As the summer is nearing the end (like, how is that even possible already?!), and the new school term is looming around the corner. All across the country, various baby and toddler groups will be gearing up to recommence as well.

A while ago, I had the honour of documenting a behind the scenes peek into the world of a Tiny Talk teacher with the wonderful Claire Baker. I know how hard it is to narrow down choices of what activities to do with your baby and where to spend your money, so I thought I’d have a chat with Claire about Tiny Talk and the benefits of baby signing.

I hope it is useful for you if you don’t know much about baby signing and maybe it will also be something that you’d like to try out as well.

How did you discover baby signing?

A friend of mine had taken her little girl to TinyTalk and I was blown away by her baby's ability to communicate her wants and needs with her from such a young age. I decided if I ever had a baby, that would be something I wanted to do with them. Jack came along and the rest is history!

How long has Tiny Talk as a company been going?

We turned 20 years old in April! TinyTalk was founded by Katie Mayne who is still very much at the helm of the TinyTalk ship. Katie was a former Primary School Teacher and Teacher of the Deaf and was aware of how beneficial signing was to help pre-verbal babies communicate their needs. TinyTalk started with Katie, her first born and a small group of mummy friends in Guildford and has now grown in to the franchised business we know today with over 100 teachers across the UK and even teachers in Switzerland. The Nottingham Central franchise has been around for about 16 years...I've been running it for the last 11 years.

What made you decide to become a Tiny Talk teacher?

I had made all the plans with regards to returning to my job after my maternity leave...how I would use accrued holidays to return part time for the first 6 months or so then back to full time hours once those had run out. Of course, when I held Jack for the first time, any thoughts of returning to work were pushed to the back of my mind and as the time drew closer, the thought filled me with utter dread. I loved my job but I didn't love the thought of leaving my baby behind and spending most of my pay on childcare. I was grumbling about this during my TinyTalk class one day and the TinyTalk Teacher told me she was in the process of selling her franchise and would I be interested. I'd always loved my TinyTalk classes and by now, Jack was busy signing away so I could see the benefits first hand. It was something I wanted to share with other families plus I figured I had had a baby...how difficult could running my own business be?! I put myself forward for voluntary redundancy, was granted in and promptly brought TinyTalk Nottingham Central! The rest, you could say, is history and I've never regretted a single moment of it (well...I will confess to wobbles through the global pandemic but I'm sure that is understandable!).

What areas/days do you cover with your classes?

TinyTalk Nottingham Central covers NG3, NG4 and NG5. We have family classes running every week day and also run sessions in 6 nurseries. There's myself and my "mini-teacher" Adele Miles. For a full timetable of our TinyTalk Baby Signing and Toddler Talking classes, visit www.tinytalk.co.uk/claireba

Could you explain the benefits of baby signing for us?

Remember a time or imagine a situation where you weren't able to communicate your needs? I'm sure we can all imagine just how frustrating that is or would be. It's similar for babies. They know exactly what they want but they just haven't got the vocal skills to ask for it straight away other than through crying. A baby's hand coordination develops before clear speech and by teaching them hand gestures (at TinyTalk we use signs from British Sign Language), we provide them with the tools to enable them to "talk" to us. This really helps reduce frustrations on both sides - we don't claim that your baby will never have a tantrum but you will at least have an idea as to what it might be about! Signing also helps with speech and language development, builds great communicators and is a lovely way for parents / carers to bond with their baby.

What does a typical signing class look like?

Our Baby Signing classes are generally run as 12 week terms although families can join at any point (as long as there are spaces). Each class is an hour long and each week we focus on a particular theme (every third week is a recap week so we go back over the previous two weeks of signs). During each class, we teach 5 or 6 core signs in line with the theme. At TinyTalk, we use signs from British Sign Language (we are not teaching British Sign Language though and anyone wanting to learn BSL should contact the relevant professionals - in Nottingham we would recommend contacting the Nottinghamshire Deaf Society). Signs are taught through repetition with lots of singing (familiar and not so familiar nursery rhymes), props and puppets. We include a sensory activity within our classes often aimed at helping babies develop those hand coordination skills to help them sign but also impacting on their wider early years developments. The first half we "learn" and the second half we get a load of toys out for the babies to play with whilst the adults enjoy a cuppa and biscuits.

