Toronto mother and daughter team helping to educate young minds

A mother and daughter team are on a mission to teach parents, caregivers, educators and children how to communicate without words.

“My Smart Hands is a company that teachers parents with hearing babies how to sign,” said Laura Berg, founder of My Smart Hands. “It’s a way to communicate before the words come in.”

In 2005, while pregnant with her daughter, Berg used the skills she had as an eighth grade teacher, her knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) and extensive research to design the curriculum for My Smart Hands.

“The beauty about signing with babies is that they can communicate through gestures and sign before they can talk,” said Berg. “It just makes your life so much easier as a parent.”

But she is not alone in this, her daughter Fireese has been helping mom out since she was a baby.

“I do think that I’m creating change and it’s the most amazing feeling to think that I’m helping other people,” said Fireese, host of My Smart Hands.

This baby sign language company has more than 200 instructors in North America that teach classes, but where Laura feels she’s now made the biggest difference is with her own channel.

” I never imagined that it would be so impactful on peoples lives in such a meaningful way,” said Laura. “But it is and that’s why I continue to do it and I continue to make it for free so that everyone can benefit.”