Centers worldwide that encourage the natural and inquisitive nature of children, ages six months to eight years, to help them meet their full potential in school and in life. Programs help children develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills, build communication and speaking skills, and learn the application and transfer of knowledge. Enrichment Center classes promote leadership and personal growth and encourage a lifelong love of learning. Since the company's8217;s inception in 1998, thousands of children in over 25 countries have enrolled in the program.



FasTracKids® is a registered mark of FasTracKids International, Ltd.; FasTracKids Enrichment CenterSM and FasTrack SigningSM are service marks of FasTracKids International, Ltd.; and Signing Smart's8482; is a trademark of Wide-Eyed Learning, LLC.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

---

This article has been robotically scanned and tagged by Prnewsnow with the following search tags. No human manipulation of these tags take place.
| Energy | Renewable Energy | 100% renewable energy |

---

4907 readers online...

, Local News