Sing and Sign Leeds

Give your baby a head start with Sing and Sign this term.

Join us from 23rd September as we begin our Autumn courses around Leeds.

Book your place here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

See you soon!
Josie x

Did you know that teaching your baby to sign can give them a head start in language and cognitive development? 🌟

Groundbreaking research by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn has shown amazing benefits of baby signing, and we're here to share it with you!

👶 The Research: A comprehensive 20-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health in the USA explored how baby signing affects children’s linguistic and intellectual growth.

The study involved three groups of 11-month-olds:
✋ Baby Signers: Parents encouraged to use baby signs alongside speech.
👄 Verbal Group: Parents focused on naming things verbally.
👶 Control Group: No specific instructions given.

The results were compelling! The baby signers:

💙 Showed advanced language skills compared to non-signers.
💙 Started speaking in sentences sooner.
💙 At age 3, spoke like children a full year older.
💙 Scored significantly higher on IQ tests at age 8.

The conclusion? Baby signing not only boosts language skills but also enhances cognitive abilities, with lasting effects even after the child stops using the signs 💫.

🌟 Further benefits of baby signing

💜 Early Communication: Babies can start signing as early as 6-9 months, making their needs and thoughts understood before they can speak.
💜 Enhanced Bonding: Strengthen your connection with your baby through shared communication.
💜 Reduced Frustration: Help your baby express themselves and reduce tantrums.
💜 Long-term Benefits: Improved language and cognitive skills with lasting effects.

For more information on Acredolo and Goodwyn's research, check out this article: https://babysigns.com/benefits-research/

At Sing and Sign, our classes make learning these signs fun and engaging for both you and your baby. Join us and experience the joy of early communication! 🎶

👉 Visit our website on https://singandsign.co.uk/ for more details.

Love from Sing and Sign x

Meet the teachers: it's Fabulous Fleur 🥳

Where can you find her this term?!

The delicious Truly Scrummy Deli in Horsforth on Wednesdays.

Our new venue in Farsley, The Bee Hub, for lots of fun on Thursdays.

And another new venue in Headingley/Burley, the gorgeous Left Bank Leeds on Fridays.

Fleur fell in love with Sing and Sign a long time ago when she brought her 1st little one along- dragged by a friend and feeling sceptical 😬
But it didn't take long for her to see the magic for herself, and made sure to bring her 2nd baby along a couple of years later.

By then she knew it was the job for her, so once her little ones were not so little anymore, she was delighted to become a fully fledged Sing and Sign teacher and has been sharing the magic she discovered for herself with so many of you over the last 2 years. 🥰

Join her this term- even if you're sceptical!- and let her share the joys of baby sign with you and your little one.

Grab a space here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

Josie x

Sing and Sign is ALL about supporting communication development including speech. ☺️

Join us this term and see the benefit to your little ones communication development.

Courses start around Leeds from 23rd September- see our timetable and book your place here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

See you soon!
Josie x

Wondering if baby signing might delay your baby's speech development? Good news—it doesn't! 🤩💪

Signing doesn't replace spoken words; it actually encourages babies to communicate verbally. The whole point of baby signing is to inspire more talking, not less. 👶

Using signs with your baby is a natural form of early communication, and it can even help boost language acquisition. Think about how "bye-bye" is often one of the first words babies say. 👋 We all wave to them, and they start to mimic us, eventually learning to say "bye-bye" because they enjoy the interaction and positive feedback. 💫

Baby signing works the same way for all sorts of other words. At Sing and Sign, we use simple gestures that complement spoken language, creating a fun and engaging way to communicate with your little one. 👐😊

Love from Sing and Sign x

We have 3 different age groups from Birth to 2yrs.

🥰Babes: 0-6 months.
A gorgeous gentle 5 week course introducing you to some initial signs to begin using at home with your baby. The aim of the 5 weeks is to strengthen your bond with your little one as you discover more about how they are communicating already, and how to make the most of the early weeks/months.

