This week, the woman who babysits my kids had her own kids home from school sick for a few days, and after begging and pleading multiple grandparents to come help with babysitting, I finally had to end up taking a day off to stay home. At first I was stressed out by this change in my schedule, but then was able to view the day as a gift of time to spend with my children. So we headed off to McD's for a special lunch!
While there I watched my youngest son, now 11 months, bang on his tray and yell when his food was gone. I quickly got in the mode of having him sign "more" when his tray was empty, and by the time we left the restaurant he was forming the sign better than I've ever seen him!
- The point is that you can practice communication anywhere, anytime. Do not feel the pressure to carve 60 minutes out of each day to practice. And do not feel guilty if you don't do that each day! But DO try to use the moments you have with your children to their fullest.
- If you child is beyond signing "more", you can move on to placing a drink and something to eat within sight but out of reach of him. If he reaches for the drink, have him sign "drink" or "milk". If he reaches for the nuggets/fries/apples, have him sign "eat", or if he can, the name of the food.
- If he is at the point of imitating sounds, have him say "m" while signing "more" or "milk", and have him say "ee" when signing "eat".
- If he is at the point of saying words, he can ask for food by saying "more" or asking for the item by name.
- If he is at the point of combining words, he can say "more please," "milk please", "fries please," or "more milk please," etc.
Have fun this week!
Time to share: What tips do you have for communicating when out to eat? How do you manage multiple children at a restaurant and still let everyone have a chance to talk?
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