Using Makaton hand signs to help your child understand and communicate
What is Makaton?
Makaton is a language programme that uses symbols, signs (hand signs) and speech to help people communicate.
Hand signs are used to support spoken language. Makaton can be used to sign all of the words in a spoken sentence or just the most important key words you are saying.
Hand signs are used to support spoken language. Makaton can be used to sign all of the words in a spoken sentence or just the most important key words you are saying.
Why use it?
- Hand signs can help children understand spoken words. They are a visual cue.
- Some parents ask whether using Makaton signs will discourage their child from talking. The answer is no. The child always hears the word spoken at the same time that the hand sign is made.
- We all use gestures already when we communicate e.g. nodding/shaking our heads for ‘yes’ and ‘no’, pointing, waving, using our hands to show how big something is or how it moves etc. Makaton is just formalising a set of hand signs to use.
- Makaton is used throughout many settings in Islington, including nurseries and schools. It is also used in many other parts of the UK and abroad.
- You can find out more about Makaton on the Internet.
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How?
- Introduce just a few signs at a time for a few key words.
- Focus on signs that are going to be most useful for your child to understand and use, and ones which they will have many chances to use throughout the day.
- We often recommend starting with the following signs:
- ‘more’, ‘finished’, ‘stop’, ‘eat’, ‘drink’, ‘help’, ‘wait’, ‘good’, ‘toilet’
- There are lots of videos on Youtube of how to make the Makaton signs.
- Go to Youtube
- Then type in: Makaton sign for (and then the name of the sign you want).
- To help your child learn Makaton signs try and set up situations in your everyday routines where you can model the signs for them e.g.
- For ‘more’: you could give your child a little bit of something they like and then pause so they have the opportunity to try and communicate they want more.
- They may do this in different ways e.g. by looking at you, pointing or making a sound. Treat this as them asking for ‘more’.
- Before you give them more of what they want model the word “more” and make the Makaton sign for ‘more’.
Remember always say the word at the same time as making the sign.
Last updated20 Jan 2025