Sing and Sign (Edinburgh)

What is Sing and Sign?
Babies naturally use gestures to communicate before their first words. Sing and Sign encourages this and shows you many more signs you can use with your baby. It's easy! Your baby will understand you better and can use the gestures to "talk" to you before speech. This is known as baby signing.

Recommended by experts and recognised as Britain's most popular and longest running baby signing business, Sing and Sign is a high quality music programme developed with the help of Speech and Language professionals. We teach our range of simple gestures derived from sign language in a fun and relaxed way, through action songs and nursery rhymes.

What are the benefits of Sing and Sign?
Baby signing allows your baby to:

• Communicate with you in a way that otherwise would not be possible
• Enjoy enhanced vocabulary and understanding
• Eliminate many of the frustrations of being pre-verbal
• Enjoy the self esteem and confidence of being readily understood

Baby signing allows your baby to:

• Draw your baby's attention to the key word of a sentence, sparking connections of understanding and recognition in your baby's developing brain at a very early stage
• Speak more slowly so your baby can focus on what you are saying.
• Stimulate your baby's intellectual development
• Enrich your relationship with your baby

Research
All over the world a growing number of parents are discovering the thrills and amazing benefits of using simple signs to enrich communication with their babies. Long before they are able to speak, many babies are proving themselves capable of great eloquence in expressing their needs and interests with baby gestures.

Contrary to some parents' worries, baby signing actually encourages the development of a child's speech. Interesting research is ongoing into the effect of baby signing on the development of a baby's brain. In the earliest years of life, babies' brains are 'wiring' themselves through their experiences. While using signs, parents say accompanying words and tend to give greater language input. The babies themselves are then able to communicate complex things earlier, stimulating brain development and enhancing the building of brain circuitry.

Frequently Asked Questions
"Could signing inhibit my baby's instinct to talk?"
No, not at all. Your baby will be greatly encouraged to communicate verbally by the introduction of baby signs, and not in any way discouraged. Gestures are not a replacement for speech, when using a sign we always say the accompanying word. The use of gesture is a natural form of early communication and giving your baby a larger gestural vocabulary will lead to a larger spoken vocabulary at an early age.

"When will my baby be ready to learn signs?"
From around 6-8 months of age children become increasingly receptive to language. You can start showing some key signs from this age. Your baby will use these signs when he or she is ready and in the meantime will get a great deal of benefit from simply being signed to in the early stages.

Sing and Sign at Mulberry House
Sing and Sign (Edinburgh) have 2 classes per week at Mulberry House.

Both classes are taught by Clare Downer.

• Friday 10am and 11am.
• Classes are booked by the term.
• Each Term is 10 weeks.
• Each Term costs £65
• Your baby must be 6 months old to start.

Sing and Sign (Edinburgh) is directed by Dee Armstrong.

To book a place call 0131 664 0355 or email deearmstrong@singandsign.co.uk

For further general information about Sing and Sign go to www.singandsign.com

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