By Harry Loney
And why it’s great for kids of all ages and abilities
When my son, heretofore known as The Boy, was born, we were looking for awesome things to do with him. As a small bag of poop and vom, he wasn’t capable of doing much himself. He couldn’t handle cooking dinner, and when we asked if he wanted to take the wheel of the car on the way to Granny’s, he just threw a rattle at us.
It didn’t take long, though, before we found a great way that me, Clever Wifey and The Boy could bond and have fun together. We started going to Sing and Sing, a class that does exactly that. Using songs that we knew, and some new ones too, parents and kids sat in a circle singing happily.
The key difference to many similar types of class was that we used Makaton signs as we went. This was brand new to us, and so we got something out of the classes too. Knowledge!
What is Makaton?
Makaton is a simplified sign language that helps people communicate. Using signs, symbols and speech, it can help people of all ages communicate with others. For the parents amongst you – you know Mr. Tumble from CBeebies? Well he uses Makaton, that’s what all his hand gestures are about.
The amazing thing is that babies can use hand gestures well before they utter their first words. This means that they can let you know what they want, need or feel waaaaay before they can vocalise it. This helps reduce the number of tantrums, which are often caused out of frustration at you not understanding them.
Simple signs like “more”, “eat” and “pain” are quick to pick up. And, as we learned them during singing, they are fun too. A great one is for when you are changing their nappy. By singing and signing, the baby knows what is going on and why he has been removed from the fun toy area. They know what is about to happen, and it won’t be for long and they will soon be returned with a fresh undercarriage.
How can sign language help you?
Using signs to communicate works both ways. He gets to tell you what he wants, and you get to tell him what is happening. That first moment when you properly communicate to your child is magical. You can see it in their face too. It’s brilliant, and this baby communication makes you both want to do it more. It’s a fantastic way to bond with any child.
There are sing and sign classes all across the country, and I really couldn’t recommend them highly enough. And no, you don’t have to be a good singer! All you need is to want to learn some new stuff to help your child develop. Give it a shot, sign language is easy to start picking up. You’re sure to love it.