Signing roadtrips should be on tap for all signing parents, but they certainly don’t have to be elaborate or costly. We did take our son to the lion safari, but he was a bit too young to fully experience the outing. By mid-day most of the safari appeared to play second fiddle to other seemingly more benign events. Kind of like the wrapping paper versus the gift. Funny how that always amuses babies moreso than the contents! But that’s where the real delight comes from, isn’t it?
So when baby boredom sets in from spending too much time indoors, take the time to plan forays into the rest of the world, even if they are short and local. Plan trips around the block for starters or to the park and look for new things to sign about. Just think ahead a little bit to some of the things you might see, so you are armed with signs should opportunities present themselves (and they will). When your baby becomes interested in something, stop and sign about it. If you don’t know the sign, try using the sign category. For example, you can sign SQUIRREL, or if you don’t know the sign, try signing ANIMAL. You can do the same for any type of BUG too. You don’t need to know the specific sign for all things if you can sign the broader category.
If you’re up for it, take a trip to the pet store. You’ll find all sorts of interesting animals to talk about there and “just browsing” gets you a free pass every time! Trips to the park and a warm day can lead to conversations about BUTTERFLIES, CLOUDS, BIRDS, DUCKS, WATER, SUN, TREE and so forth. There’s really no limit to the sorts of things that your baby might find interesting.