Unlock your child's voice, empower their communication and boost your bond
One sign at a time
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS BABY SIGNING?
Baby signing is the use of hand gestures as signs to represent a word. Find out more here.
WHAT TYPE OF SIGNING DO YOU TEACH?
At Happy Little Signers, I teach BSL-based keyword signing. This means I take key signs from British Sign Language (BSL) and use them alongside normal spoken English.
You don't need to sign every word in a sentence. Instead, I teach you to focus on the important words.
For example, while saying “Would you like some more milk?” you might sign MORE and MILK.
Your baby hears the spoken word at the same time as seeing a clear visual sign, giving them two ways to receive that piece of communication.
BSL is a rich, established visual language used by the Deaf community in the UK. While keyword signing alongside spoken English is not the same as using full BSL, using BSL signs means the vocabulary you and your child learn has meaning beyond the baby and toddler years.
I introduce signs covering everyday routines and the things young children love to communicate about, from food, family and feelings to animals, vehicles, colours, weather and much more.
You don't need any previous signing experience to get started.
WHEN, WHERE AND HOW MUCH ARE CLASSES?
HOW OLD DOES MY BABY NEED TO BE TO ATTEND CLASSES?
There’s no need to wait until your baby is a certain age to start signing. You can begin using signs alongside speech right from birth.
Young babies won’t be able to sign back straight away, but they are constantly watching, listening and learning. Introducing signs early gives your baby plenty of opportunities to see them used naturally alongside the words they hear.
Most babies begin to use intentional gestures before they can say many spoken words, and their first recognisable signs may start to appear as their communication and physical skills develop. Every child is different though, so there’s no particular age by which your baby should be signing.
Starting later is absolutely fine too. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers can all benefit from learning BSL-based keyword signs alongside speech.
My classes are suitable from birth to 4 years, with Baby, Toddler and Mixed-Age sessions designed for different stages of development.
MY TODDLER IS TALKING, SHOULD I STILL SIGN?
Signing doesn’t stop being useful once your toddler starts talking. In fact, this can be a really exciting stage to continue using it.
Toddlers often understand far more than they can express, and early speech can still be unclear or limited. Signs give them an additional way to make themselves understood, particularly when they’re trying to communicate a word they can’t yet say clearly.
Using BSL-based signs alongside spoken words also gives your toddler a visual cue as well as an auditory one, which can support their understanding of new vocabulary and concepts.
As their language develops, signing can grow with them too. We move beyond those early practical signs such as milk and more and explore a much wider vocabulary, including animals, colours, feelings, weather, activities and the world around them.
Signing can also be useful when emotions are running high and words are harder to find, or when you need to communicate somewhere that talking is difficult.
And there’s another benefit I really love: your child is learning signs from a real language. Continuing with BSL-based keyword signing introduces them to another way people communicate and helps make visual communication a normal part of their world.
So there's no need to stop signing when the words arrive. Speech and signing can develop happily alongside one another.
WHEN SHOULD I EXPECT MY BABY TO MAKE THEIR FIRST SIGN?
The most important thing is not how quickly your child signs back. It’s simply using signs consistently, naturally and without pressure as part of your everyday communication.
Firstly, it is important to remember that all children develop at different rates. Research shows that most babies have the coordination and motor skills to sign from 6 months old. But from personal experience and anecdotal evidence from other parents, babies often start using signs much sooner than this.
If your baby is taking longer to master the signs than you'd hoped, it is important to recognise that the benefits of signing don't only begin with your child's first sign. When shown regularly, babies can recognise and understand the signs you use very quickly. Signing to them about what is happening around them and what is going to happen next, can help them to feel more settled. It can also be useful in letting them know that you know what they want! For example, if your baby is crying for milk and you show them the sign for 'milk', they should calm down knowing that you will soon feed them.
ISN'T BABY SIGNING ONLY FOR DEAF CHILDREN?
No, baby signing was actually developed for hearing babies and parents. However, our classes may also be useful for children who are deaf or hard of hearing as baby signing benefits communication of all children. As we use British Sign Language signs, your new skills will be transferable should you wish to learn full British Sign Language.
If your child has been diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing and you have been advised to learn British Sign Language, you may find it more beneficial to attend a course to teach you the full language.
WON'T SIGNING DELAY MY CHILD'S SPEECH?
No! Signing does not delay speech. In fact, research in the field of child development found that signing can actually help your child learn to talk far earlier and with a larger vocabulary.
