http://www.laughingmonitos.com/

Laughing Monitos, University Place 210 S Estés Drive, Chapel Hill, NC (2026)

03/28/2026

Practice over perfection

🗣️ Let them talk, stumble, and try again; that's exactly how language is learned.

03/27/2026

When children mix grammar rules from their languages, this is completely normal; it's actually a sign that multilingual development is happening as it should.

03/26/2026

When is the right time to start signing with your baby? Earlier than most parents think.

The sweet spot: 6–8 months

- Research on early motor and social development shows that babies begin intentionally copying gestures—like waving and pointing—right around 6–8 months of age. This imitation window isn't a coincidence. It's a developmental milestone that signals your baby's brain is ready to connect movement with meaning.

🧠 Why this timing matters:

- Introducing signs during this period aligns with a natural leap in social-cognitive development. Babies at this stage are actively watching, processing, and mirroring the people around them—making it the ideal time to layer in simple, consistent signs.

✋ What to expect:

- Most babies won't sign back right away—and that's completely normal. Research suggests consistent exposure over weeks to months before a child produces their first sign independently. The earlier you start, the more repetition they accumulate before that moment arrives.

The research is clear: earlier exposure means more time to build. Start signing at mealtimes, during play, and at bedtime—and watch what develops. 🌱 Drop a 🙋 below if your little one is in this window!

03/25/2026

The best time to practice signing? Every single day—built right into the routines you're already doing.

🍳 Breakfast
Start the day with two of the most functional signs in a toddler's vocabulary:
✋ EAT—used before, during, and after every meal
🥛 DRINK—high frequency, easy to prompt, impossible to avoid

🧸 Playtime
Play is where language thrives. Keep it simple:
✋ MORE—works for bubbles, blocks, books, snacks… any and everything
🙅 ALL DONE—just as important as more; gives children power to end an activity on their own terms

🌙 Bedtime
Wind down with signs that signal safety and routine:
😴 SLEEP—helps children anticipate and transition into rest
📖 BOOK—a natural request sign that makes bedtime interactive and language-rich

Why routines?
Research on early language learning tells us that repetition within familiar contexts is one of the most powerful drivers of vocabulary acquisition. Daily routines give children the predictability they need to connect signs and words with meaning—faster.

You don't need a therapy session to build communication skills—you need breakfast, playtime, and a bedtime story. ✨ Which routine will you start with? Drop it below!

03/24/2026

Ideas for Picture Cards:

Here are some common picture card words:

More
Want
Go
Stop
Help
Eat
All done

03/22/2026

Two Common Ways Families Raise Bilingual Children

Language by Setting

- Some families use each language in a specific place, for example, Spanish at home and English at school, or ASL with family and spoken English in the community. The environment becomes a natural signal for which language to use.

Language by Speaker

-Other families follow a "one person, one language" approach, where each caregiver consistently speaks their own language with the child; for example, Mom speaks Mandarin and Dad speaks English. Over time, the child learns to switch based on who they're talking to.

03/20/2026

Raising a multilingual child isn't just a cultural gift, it's a cognitive one. And the research behind it will stop you mid-scroll.

🧠 What the research actually shows:

- Studies in cognitive development and multilingualism have consistently found that children raised with more than one language develop measurable advantages across multiple domains—and they go well beyond communication.

Multilingual children demonstrate:

➕ Stronger math reasoning -Research links multilingualism to enhanced abstract thinking and grasp of mathematical concepts, skills rooted in the same cognitive flexibility language-switching builds.

💡 Better problem-solving -Navigating multiple language systems trains the brain to approach challenges from multiple angles—a skill that transfers directly into creative and critical thinking.

🤝 Deeper empathy and perspective-taking - Studies show multilingual children develop a stronger ability to understand that others hold different viewpoints—a foundational social-emotional skill.

📂 Advanced categorization and vocabulary skills -Research shows multilingual learners are more adept at organizing words into categories and acquiring new vocabulary across languages.

🔍 Sharper selective attention -Regularly managing two or more languages strengthens the brain's ability to filter out distractions and focus on what matters most.

