How do they ever learn to sign 'thank you'...

[BabydollsMum]

...when the thing they're after is in their hands, and said thing is then far too exciting to think about signing?

Yours,
Flummoxed

Hold it just out of reach and sign 'thank you' to them as you give it to them? That's how we usually crack it at school.

Ah! Does that not get confused with 'please' though?

Reinforce it for slightly less exciting things?

Is this for a baby or an older child with SEN? With my baby, she learned it, like most other things, through imitation. So if we were playing with bricks, I'd say and sign 'thank you' each time she handed me one. Lots of turn taking games to practise.

I do the same with children with SEN in school, but it tends to take a lot longer and also needs some direct teaching other than expecting learning just through imitation.

For a baby - she's 14 months. That's a good point, I'll make sure DP and I get into the habit of signing it too. Thanks!

er, I mean [signs] 'thank you'

No, thank you is a much shorter sign. Ta to the bra, please to the knees.

We have the same trouble with the please and thank you signs. DS now makes a "mwah" kiss noise instead of thank you!
I ask him to "say please" he says yep! Sigh.

Brilliant way to remember difference in signing hell

Do you think it matters really if they confuse the signs? It's the communicative intent that is important. They'll be learning to say the word soon enough and won't get them confused then. Again, with babies I mean.

I suppose it doesn't really matter as they confuse the words they do know all the time.