Connie Robinson

American Sign Language for All Americans

 

And so it starts....
Ah puberty...It gets us all.  How we deal with it can set the tone for our remaining teen years.  Providing a means to deal with all the ups and downs that come with life's changes is a step in the right direction.  Getting your twelve and thirteen year old off on the right foot can help him or her develop better social, mentally, and physically.  But what can you do?  You are up against Mother Nature?  Fortunately, there is a natural language that we seem to be born with that helps with Mother Nature.  Body gestures, or sometimes called "body language," are a large part of American Sign Language and babies begin doing them very early on.  And just as babies naturally use this language to start their childhood, it only seems natural that children use this language to begin their adulthood. 

 
Again with the feelings? Oh woe!                                                                                                                                                                       

Beginning the teens is a tumultuous time.  Emotions are high then low.  Although verbal skills at this age are coming along quite nicely, having additional avenues to express emotions helps alleviate yelling, screaming, crying, and all the other verbal sounds that come with moodiness and depression.  American  Sign Language gives your child the opportunity to be actively involved in their emotions yet expressing them in a manner more pleasing to the ears.  With the Mime a Sign class, your child will be taught how to express emotions and feelings via their bodies and without sound.  If your child had a bad day at school, you won't hear about it.  Instead you could be shown and thus, have a better understanding of what your child's world is like.  Being able to use this body language is helpful for the child's self-expression and helps to enable parents to better help their child.                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                      

What a body!                                                                           

Looking in the mirror, your child is beginning to see some changes.  Maybe the like them.  Maybe they don't.  But one thing is for sure:  at some point they will be self-conscience about them.  Helping your child become comfortable with their bodies is important for their self-esteem and confidence.  Your twelve or thirteen year old may feel he or she has no control that Mother Nature has taken the helm.  However, all is not lost.  Children can control their ever-changing bodies to a large degree giving them the confidence that they need to help them mature. 

Maintaining physical activity is a lifelong responsibility every child should take on.  An easy way to help increase physical activity is to speak a physical language.  If you are not moving in American Sign Language.  You are not speaking.  And lets face it, kids love to talk at this age.  So the more they sign, the more exercise they are getting.                                                                                                                               

Another way your twelve and thirteen year old can feel more comfortable with their bodies is to use them to express themselves.  The voice box isn't the only tool at hand for this sort of thing.  With the Mime a Sign class, children learn to use facial expressions, non-manual signs, body shifts, and classifiers to convey meaning.  It is a lesson in using the body to communicate in a whole new way!

 

What a brain!                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Your twelve or thirteen year old is not capable of more complex thought.  With the Mime a Sign class, they will be mentally challenged to express themselves visually.  This is an entirely new concept to those used ot living in the world of sound.  Students learn to think in terms of pictures, rather than words.  Such mental exercises help to increase visual acuity and analytical skills that will keep that brain growing!  

 

If you are interested in the Mime a Sign class for twelve and thirteen year olds or those in middle school click on CALENDAR to find available classes and registration information or email instructor@ASLasl.com .