☺️Stage 1: 5-14 months.
A great fun 10 week course covering over 100 signs-That's why we recommend doing it twice!
From daily routines like meal times, bathtime, bedtime etc, to common interests like animals and vehicles etc.
These fun, song based, interactive sessions give you all the things you need to get stuck on to signing at home with your baby!

🤩Stage 2: 14-24 months.
A more active 10 week course for those toddling months! Including the basics of Stage 1 as well as more complex themes like food choices, colours, weather, potty training and lots more animals! We also touch on early phonics as speech begins to emerge alongside the use of signs.

⏳️Our next term starts from 23rd September, so grab a space for you and your little one NOW:
👉 https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

Here's where we will be and when:
❤Mondays at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
🧡Tuesdays at St Mary's Church Whitkirk Community Centre, Colton/Crossgates
💛Wednesdays at Truly Scrummy Deli, Horsforth
💚Thursdays at Little Leeds, Moortown
💙Thursdays at The Bee Hub, Farsley
💜Fridays at Crank Studios, Morley
💖Fridays at Left Bank Leeds, Headingley/Burley from 11th Oct.

See you soon!
Josie x

🍁🍂Join us this autumn and find out what your baby wants to tell you!

🤗Supporting your babies communication through introducing simple gestures, means your little one will have the tools to let you know what they are thinking about, before their speech emerges.

✨️A baby's 1st sign is ALWAYS a magical moment and I never tire of hearing the story that goes with it!

❤️ I think my favourite is this one:

☕️ Mum was enjoying a luxury hot chocolate complete with whipped cream on top.
She dipped her little finger into the cream and let her baby taste it....
😃 A delighted smile crept across the little ones face and they immediately signed 'MORE'! 🤣😍

🤭 Mum thought this was hilarious- this moment that would become a life long memory- her baby's 1st sign was asking for more whipped cream!

❓️❓️What will your baby's 1st sign be❓️❓️

'More' is a popular choice, as well as 'where', or perhaps their favourite animal or vehicle. 🐶🦧🐱🐷🚗🚄🚒🚲

🎶Come and enjoy our music filled, song based interactive sessions and see where your baby takes it!

👉Head here to grab a space-
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

⏳️With classes suitable from birth - 2years in our 3 different age groups, starting from 23rd September.

See you there!
Josie x

Meet the teachers: Super Sarah 🤩

😀 Sarah will be back at Little Leeds in Moortown on Thursday mornings this Autumn.

Sarah is lucky enough to have a signing toddler at home, so she is right in the midst of the magic of baby signing as a parent as well as sharing that magic with you too!

When you've experienced the incredible benefits of communicating with a baby through signing, you just can't help but shout about it! Or in Sarah's case, 'Sing and Sign' about it 🤣

Come and join her this term:
Stage 2 at 10am (14-24 months)
Stage 1 at 11am (5-13 months)

Grab your place here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

Josie x

Just 2 weeks till we're back!

Wondering which session is best for you and you're little one?
Read on!

See you soon!
Josie x

⭐️ At Sing and Sign, we welcome little ones from birth up to 30 months, but we have three different classes to make sure that each class is age appropriate and lots of fun for your little one, no matter what age they are!

💙 BABES - Our ‘Babes’ classes are specifically designed for the youngest babies (0-6 months) to start their Sing and Sign journey. We focus on increasing awareness and use of a range of strategies to build the foundations for early communication skills and introduce some key signs.

💛 STAGE 1 - Our ‘Stage 1’ classes are suitable for little ones from around 6-18 months. In these classes, we teach over 100 signs and support you to use these signs in your daily routines to help your little one to communicate their needs and understand the world around them. Although your baby might not be talking yet, there’s so much they can tell you through signing!

💙 STAGE 2 - ‘Stage 2’ classes are suitable for little ones from 14-30 months. This course shares some of the basic aspects of the familiar and well loved Stage 1 classes, but is designed with energetic and inquisitive toddlers in mind. We teach the signs to some new concepts to allow you to try to keep up with your little one’s growing curiosity and capacity for learning!

