My name is Jason and I’m your new TinyTalk teacher in Biggleswade, as well as dad to twin TinyTalkers Ned and Edie, who are now 20 months old.
My own baby signing journey began when Ned and Edie were about five months old when we took them to TinyTalk following an amazing taster cIass. I’d been interested in baby signing before they were born. It almost seemed too good to be true – the idea that you could communicate effectively with your baby before they were old enough to speak. But it wasn’t hype. It took a few months to get their first sign (unsurprisingly they both signed ‘food’) but then new signs just kept on coming.
Signing has been invaluable to us through weaning, at bedtime, even at nappy change time. At just over a year old, when Ned and Edie began to sign each other’s names and started to tell us what each other was doing (‘Edie’s sleeping’, ‘Ned’s had a wee wee!’) my sense of wonder and pride just grew and grew. By 18 months they both used well in excess of 50 signs. Even now as they’re starting to verbalise they’re still signing along with their new words.
We went to so many classes throughout the babies’ first year, but TinyTalk was the only one we continued for more than a term or two. The babies were so attentive during the taught part of the class and giggled and enjoyed themselves so much during the songs and interactive elements (as did I!) that it never felt like we were learning. TinyTalk was always the highlight of our week.
When the opportunity to become a TinyTalk teacher arose, I immediately knew this was what I wanted to do. TinyTalk has given me a passion for baby signing and to give new parents the prospect of the sort of wonderful experiences it has given us as a family fills me with excitement.
Each TinyTalk class is 1 hour long and split into two. The first half is spent signing, singing and doing sensory activities relating to the weekly theme e.g. pets, bedtime etc. The second half of the class is social time giving you the opportunity to meet other parents / carers and have a well-deserved cuppa and biscuit while the children play with toys. A weekly handout of signs learnt in each class helps to jog the memory once you’re home. You can start at any point throughout the term (subject to availability) and there is no extra charge for siblings. Free taster classes are also available – please contact me for availability.
I look forward to welcoming you to a TinyTalk baby signing class soon!
Specifics
- Available Online