Our Toddler Talking classes have a similar structure but are generally more interactive, bouncy and loud! We still have a theme in which we teach a number of signs, but with a real focus on the spoken word too as we help promote toddler's developing speech. There's an additional 100+ signs to learn in our Toddler Talking classes which are in keeping with those next milestones e.g colours, shapes, opposites, emotions. The sensory activities we run in our Baby Signing classes become language activities in our Toddler Talking classes and again, our lesson plans are developed and delivered to support our toddler's overall early years developments.

What do the toddler sessions involve to aid speech and development? 

We have a dedicated "talking and signing" section in our Toddler Talking classes to aid speech and language development.  Within this, we invite the toddlers to come and sit at the front as we go through the key words and signs from the week's theme.  These parts of the class can prompt some amazing stories from our toddlers which we encourage.  Our weekly language activities are also designed to encourage talking and complement the signs and words that we're learning during that class. 

How important do you feel the social times are to the classes?

Our social time is as important to the class as the "learning" element - this is why we dedicate half of the class to them.  Even during the pandemic when we were running classes online, we ensured that we included a social time.  Not only does it give the babies and toddlers an opportunity to play with their peers, it's a time when their parents / carers can make new friends and build support networks.  We have watched many a friendship form at a TinyTalk class.  We celebrate wins together, provide shoulders to cry on and occasionally it's just about having a good rant or moan!  Sometimes, you just need your week to start with a cup of tea that someone else has made for you and a chocolate biscuit(s) and that's exactly what a TinyTalk class provides for our families.  Being a parent / carer can often be lonely and isolating and we aim to provide a safe and welcoming space for all with no judgments.  

What are some of your favourite memories/signing stories as a Tiny Talk teachers?

After 11 years of teaching, it's really hard to pin point specific favourite memories and signing stories as there are just so many of them.  However, here are some of my favourite things that happen at my or because of my TinyTalk classes...

• Seeing the look on a parent / carers face when they tell you about their baby signing for the first time.  Such a proud moment for everyone.

• Overhearing families arrange to meet up outside of class or seeing groups of them together in local cafes knowing that their friendship has grown over a TinyTalk cup of tea and biscuit!

• The privilege of being a part of a family's life, often from the baby being just a few weeks old to them starting school.  A privilege that grows as a family grows when they return with baby number 2, 3 and even 4!!

• Receiving cards from families when their TinyTalk journey is coming to an end, telling me just how valuable they found the classes.

• When toddlers turn up with gifts like the toddler that always picked me a couple of flowers from outside the class and presented them to me as she walked in, crushed up slightly in her hands but always given with a smile or another that would draw me a picture every week at home and bring it to class with her.  

• The first week back to in-person classes with no restrictions after 2+ years of Covid - it was an emotional week

(Which parent has been your most faithful attendee? 🤣)

There's one family that have returned with four children!! I think it's just because of the mince pies! (Claire might not be wrong about those mince pies as they are exceptionally good!)

Is there anything else you would like to add for families who may be considering joining?

If you're considering it, just do it! At the very least, you'll be welcomed to a really fun class where you'll have the opportunity to have a fab time with your little one learning a new skill whilst making lots of friends. As an added bonus, you'll be making a positive impact on your little one's communication skills and providing them with benefits that will last beyond their pre-school years. Oh....and I hear the biscuit selection is pretty good too!!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about Baby and Toddler Signing classes and how they might benefit your family. Don’t forget to contact Claire if you feel you would like to check out the classes for yourself.

If you’re interested in a family photography session, maybe to capture a first birthday party or a new sibling arrival, please do get in touch with me. I can’t wait to hear from you.