Every language your child hears, speaks, or signs is building a stronger brain. 🌱 That's not an opinion; it's decades of research. Drop a 🙋 below if you're raising a multilingual little one!

03/20/2026

Teaching 10 signs in one day sounds productive. Science says otherwise.

Why pacing matters:

- Research on early language acquisition is clear! Children learn new words and symbols best through repeated exposure in meaningful contexts, not through volume. Introducing too many signs at once competes for a child's attention and reduces the repetition needed for any single sign to stick.

🎯 Start functional, not exhaustive:

- Rather than building a long list, research points to starting with signs that are highly relevant to your child's daily life. The more often a sign naturally appears in context, at mealtimes, during play, and at bedtime, the faster a child builds a reliable connection between the sign and its meaning.

🔁 What the research tells us about retention:

-Studies on vocabulary acquisition in young children show that new words and symbols require multiple meaningful exposures before they are understood and used independently. Fewer signs, repeated consistently across real daily routines, outperform a high-volume approach every time.

Pick 2–3 signs. Use them every day. Let repetition do the work. 💛 That's not taking shortcuts — that's exactly what the science recommends. Save this as your reminder to keep it simple. 🔖

03/19/2026

The three reasons and research:

🗣️ It gives children access to communication before words arrive
Motor control for hand movements develops earlier than the oral motor precision needed for speech. Signing meets children where they are developmentally—giving them a functional voice before verbal language is ready.

📈 It actively supports language development
Research by Goodwyn, Acredolo & Brown (2000) found that children who used signs demonstrated stronger vocabulary growth and language scores over time. Signing doesn't compete with speech—it builds the same underlying language system.

💛 It supports emotional regulation
When children have no reliable way to communicate, frustration behavior follows. Studies on functional communication show that giving children a consistent, understood signal—like a sign—reduces emotional dysregulation by addressing the root cause: the communication breakdown itself.

Signs aren't a last resort. For many children, they're the first step toward a lifetime of communication. 💛

03/18/2026

The three signs and why:

✋ MORE—Used at snack time, playtime, bath time, storytime… "more" crosses every context in a toddler's day, making it one of the fastest signs to generalize and one of the first to stick.

🙅 ALL DONE—Giving children a way to say no more is just as important as asking for more. Research on early communication shows that having a reliable way to reject or stop something reduces frustration and supports self-regulation.

🆘 HELP—This one is a game-changer. Studies on early AAC and functional communication show that teaching children to request help—rather than melt down—is one of the highest-impact communication skills you can build in the toddler years.

Start small. Start functional. Start here. 💛 Which of these will you try first? Drop it in the comments! 👇

03/17/2026

Signing reduces frustration when words aren't there yet.

- Research shows that toddler tantrums often peak when communication breaks down. When kids know what they want but can't yet say it.

- Signing fills that gap, giving children a functional way to express needs before verbal speech catches up.

- Studies on early AAC use show that having any reliable means of communication—including signs—significantly reduces problem behaviors linked to frustration. Less meltdown, more connection.

- The science of early communication is clear: children need a way to get their needs met. When signing bridges that gap, families report less frustration and faster speech development. Win-win.

03/17/2026

One small habit. A big impact on language development. SLPs call it "Sign and "Say"—and the research behind it is worth knowing. 👇

The strategy and research:

🗣️ What is Sign and Say?
Every time you use a sign, pair it with the spoken word—simultaneously. It sounds simple because it is. But the impact is anything but small.

🔬 Why it works—the science:
Research on multimodal communication shows that pairing visual and auditory input helps children build stronger, faster word-meaning connections. When a child sees the sign and hears the word together, they're receiving the same message through two channels—reinforcing comprehension and retention in ways that speech alone may not achieve for early communicators.

💛 What it builds:
Sign and Say supports the development of both verbal and nonverbal communication—not one at the expense of the other. Studies on early language intervention consistently show that children with access to multiple modes of communication demonstrate stronger overall communicative competence over time.

The research is clear: more modes of communication = more opportunities for language to grow. Sign and Say is where you start. 💛 Try it today and tell us how it goes! 👇

Laughing Monitos

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