Do you remember taking English in junior high school and having to memorize a list of dozens of prepositions? Some teachers even turned those prepositions into a song: “About, above, across, after, against . . .” Fortunately for your baby, she has several years before she will be required to memorize them all. In the meantime, there are a few that she will find useful in her everyday life, even as a young child.

Although these prepositions represent intangible concepts, they will not be as difficult as some for your child to understand. She undoubtedly experiences these concepts in her everyday life and will therefore have some understanding of them. Additionally, this means that there will be numerous opportunities to demonstrate these signs to her.

IN

The sign for IN, as shown in Figure 17–1, is formed by inserting one hand into the other.

• 1. Hold one hand in front of your body, palm facing toward you.

• 2. Bring your other hand up, and with fingers together, insert it into the palm of the first hand.

This sign will be especially useful to your baby when she begins filling up containers for fun. Babies love to fill boxes, buckets, and bins with almost any object that will fit inside. Use this to your advantage, and instruct your child to put her toys in her toy box.

Another good way to demonstrate this sign is by using it when going indoors after playing outside. Announce to your child that it is time to go in, putting emphasis on the word “in” and signing it simultaneously. Then immediately take her inside.

OUT

The sign for OUT ( SEE DVD) is the opposite of the sign for IN.

• 1. Start with one hand enclosed in the other, as described in the previous section for the sign for IN.

• 2. Pull your fingers out of the palm and separate your hands from each other.

In the same way that babies love to fill containers, they also (and perhaps even more so) love to empty them. Each time she pulls the blocks out of the block box or the socks out of your drawer, demonstrate the sign for OUT.

In the same way that you might sign IN to tell your child that it is time to go inside, you can also use the sign for OUT to let her know it is time to go outside. When she is ready to go, simply tell her that it is time to go out, and form the sign.

UP

The sign for UP is about as simple as it gets.

• 1. Point your index finger upward, as shown in Figure 17–2 .

• 2. Raise your arm a few inches, as shown in Figure 17–3 .

When introducing this sign and this concept, be sure to use objects with which your baby is already very familiar. You don’t want her to understand the sign for UP as the sign for that object. If she already knows the sign for BALL, have someone toss a ball up in the air while you demonstrate the sign. Be sure to tell her verbally that the ball is up.

DOWN

As easy as UP is, DOWN ( SEE DVD) is just as simple.

• 1. Point your index finger downward.

• 2. Lower your finger a few inches.

Use the countless times that your baby drops something as opportunities to demonstrate the sign. For instance, when she drops her spoon from her high chair, don’t rush to pick it up. Instead, wait until she peers over the side of her chair and spots it on the floor. Then form the sign for DOWN and tell her, “Uh-oh, your spoon fell down.”

Another good way to demonstrate the sign is by taking your baby somewhere high up, with a view of just about anything. Such a place could include a balcony, the second story of a mall, or a scenic lookout. Point out things below and let her know that these things are down. For example, if you are looking down at a lower level of a shopping mall, you might point out a baby to your child and say, “See the baby down there?” while you form the sign for DOWN.