TinyTalk The Waveney & Mid Suffolk

months old after attending a taster session. The whole experience was wonderful and I was ‘hooked’. It did not take me long to realise that this was definitely a group that we needed to attend regularly, so we did! Jessica signed milk after only a few weeks of classes, soon followed by waving, clapping, duck and dog by the age of 9 months. She signed ‘duck’ during her bath one day after listening to her sisters and myself singing ‘5 little ducks went swimming one day’ and playing with a toy duck. As Jessica was learning to crawl, she became quite speedy due to following her grand parents dog, pausing at intervals to sign ‘dog’ with huge excitement. The pleasure she got when her family praised her was priceless! Consequently, she then learnt to say the word and continued to learn the sign alongside, which was lovely to see. Her ability to communicate in this way was amazing for us as a family, it prevented so many frustrations and guess work.

The fun, relaxed but well planned classes last for 1hr with the first half consisting of learning new signs through singing familiar songs and action rhymes. Our sensory activities are designed to encourage communication through the use mirrors, sensory balls, bubbles and peek-a-boo scarves. All of which support the development of babies eyes, ears and hand-eye co-ordination as well as personal and social skills. We also include songs with instruments each week and share signed books every few weeks.
The second half is social time including toys and time for a chat over a drink and a biscuit (with the odd cake on occasions!). This is also a good time to ask any questions and share your signing stories.

Feeding, changing, and chasing after your baby are all permitted! Alongside signing, singing, bonding,