Babies will spontaneously use hand gestures in early communication, baby signing is just taking advantage of this ability by adding in more hand gestures for them to use. A great example of this is how adults always encourage babies to wave goodbye and almost all babies then go on to be able to say 'Bye-bye' as one of their earliest words. Waving encourages a baby to verbalise 'Bye-bye' because of the positive feedback they receive from those they direct it to. This is exactly the same principle for signs we use in baby signing.
When we sign, we always clearly speak the word alongside it. This exposes them to lots of new words. You will probably find that you use more words with them that you might have done otherwise as you want to teach them the new sign you've learnt in class.
Another benefit of baby signing is that babies have a chance to practice engaging in back-and-forth conversations. This is a critical skill that non-signing babies don’t get a chance to practice until they’re already speaking at least some words.
WHAT ARE THE OTHER BENEFITS OF BABY SIGNING?
Have a read of them here.
CAN I BRING MY BABY'S SIBLINGS AND CAN MY CHILD'S OTHER PARENT/GRANDPARENT ATTEND?
Weekly classes are only ever charged per family. Siblings are welcome to attend at no additional charge, but if you could please let me know in advance so I can ensure we have enough equipment available. It may sometimes be more suitable for you to attend a mixed-age or toddler class if bringing an older child with your baby.
I love it when another adult joins you in coming along to class. The more people in your child's life that can sign, the better! I do however have to limit it to one extra adult per class due to space restraints and again ask that you let me know in advance so that I can set out extra chairs and mats.
WHAT IF MY BABY SLEEPS THOUGH THE WHOLE CLASS OR THEY NEED A FEED OR NAPPY CHANGE DURING CLASS?
Please don’t worry! Babies don’t know or care that you’ve booked a class around their nap and feeding schedule, and I never expect them to.
If your baby needs feeding, changing, cuddling or settling during class, just do whatever they need. There’s no need to leave the room or apologise, and you can dip in and out of the activities as much as you need to.
And if your baby sleeps through the whole thing? That’s absolutely fine too. They may still be taking in the sounds and language around them while they sleep, but most importantly, you’re learning the signs too. You can take what you’ve learned in class and use it naturally with your baby at home when they’re awake.
Happy Little Signers is a relaxed, baby-led space. There’s no expectation for your baby to be awake, happy or joining in for the whole session.
Some weeks they’ll be fascinated by everything. Other weeks they might feed and sleep through most of it.
Both count as a successful class.
WHAT IF MY TODDLER DOESN'T SIT STILL OR JOIN IN?
That’s absolutely fine. In fact, I don’t expect toddlers to sit still for a whole class!
Happy Little Signers is designed with real toddlers in mind. Your child is welcome to move around, watch from a distance, sit with you, join in enthusiastically or decide they’re much more interested in something else for a while.
Toddlers also take in far more than it can sometimes appear. A child who seems to be wandering around or not joining in may still be listening, watching and becoming familiar with the songs, signs and routines. It’s very common for parents to tell me their child has suddenly used a sign or started singing part of a class song at home when they didn’t seem to be paying attention at all!
There’s no pressure to make your child perform, and you never need to apologise because they aren’t sitting in the circle or copying what everyone else is doing.
Over time, as the class becomes familiar and they know what to expect, you may find they choose to join in more.
The most important thing is that they feel comfortable and are allowed to engage in their own way and at their own pace.
WHAT IF I CAN'T MAKE THE FULL TERM OR I MISS A CLASS DUE TO ILLNESS?
Life with babies and toddlers doesn’t always go to plan, so if you need to miss a class, you don’t have to lose the session.
You’re welcome to make up your missed class by attending another age-appropriate Happy Little Signers class at any of my other venues, at any point during the same term.
That means if illness, appointments, holidays or unexpected changes of plan get in the way of your usual class, you have the flexibility to catch up at a different session that works for you.
There’s also plenty of repetition built into Happy Little Signers, so missing your regular class won’t leave you or your child behind. And the learning doesn’t have to stop when class finishes either. Families have access to additional resources to use at home, including signing tutorial videos and sign-along songs, helping you practise the signs at your own pace and build them naturally into everyday life.
I know committing to a full term isn’t always possible either. Where a class has spaces available, I may offer occasional Pay As You Go places, giving you the option to book individual sessions without committing to the full block. These are subject to availability, as priority is given to families with a regular class place.
I know how unpredictable life with little ones can be, so I try to make Happy Little Signers as flexible and family-friendly as possible, both inside and outside the classroom.