Sara Penn

There are many benefits to using American Sign Language (ASL) vocabulary with your infants and children! Using ASL vocabulary helps them to communicate even before they can talk – thus reducing frustrations, tears, and tantrums; it can also increase bonding between you and your child, and it has been shown to increase self-esteem, IQ, vocabulary, and the memory recall of your child! Wow!

With the help of the Baby Signing Time series and some ‘mommy and me’ sign and sing classes, we have taught signs to all three of our children and have seen the benefits first-hand!! 

Now, as owner and instructor at Butterfly Signing Connection, I hope to help parents and caregivers use ASL vocabulary as a tool for better communication with their babies and young children. I’ll be teaching this method through the use of songs, finger rhymes, stories and other fun activities in my Sign-Play-Read classes. I hope to give you and your little ones a way to communicate – even if they are pre-verbal – because I believe it can make such a huge difference in your lives! 

I got my start in the fall of 2019, teaching in-person classes to parents, caregivers and children. Then, during the pandemic, I transitioned to only teaching one-on-one online classes to families. I found this was a great way to reach out to those who were taking health precautions, to those who wanted a more one-on-one experience, and to those who don’t even live in my area! I hope to continue these online sessions for those who are interested. 

Additionally, I’m looking forward to teaching monthly during the Book Babies story time at the Iowa City Public Library beginning in January of 2023. I then hope to be able to start teaching in-person sessions again beginning in the fall of 2023.

My classes are intended to be as much about the parents and caregivers as they are about the children. I have been primarily a stay-at-home for 13 years, so I’m all too familiar with the feelings of isolation and anxiety we all experience as parents of young children, and I believe having social support from others is a huge help! During those in-person sessions, I hope to continue in the tradition I started in 2019 of designating a time at the end of each lesson for you to connect with other parents and caregivers while your children safely plan in the same room as you. 

If you are interested in either online or in-person classes, contact me, Sara Penn, for more information on upcoming and current classes and story times; and you can also find Butterfly Signing Connection on Facebook (see the link below)! I hope to hear from you!!