We’ve been going to TinyTalk signing classes for over three years. Jessica first started in the baby class when she was a few months old. She moved up to the toddler class shortly before she turned two. Sophie first came along to the toddler class with Jessica at just a few days old and has been going ever since. Both the girls enjoy the classes immensely.
What happens in each class?
Each class involves singing and signing lots of different songs and learning a few different signs each week. There is ‘walking about’ time involving signing whilst moving around the room (Going on a Bear Hunt and the Hokey Cokey are big favourites here!), time using the parachute and musical instrument time. When the class is over, there is time for the mums to sit and chat over a cuppa whilst the little ones play with toys. Each week is based around a theme, such as colours, clothing or animals. The signs taught are based on British Sign Language.
The parachute time and the musical instrument time are the girls’ favourite part of the classes. Sophie loves the parachute time so much that she will pick up her dolly’s blanket at home, hold it and say “one, do, dee… yaaaayyy!” as she shakes it up and down in the air. Both girls love to run under the parachute as it is waved up and down. They each have favourite instruments that they head for in the musical instrument time too. Sophie likes things she can shake and Jessica usually makes a beeline for the xylophone.
How has signing helped for us?
Both Jessica and Sophie started signing themselves at around nine months’ old. I found that being able to communicate through signing helped to reduce frustration when they were small. Jessica was a little late with her speech development. While it was clear that she could understand things we were asking her, her signing was much more advanced than her speech up until she turned two. It made a big difference that she was able to communicate with us so easily. Sophie’s vocabulary at seventeen months is already bigger than Jessica’s was when she turned two. We are less reliant on Sophie’s signing for communication, but it still is useful for helping us to understand what she wants at times.
Jessica can now sign more than 75 different words and Sophie can sign over 25 words. Last week, they received a certificate each for reaching these latest milestones. I love the fact that the little ones receive certificates celebrating their signing achievements.
Where can you find out more?
TinyTalk signing classes are available across the country and you can search on the website to find a class near you. The baby signing classes also include sensory activities as part of the class. This is a new addition to the classes since we first started going to them. It’s a great activity to do with your little ones as well as being beneficial for helping them to communicate and definitely something I would recommend to other parents.
I wrote this post purely to share how much my children enjoy their toddler signing class. I have not received any incentives from TinyTalk to write this post.
Thisbis something I wish I had done with the toddler as I think it’s so beneficial!! X
It’s been great for Jessica and Sophie x
We so a similar class called Sing and Sign. I love how it’s helped my girls communicate better, it really relieves a lot of frustration #sharewithme
Sing and Sign is great too – anything that helps communication is fab 🙂
This is great, well done to your two girlies!
We started signing with Boo early and she did do some after a few months, but never really took to it. Which is a shame because I do think that it would help with the frustration that she is already starting to show. The only sign she does now other than waving is rubbing her hands together to show she is finished which is something she started doing on her own. Maybe if there was a class near here it might have meant she picked up on it more, but we had to settle, sadly for a dvd, and mummy and daddy doing the signs
Thanks Jenni. It is hard to keep up with the signing with just using a DVD – I’m not always great at being in the habit of doing it at home either so the classes have been where they’ve picked most of the signing up.
Well done to them! It sounds like they are doing brilliantly with it 🙂
Thanks Sarah – they love it 🙂
The wee girl did a music class when she was younger that included some basic signing, and it was really useful before she could talk. Well done to your girls x #ssaa
Thanks Sara 🙂
Aww communication with children are always frustrating so this is a good way to talk to our little ones! #sharewithme
Thanks Merlinda – it has been great for easing frustration.
Wow, the classes sound amazing, I wish I had them for my son who is quite badly speech delayed. Sounds like both girls get a lot from the group and enjoy it. I love the proudness of the photos, bless them!
Thank you – the classes have been great – Jessica was quite slow with her speech and it really helped a lot.
We did signing and music classes with my two toddlers too it was lovely. And the class sadly was cancelled near us and turned into just music but they did love it. It’s so good for the kids to learn another language I think. She looks very proud too. Cute photos. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. Happy Easter! #sharewithme
Thanks Jenny, they both love the classes. Lovely to link up again 🙂
This is fantastic and what a lovely thing to do with the girls. I want to do this with Little E but there are no classes by this group in my area. Don’t worry I have found another group. Ethan will be learning to sign at school and I think it will be good for all of us. Congratulations girls you are amazing x
Thank you Jane – glad you have managed to find a group with Little E and hope Ethan enjoys learning to sign at school too.
Fab post, well done to your lovely girls. I would have found these classes very useful as both T and D had stilted speech. Thinking about it, it would still be handy during times of mega anxieties.
Thank you for sharing this with #SSAmazingAchievements
Thank you – lovely to link up again.