Develop your babies natural desire to communicate

One of the questions that I am asked most often is 'Why should I sign with my baby?'  The best thing I can do is share my own experience of using sign language with my children.

I started using signs with my first child when she was around 8 months old, at around 11 months old she did her first sign back to me - Milk.  I can not describe the joy and excitement I felt (and exhbited by jumping up and down, clapping and squealing!) at my little girl being able to tell me what she wanted.  The other signs such as eat, drink, more, all gone soon followed, and before we knew it her vocabulary of signs was amazing.

But - probably the most compelling reason I can give, is a little later in to our signing journey I taught her the sign for help.  I feel this sign alone had the most significant impact on our ability to communicate with each other.  Gone were the tantrums when she couldn't reach something, climb on something, or do something for herself, as rather than scream and shout, she would simply turn to me and sign help. It was wonderful, a breakthrough time and made her toddler time a much more pleasurable experience for us both. 

Benefits

Communicating using basic sign language with your baby can help you understand their thoughts and needs long before they have developed the ability to speak verbally. This can help reduce tantrums and ease frustrations for both babies and parents.

Using signs together with spoken language establishes two way communication and enhances their early language development. Additionally signing and the early introduction to music have both been linked to improved reading ability.

What to expect

The course is best suited to babies from 6 months old to around 2 years old. The course is based on the award winning Sign2Me SIGN with your BABY™ programme by Joseph Garcia and the critically acclaimed Babies Can Sign class content which uses British Sign Language signs when you talk to your baby. As a registered Sign2Me presenter I have the support of a international organisation that ensures their presenters are qualified in Sign Language and have good knowledge of child development and how signing can be introduced and incorporated in to babies daily routines to gain maximum benefit.

The course:

Come along and join Signing Sam & friends for fun - Songs, nursery rhymes, percussion instruments, stories, and games are all used to engage babies and parents from the start.

Using songs, music and rhymes enhances the development of language, literacy and numeracy, socialisation as well as being fun for both parents and babies.  Research shows that signing babies have a tendancy to have a greater interest in books, increased early vocabulary and improved literacy.

The course runs for 10 consecutive weeks (excluding the break for ½ term) and includes:

Introduction to signing with your baby
Six stages of signing
When to sign
Interactive stories, songs and rhymes
Information of benefits and research of signing with babies
Comprehensive manual with diagrams of signs and song sheets

The course is structured to provide a complete guide in how to sign with your baby, ensuring that you understand how and when to use signs to get the best possible results. You will learn over the term signs starting with basics such as milk, eat, drink and build up to include signs for family, animals, food, feelings and much more.  All signs are reviewed each week before introducing new signs to the class.

Classes will run for approximately one hour, which includes 45 mins signing, and then time for babies to play and parents to have light refreshments, chat, get to know each other and ask any questions they may have.

For parents/carers that may be in a position where they are unable to complete the full 10 week course, arrangements can be made to attend the first 5 weeks which would provide sufficient knowledge in the basics of signing with your baby to get you started.

When and where

Classes will run through term time only.

10 Week Course:

PLACES AVAILABLE
Sep/Oct 2010 - Commencing Thursday 16th September, 23rd September, 30th September, 7th October and finishing 14th October for 1/2 term.
** 2 weeks 1/2 term break
Classes resume - Thursday 4th November, 11th November, 18th November, 25th November and finishing 2nd December
Time
10.00pm - 11.00am
Venue
Gildersome Childrens Centre, Town St, Gildersome

Prices

5 weeks introduction - £35.00 - includes provision of illustrated manual, song sheets and CD
10 weeks full course - £55.00 - includes provision of illustrated manual, song sheets and CD

It is not necessary to do the introduction course before joining the full course. The introduction course is useful to parents that perhaps are unable to commit to a full term but would like to learn and understand the basics of baby sign to use with their child, or would simply like to give baby sign a go to see if they like it and are able to make it part of the way the communicate with their child.

NOTE: Class sizes are limited, so block booking guarantees your place each week.