FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS BABY SIGNING?

Baby signing is the use of hand gestures as signs to represent a word. Find out more here.

WHAT TYPE OF SIGNING DO YOU TEACH?

Our classes use British Sign Language (BSL) signs, some of which are simplified to make them easier for little hands.

BSL is a language in its own right. It follows its own sentence structure, grammar and syntax. Our classes more closely follow Sign Supported English (SSE) in that we sign using BSL but following the structure and grammar of spoken English.

In order to make the classes suitable for tiny tots, we also use a method called Keyword Signing where we only sign the key words in sentences.

WHEN, WHERE AND HOW MUCH ARE CLASSES?

See term dates and prices here.

HOW OLD DOES MY BABY NEED TO BE TO ATTEND CLASSES?

We offer classes to suit a range of ages, welcoming children from birth to 3 years (for those who are already enrolled in class, they can attend until they are 4 and ready to attend school). Although very young babies will not yet have the motor skills or coordination to make the signs themselves, teaching their parent to sign is still very beneficial. From very early on your baby will be watching you communicate with them. It is never too soon for you to learn the signs so that you can use them at home. Adding signing into your daily routine with your baby will help them to recognise signs and be more receptive to learning them earlier.

WHEN SHOULD I EXPECT MY BABY TO MAKE THEIR FIRST SIGN?

Firstly, it is important to remember that all children develop at different rates. Research shows that most babies have the coordination and motor skills to sign from 6 months old. But from personal experience and anecdotal evidence from other parents, babies often start using signs much sooner than this.

If your baby is taking longer to master the signs than you'd hoped, it is important to recognise that the benefits of signing don't only begin with your child's first sign. When shown regularly, babies can recognise and understand the signs you use very quickly. Signing to them about what is happening around them and what is going to happen next, can help them to feel more settled. It can also be useful in letting them know that you know what they want! For example, if your baby is crying for milk and you show them the sign for 'milk', they should calm down knowing that you will soon feed them.

ISN'T BABY SIGNING ONLY FOR DEAF CHILDREN?

No, baby signing was actually developed for hearing babies and parents. However, our classes may also be useful for children who are deaf or hard of hearing as baby signing benefits communication of all children. As we use British Sign Language signs, your new skills will be transferable should you wish to learn full British Sign Language.

If your child has been diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing and you have been advised to learn British Sign Language, you may find it more beneficial to attend a course to teach you the full language.

WON'T SIGNING DELAY MY CHILD'S SPEECH?

No! Signing does not delay speech. In fact, research in the field of child development found that signing can actually help your child learn to talk far earlier and with a larger vocabulary.

Babies will spontaneously use hand gestures in early communication, baby signing is just taking advantage of this ability by adding in more hand gestures for them to use. A great example of this is how adults always encourage babies to wave goodbye and almost all babies then go on to be able to say 'Bye-bye' as one of their earliest words. Waving encourages a baby to verbalise 'Bye-bye' because of the positive feedback they receive from those they direct it to. This is exactly the same principle for signs we use in baby signing.

When we sign, we always clearly speak the word alongside it. This exposes them to lots of new words. You will probably find that you use more words with them that you might have done otherwise as you want to teach them the new sign you've learnt in class.

Another benefit of baby signing is that babies have a chance to practice engaging in back-and-forth conversations. This is a critical skill that non-signing babies don’t get a chance to practice until they’re already speaking at least some words.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER BENEFITS OF BABY SIGNING?

Have a read of them here.

CAN I BRING MY BABY'S SIBLINGS AND CAN MY CHILD'S OTHER PARENT/GRANDPARENT ATTEND?

We only ever charge per family. Siblings are welcome to attend, but if you could please let us know in advance so we can ensure we have enough equipment available. We love it when another adult joins you in coming along to class. The more people in your child's life that can sign, the better! We do however have to limit it to one extra adult per class, and again ask that you let us know in advance so that we can set out extra chairs and mats.

WHAT IF MY BABY SLEEPS THOUGH THE WHOLE CLASS OR THEY NEED A FEED OR NAPPY CHANGE DURING CLASS?

Our classes are 100% baby friendly. Feel free to feed your baby during class or duck out to change a nappy in the on-site baby-changing facilities. If your baby falls asleep, we really don't mind – who doesn't love to see a sleeping baby!? You will still get to join in and learn the signs with everyone else.