TinyTalk Lincoln: Our Families & Their Stories
Welcome to the TinyTalk Lincoln gallery! Take a peek at what our Baby Signing and Toddler Talking classes in Lincoln and Nettleham are really like. You'll see little ones singing, signing, playing, exploring and building their communication skills, alongside some of the lovely families who make our classes so special. TinyTalk is about more than learning signs – it's about connecting with your little one, building confidence and making friendships along the way. Have a look through the photos and read what our families have to say. We hope to see you and your little one at TinyTalk soon!
Emmalee is incredible all round, her enthusiasm and positivity is infectious and we feel like part of a little family at her classes. She's also just a lovely person and has been there after class finishes when I need a shoulder to cry on! My little boy isn't even 1 yet and already can sign milk, more and food!!!
STORY: Jovie's Signing Story
I first discovered TinyTalk as a parent when Jovie was a baby. As a first-time mum, I loved the idea of signing and was fascinated by the possibility of communicating with her before she could talk.
One of my favourite memories was the night she first signed "milk". She had woken during the night and I went straight into problem-solving mode, wondering if she needed a nappy change or something else. Milk hadn't even crossed my mind as she hadn't needed a night feed for a while. Then I looked down and realised she was signing "milk"! I made her a bottle and she went straight back to sleep.
As Jovie grew, signing became even more important. She was speech delayed and still non-verbal at two, but she became fascinated by farmyard animals. I continued signing with her while reading books, singing songs and using pictures. Then one day, as I signed the names of the animals to her, something amazing happened – she started saying the animal names. She had been taking it all in!
Jovie is now four and has been diagnosed with autism. She continues to make wonderful progress with her speech and communication, and I'm incredibly proud of her. Signing has been a special part of our journey together.
Since starting classes, Otis uses and recognises a lot more signs and his language is really booming. He has a great vocabulary for his age and loves to chat. The lessons have given me the confidence to teach him signs at home, and because he recognises them from class, he picks them up quickly. Signing has also given him a head start with the Makaton signs used at nursery.
STORY: Otis' Signing Story
Rachael started TinyTalk with Otis because he was showing signs that he was ready to talk, and she wanted to give him some extra support with his language and communication. She had already started using a few basic signs at home, but TinyTalk gave her the confidence and ideas to build on them.
As Otis has grown, so has his communication. He has learned to recognise and use more and more signs, alongside his developing speech, and has continued from Baby Signing into Toddler Talking.
One of the biggest benefits has been starting nursery with some signs already familiar to him. His nursery uses Makaton, so having that understanding of signing gave Otis a little head start and helped both him and Rachael feel more confident that he could communicate some of his basic needs.
It's lovely to see how the signs learned in class have become part of Otis' everyday communication at home and at nursery.
Emmalee is wonderful. Her passion for what she does is so apparent in the sessions and in a very short space of time it has really started to help my daughter communicate with us. It’s really helped change my way of thinking of how to communicate with her and my other children are even trying to get involved as well! 100% recommend
STORY: Jonny's Signing Story
With my second child, Jonny, I started signing with him from birth. He was able to use his first sign, "milk", at just five months old to let me know he was hungry.
Now two, Jonny goes through phases where he signs all the time and then focuses more on talking. He's incredibly vocal and loves to chat and babble, but signing is still really useful when I don't quite understand what he's trying to say.
He'll use signs to tell me he wants his hat or to show me that he's spotted a car. Although we seem to pass another car every few seconds when we're driving, he still wants to make sure I know about every single one!
For me, Jonny is a lovely reminder that signing doesn't have to stop when children start talking. It can continue to support communication alongside speech and give them another way to make themselves understood.
Emmalee has created a lovely and warm community with her TinyTalk classes. It’s a lovely mix of singing, signing and baby development that is really engaging for the babies along with time for a cup of tea, biscuit and chat with other mums while the babies play. Emmalee makes the difference with her warmth, beautiful singing voice and her encouragement to help parents and babies build connections with each other
We’ve really enjoyed attending this class over the last term. The classes themselves are so warm and lovely. They’re a low-pressure, friendly environment and it’s such a joy to see everyone’s babies and children clearly feel happy and comfortable. Emmalee is so kind and patient and engaging and makes both the mums and babies feel like such a valued part of the class. Highly recommend.
Emmalee is a fantastic teacher and baby group leader. Her classes are a delight and follow the TinyTalk formula for teaching babies to use British Sign Language. She's always a bright and cheerful presence who makes everyone feel so welcome and comfortable. You get a lovely 30 min lesson followed by a social 30 mins with drinks, biscuits, and chat. It's a huge highlight of my week and my little one loves it, getting excited from the moment we get out of the car.
Emmalee is amazing. I really look forward to my daughter's class every week in Lincoln with Emmalee. The classes are great and made super fun by having such an inclusive and enthusiastic teacher. I love that I can bring my mum along so all 3 generations can learn together. We've been going since my daughter was only 8 weeks old and have gotten to know lots of lovely families as well as great ways to bring sign language into everyday moments. I'm looking forward to being able to communicate with my daughter before she can speak thanks to these classes with Emmalee
Emmalee does a fab job. She’s so attentive, learns everyone’s names really quickly, is so inclusive and supportive. She is really organised and the sessions flow seamlessly. Signing has opened up a whole new world for us. Each session is different and engaging, couldn’t ask for more!