Sing and Sign Belfast

What it’s like

Baby signing classes with songs and instruments, teaching signs like 'more', 'milk' and 'all done' from birth to two and a half.

You go along with your baby and learn a handful of signs together through songs and musical instruments, the sort of session that's as much about the singing as the signing. Early signs like 'more', 'milk', 'eat' and 'all done' come first, then you build up to animals, emotions, foods, vehicles and colours as your baby gets older.

There's a specific programme called Sing and Sign Babes for the 0 to 6 month age group, which makes sense given a tiny baby is really just working on eye contact and watching your face at that stage rather than copying signs back. From 6 to 8 months is when they say most babies start getting consistent with a few key signs, so that's the point where you'll actually see it click. The upper age listed is two and a half, and they're clear that starting later, even at 18 months, still works if you're increasing an older toddler's vocabulary rather than starting from scratch.

If you're worried signing will put off talking, they tackle that head on: the whole approach leans on you talking to your baby more, not less, and signs are never used instead of words. It's a fair worry to have and one they clearly get asked a lot.

Need to know

Best for

0 to 30 months, with a separate class for under 6 month olds

• Sessions cover babies right up to two and a half years old
• There's a separate class, Sing and Sign Babes, just for 0 to 6 month olds
• Keep it to one sign per sentence at home and stay consistent, that's their own advice for making it stick

Plan your visit

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