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Babysigners – how we started
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Some years ago, I heard about something that sounded extraordinary and intriguing. It was a book called Sign With Your Baby by an American - Joseph Garcia, the best selling baby signing guru. Apparently, your baby could ‘talk’ to you from as early as 6 months using sign language. They said my baby would be happier, would cry less and would be better adjusted.
As a result, I would also be happier, would cry less and be better adjusted. I tried it and became a convert. Words simply can’t express what it feels like to have your baby ‘talk’ for the first time. I told my friends and they told theirs.
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| Emma Finlay-smith, founder |
Soon I was holding informal classes for my friends. They were, and are, a lot of fun – we used songs, puppets and stories to keep it all very informal. And because I was one of the first people in Britain to use baby signing, the newspapers and the TV were regular callers.
That was a few years ago and baby signing is now catching on over here. As one of the most experienced baby signers in the UK, I felt it was important that it was done right so I set up Babysigners.
Our first move was to persuade the world’s leading expert, Joseph Garcia, to write a brand new textbook for us, tailored for British parents. This is the first major work to be based upon British Sign language (BSL) – all previous best sellers have been based upon the American Sign Language system (ASL).
Meanwhile, my own classes have been developed and refined in collaboration with early years specialist, Nia Maylin, so that we now have a structured, BSL-based programme that’s more effective than ever without losing out on any of the fun.
And finally we’ve developed a training programme that enables us to train a new generation of Babysigners teachers that will be able to go out and spread the word. It’s no pushover, though, because we do set very high standards for the people who‘ll be operating under our name.
Baby signing offers you the chance to make that first contact so much earlier in your baby’s life. I just feel privileged to be able to help others make it happen.
Emma Finlay-Smith
If you have any queries about the work Babysigners does or any comments about this site, please don't hesitate to contact us.
by phone: 0800 694 6888 or
by email: info@babysigners.co.uk
Registered Office:
Babysigners
PO Box 3789
Slough
SL3 3EA
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