Matt Reynolds, of Hastings, teaches sign language to his two-year-old daughter, Ava. Photo / Warren Buckland
Matt Reynolds, of Hastings, teaches sign language to his two-year-old daughter, Ava. Photo / Warren Buckland
Ava Reynolds uses two languages to communicate.
The two-year-old Hastings girl speaks English at a toddler level, but she also communicates with sign language.
NZ Sign Language is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand and became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006.
Sincethen it has expanded much further than the deaf community, with parents and early childhood teachers noticing the big benefits it can bring children who are still learning to talk.
When Zoe Reynolds was pregnant with Ava, she and husband Matt considered teaching Ava sign language as another way to communicate.
Ava Reynolds with her sign for "helicopter". Photo / Warren Buckland
The idea started when Matt read an article about the benefits of teaching babies sign language. He decided the whole family would learn it. And it’s paid off.
“She was doing signs for four or five months before she could actually talk,” Matt says.
Ava was able to sign for things she wanted — things like food or water — and with a love of animals she quickly learned the sign for her favourite, duck.
Most conversations at home in Hastings now include sign language.
“The best thing about teaching Ava signing was her ability to tell us what was wrong at an early age,” Matt says.
Though Ava has taken quickly to signing, it has not been at the expense of talking — Matt says she’s at a level consistent with her age and it has helped reinforce the learning of key words.
"Rabbit", says Ava Reynolds with sign language. Photo / Warren Buckland
Motor control for a toddler is quite limited, but she knows about 20 signs so far. One of her most common ones is the sign for “thank you”, which she prefers despite being able to say it.
“She’s doing quite well really,” Matt says.
His advice to parents thinking about introducing signing is to just give it a go.
“It has helped us more than it has helped her.”
Cribs2Crayons daycare centre in St Leonards teaches signing to the children it looks after.
Manager Ann Hogg says she has a diversified roll, with a significant proportion of children of Indian descent.
Non-verbal sign language can help children who use English as a second language, or even those with no English at all, communicate with teachers and other kids.
When a child is frustrated, if they can do one simple sign it can communicate their needs and help relieve tension.
Lachlan Keating, chief executive of Deaf Aotearoa, says learning a few basic signs can also make a big difference in the lives of deaf people.
“It’s not about getting it perfect, it’s about giving it a go. By including more NZSL in our lives, we can make our deaf community feel seen and valued.
“Learning NZSL is not only beneficial for the deaf community, but it’s also a fun and engaging way to celebrate diversity and learn about different cultures.”
Schools have embraced NZSL Week in recent years, with hearing tamariki learning basic signs. “New Zealand adults can learn from their children and follow their example by giving signing a go,” says Keating.
And for those wanting to extend their fluency, we have NZSL classes taught by members of our deaf community all over the country — it’s fun, and quite addictive once you start!”
Resources to learn basic signs can be found at nzslweek.org.nz, and the NZSL dictionary is available online at nzsl.nz.
