Baby Signing classes in Evesham, Droitwich and Worcester Villages

Welcome to the TinyTalk classes of
Mollie Prior

I'm Mollie and I am your teacher for Evesham, Droitwich & Worcester North!

I discovered signing with my son Henry and I couldn't believe from such a young age he was able to tell me when he wanted his *milk* or that he wanted *more* food. No more tears trying to communicate his needs to me, we had signing! At 2 years old, he was able to use over 150 signs alongside an emerging vocabulary and now

he's in primary school he has amazing speech and language skills and his reading his incredible.

I couldn't imagine our lives without signing, from simple things like telling us that he was hungry to more complicated sentences such as Mummy is cooking his food or that he could hear the dog barking. Once your baby has learnt to ‘talk’ you'll find they have plenty to say! Signing enriches your parent and baby bond and develops amazing communication. It is most effective when family and friends get involved too and wherever we went Henry happily showed off his signing skills and won round the most steadfast of cynics!

The importance of baby signing really hit home when Henry was in hospital with breathing difficulties when he was 15 months old. He was very poorly requiring oxygen before they diagnosed a chest infection. Thanks to ‘Miss Polly had a Dolly...’ which we had learnt in class, we were able to tell Henry he was *sick*, introduce the *doctor* and that he was going to get some *medicine*. A few hours after Henry had received his antibiotics he sat bolt upright and signed *food* for the first time! I have never been so proud (or so relieved!).

The first half of your class is full of signing, singing and sensory activities. By learning the signs through song, it makes them easy to remember and a lot more fun for babies (and parents!). We also have lots of interactive sensory elements in our classes too such as finding our faces with mirrors and playing peekaboo under our silky scarves. We always celebrate our new signing stories in the group which is a great encouragement and our clever babies can earn their own certificates!

The second half of the class is a social time for parents and babies with toys to play with and hot drinks and refreshments. If it's the only hot drink you have had all week (we’ve all been there!) it makes it all the more special. Our social time is a chance to chat and meet other local parents and realise that perhaps you are not the only one going through some of the trials of parenthood!

Tiny Talk is ready to help you understand your baby and enrich your lives through signing. With baby signing you have to see it to believe it so get in touch and book your first class today and find out what your baby would like to say to you!

See our clever babies in action and find out more about us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Tinytalkeveshamdroitwichworcesternorth. After your enquiry PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM/JUNK FOLDERS FOR RESPONSES, our emails can sometimes get lost!

Meet Mollie...

Children:Henry, aged 8

Location:Evesham, Droitwich & Worcester North

Favourite Sign:Bouncing! (Ten little monkeys bouncing on the bed...my favourite song!)

Qualifications:BA Hons Photography, PGCE Post Compulsory Education

Favourite Film:The Sound of Music (I know!)

Pet Hate:Chips without tomato sauce...why?!

Secret Passion:Dancing...if only I could go on Strictly, I would love to learn how to ballroom dance

I most admire:Parents for being multi-taskers, comforters, cuddlers and superhuman whilst making it all look easy!

I love baby signing because:I can't imagine my life without it. It enabled my son to communicate me from such an early age (even it that was 'food! food! more! food!) It really does change lives.

Meet my Mini Teacher, Natalie Lloyd

Hello, I am Natalie and I have joined Mollie as one of your TinyTalk teachers for Evesham, Droitwich and Worcester North. I am mum to Eleanor, who is 5 and George, who is 3.

I started TinyTalk when Eleanor was 3 months old, I was a first-time mum and I found other baby groups quite lonely. A friend recommended that I join TinyTalk with her, and so I did. From the first class I absolutely loved it! Not only was Eleanor engaged, happy and learning a new skill, I was too! And I had a chance to chat to other parents with a hot cup of tea in the designated social time. It felt like the first class I had attended that thought about me as a parent and what I needed, as well as my baby.

I was soon attending two different sessions – a weekday one for me and Eleanor and a Saturday class twice a month so my husband, parents, in-laws and sisters could come too! For me, it was really important that everyone around us knew some of the signs too so that they could also communicate with Eleanor. The fantastic thing about TinyTalk is that I didn’t have to pay any extra to bring these family members along as it's one price per family, it's incredibly good value!

This was even more beneficial when George arrived, suddenly other baby classes were double the price as I had two children, or they were only age appropriate for one of them. TinyTalk catered for both! George attended his first class at 6 days old and we all still go to Mollie’s classes now.

I don’t think I could rave enough about the positive impact that TinyTalk has had on our lives. The ability to communicate with my children before they could form words was incredible. I still remember the look on Eleanor’s face when she signed *food* at me at 7 months old and I got her something to eat. She was so happy that she was understood. Her speech developed as quickly as her signs and by 18 months she was signing over 100 words and speaking in full sentences. George was a much more reluctant talker (probably because he has an older sister that never stops!) so for us, signing has given him a voice. He has over 150 signs at 2 years old and picks up 3 or 4 new ones each week. As he can communicate his needs with us, we rarely get the frustrations that come along with not being understood. Eleanor & George even sign to each other during play, while singing together and to indicate that the other needs to *share*!

When I returned to work I missed my maternity/Covid time with my children, I realised I would much rather be a TinyTalk teacher and be able to work in something I am passionate about without giving up time with Eleanor and George. I wanted to give families a lifelong skill they can use to build an incredible relationship with their own children, and to give them some support in their most vulnerable time, like TinyTalk did for me.

Children: Eleanor aged 5, George aged 3
Favourite Sign: Cow (because of the beautifully aggressive way Eleanor used to sign it!) and rabbit (because of the way George hops about grinning when he signs it!)
Qualifications: BA Hons Photography, PGCE Secondary Education, ACA
Favourite Film: Four Weddings and a Funeral
Pet Hate: baby socks! They never stay on!
Secret Passion: Animals! I wish I had become a Zookeeper when I was younger!
I most admire: My husband for putting up with me for 14 years!
I love baby signing because: of the massive positive impact it has had on both of my children’s communication, in very different ways, and because of the amazing skill it has provided all of us as a family.