TinyTalk Colchester and Tendring

Meet my Mini Teacher, Nicola Titley

Hi, I’m Nic a Mini Teacher very excited to be working with Kate. I am Mummy to two TinyTalkers, Millie and Reuben. We started classes in 2016 with Kate when our daughter was 6 months old and only a month later she got her certificate for her first sign and the signs just kept coming! By the time we stopped attending classes when Millie was just over 18 months she had reached 75 signs. In fact the only reason we stopped classes was because Kate was on maternity leave.

With each new sign Millie and I felt a real sense of pride and achievement. She was delighted that she could be understood, and it helped relieve her frustration. I’m very passionate about baby signing and its benefits; I’ve seen first-hand the results and the difference it has made to our lives. When other toddlers around us were frustrated because their parents couldn’t understand them, Millie was able to communicate with us making parenting that little bit easier. Despite being able to sign Millie became a little chatterbox. Many people commented on her advanced speech ability and I believe this is as a direct result of learning to sign at an early age. At TinyTalk we ‘See it, Say it, Sign it’ which encourages early attempts at speech and certainly doesn’t stop your baby from speaking.

Millie was born very poorly and spent time in Colchester’s NICU. We were informed that this may cause developmental delays, learning disabilities and speech problems amongst other conditions. My partner and I were both determined to give Millie the best opportunity to develop and thrive to reach her milestones and to help her communicate. Discovering TinyTalk was great, we found a wonderful way to enable this development that made learning fun, interactive and Millie loved.

Like lots of Mummies I was no stranger to PND and suffered with PTSD as a result of Millie’s traumatic birth. I wanted to be the best mummy I could be for Millie. TinyTalk classes gave us fun one to one time and opened a window into her mind. During our signing journey we enjoyed many special moments together and created treasured memories. We both formed friendships with other mums and children from the group. TinyTalk offers the ideal opportunity to meet other parents during social time and to enjoy some much-needed adult conversation. Attending classes was not only beneficial to Millie but to me also. It helped me to regain my confidence not only as a parent but as an individual.

As well as setting out on a new exciting road as a TinyTalk Mini Teacher, I will be doing so with my newest TinyTalker, Reuben, who has already been enjoying classes with Kate from 4 months old and has a handful of signs to his name already! Re-experiencing the joy of being able to communicate with core signs just reaffirms the magic of the TinyTalk journey that we both share.

I enjoy interacting with babies and children through play and song. I’m not afraid to look silly to help put children (and parents!) at ease and make them smile. I use my sense of fun, energy and enthusiasm to make everyone feel welcome and included in our classes together. I look forward to joining you on your very own TinyTalk journey.