Gestures

What the Science Tells Us

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Gestures are a key part of language and we use them to communicate all of the time. They are also a key aspect of our child’s development.

Our child uses gestures as one of their ways to communicate with us and other people around them even before they can express themself with words.

Children begin to try out their first gestures around 9 months of age and quickly develop their use of gestures after that. Our child will likely use about 16 gestures by 16 months of age. These are listed in the “What You Can Do” section below.

Research shows that a child’s use of gestures between 9-16 months typically predicts their later language abilities. If our child is not using gestures as expected, it could be a sign that their language may not be developing as expected either. This would be a good time to request an evaluation (see When and How to Seek Help).

When our child is establishing their use of gestures, they may point at an object, look at us then look at the object again. This is called gaze alternation or joint attention. They may be asking us to give them the object they are pointing at, or asking us to label it for them so they can learn a new word.

It is exciting to know that when our child is able to do this, they have achieved a significant language milestone.

Language and gestures tend to develop together. “

DID YOU KNOW? How a child uses gestures is linked to how they use language. As children develop more complex language, their gestures become more complex as well.

Another gesture milestone involves our child saying words and gesturing something else at the same time. For instance, they may point to a bird and say “fly.” When our child begins to combine gestures and words in this way, they are on the cusp of being able to put two or more words together into a longer utterance.

As our child masters their gesturing skills we quite naturally respond. It is not something we have to worry about doing the “right” way.

What You Can Do

Gestures are a natural and important part of language and communication. Typically, around the age of 9 months babies start to use gestures. By 16 months your baby will likely be using about 16 gestures.

Common gestures include:

# Showing objects # Giving objects # Pointing to objects # Waving hello or goodbye # Shaking their head “no” # Reaching for objects GOPHER

# Reaching to be picked up # Clapping when happy or celebrating with us # Blowing a kiss # High fives # Nodding “yes” # Raising their finger to their mouth for “sssshhh” # Giving a “thumbs up” or “fist bump” # And many others that may be unique to your family GORILLA

These are some things you can do

For children who are still learning or just starting to learn gestures and words, you can: 

# Model lots of pointing • Point to things of interest to you or your child, “Look at that big truck going down the street.” • Find and point to interesting things in books # Hold objects up or point to things out of reach • “Do you see the cat sitting on the shelf?” # Find reasons to give lots of high fives, clap and celebrate with your child, such as after singing a song or when they accomplish something with a baby toy # Pair words with your gestures when it is natural.  This will help your child understand the meaning behind your actions • As you wave, say “Bye-bye Grandma.”

# Feel free to exaggerate gestures: • When playing with a beach ball, say and show, “That is a big (arms outstretched) ball.”

For toddlers, you can: 

# Incorporate gestures into fun social games that you create with one another • If you know your child likes to read a certain book before bed, you can point to a different book and say, “Do you want to read this one?” Then playfully shake your head and say “noooo” together • Suggest a couple of other books you know they don’t want before getting to the book that is part of your regular routine.  Now you have the opportunity to model a head nod for “yes!” # Incorporate choices into games such as tickle games and wait for your child to respond.  This turn-taking practice is helpful for their social development • Point to your child’s tummy and ask, “Should I tickle you here?” Then point to their foot and ask, “Or here?” Make sure to wait for a response

When your child is first learning gestures, their response may not be a point but a wave of the arms, a reach, or a happy noise. And that’s okay! Take any response from your child as their “turn” in the conversation, and respond by making the choice for them. You can model the point again. Name the body part before you follow through with the tickle.

With children of all ages and stages, you can: 

# Model lots of gestures when you play and talk with them.  This will help them learn the meaning behind gestures and encourage them to use gestures as well

• Sing songs together that have actions, possibly from your heritage culture.

Your child may not copy the actions at first, but with repetition and as they become more familiar with the songs, they will start to join in with you • Clap and use gestures, such as high-fives, to celebrate when your child succeeds at more structured games, like putting together puzzles

You will find:

# That you both naturally include more “symbolic” gestures in your play and conversations.  These may be gestures or facial expressions that express emotion

• “Ooh that smells nasty!”

As children develop their imitation skills, they will often try to copy a gesture you use with them, especially if you use it in a fun and playful way.

Language and gestures tend to develop together. As children begin to speak in phrases and sentences, their gestures tend to become more complex as well. If your child is not using gestures as expected, request an evaluation (see When and How to Seek Help).

Communication involves the whole body. When your child is able to use expressive gestures, that is an important language achievement.

Daily activities provide many opportunities for you to naturally model gestures. When you see your child using gestures and you express joy, you are further encouraging them to use this important aspect of communication.

GOOSE