In Stage 2 we start to see how emerging verbal speech is supported by signing.

Even as children start to talk, gestures remain crucial.
They help clarify and expand what kids are trying to say, reducing frustration 💪.

Combining words and gestures can even boost intellectual development. Baby signing is a perfect example of this synergy 💙.

As your child starts saying single words, they can use signs to add more meaning and context to their speech. For instance, if your child says "teddy" and signs "where," they’re effectively asking, "Where is teddy?" 🤩😍

This combination of gestures and speech allows them to convey more complex ideas and reduces the frustration of not being understood.

😀And what better way to learn the signs than in our fun, song based, interactive, award winning classes!

So come and join us!
👉See our Autumn term timetable, and book a space, here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

Josie x

Meet the teachers: the marvellous Mez ❤️

👀 You won't have seen Mez at any of our recent Summer Specials, despite being a Sing and Sign teacher for 2 years now, because she has been extremely busy moving house this summer!🏠

😄 We're thrilled because it means she is now able to start Sing and Sign courses in East Leeds this September 🥳🥳🥳

💜 Mez will be at St Mary's Church Whitkirk Community Centre on Tuesday mornings from 24th September, so if you have a little one between 4-16 months and would like to have fun exploring the benefits of baby sign together this autumn, she would LOVE to meet you! 💜

🤩 And dont forget we've got a £10 OFF code for you, to celebrate a brand new area for Sing and Sign, so get in touch before you book!

Josie x

🌞What a summer we've had at Sing and Sign Leeds!

🥰A massive THANK YOU to all of you who came along to one of our Summer Specials over the last 5 weeks.
😃We had SO much fun running them, and I hope you enjoyed them too!
(Feel free to tell/tag a friend or 2 if you did!! 😉)

And now it's September 🤯 and whilst we're not quite ready to let go of summer just yet, it's one of our busiest times of year!

⏳️We are working hard getting ready for the Autumn term now, with most courses starting from 23rd-27th September (except Left Bank which starts in 11th October).

📢So if you haven't booked onto a course yet, and you would like to join us, head over here to grab a space!:

👉https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

☺️We can't wait to see you again soon!

Josie, Fleur, Sarah, Mez, & of course, Jessie Cat!

📢LAST MINUTE SPACE TOMORROW!

🌞 A space has come up for our last Summer Special at Left Bank Leeds tomorrow at 11am- do you want to join us???

❤️ Suitable for 4-24 month olds, and includes a free drink from the cafe afterwards 🤩

😃 The perfect opportunity to give us a try before our courses start!

Grab the space ASAP here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019
(Select 'special events')

See you tomorrow!

Josie x

This week's history lesson 😉

From that 1st course in Brighton in 2001, we now have 100s of courses running around the UK (and a few abroad too!)

I am personally incredibly grateful to Sasha Felix for creating something so special that supported my own parenting journey 4 times over, and now enables me to share the same benefits with so many of you here in Leeds.

We'd love you to join the Sing and Sign community and reap the benefits for your own family this autumn ❤️

Josie x

We're continuing our story about how it all began 💜.

In January 2001, the first-ever Sing and Sign classes launched in Brighton with just five parents 💫.

Using her background as a piano player and musical director, Sasha Felix created all the original music for Sing and Sign classes, adapting nursery rhymes and writing new songs that would become the backbone of the programme 🎶.

By the end of that first term, word had spread, and the classes were full!
It was clear that Sing and Sign was something special, and soon it was time to share it with even more families. The rest, as they say, is history! 😃🏆

Love from Sing and Sign x

❤ Ooo not just a new venue, but a WHOLE NEW AREA! 😃

We're bringing Sing and Sign to East Leeds (finally!) and we've got a great little venue to introduce to you. 🥰

Come and join us at St Mary's Church Whitkirk Community Centre from Tuesday 24th September for our 10 week Stage 1 course.

🤗 There's also a sneaky £10 discount available to celebrate, so get in touch for the code before you book! 🥳

Josie x

⁉️HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR PLACE FOR THE AUTUMN TERM YET⁉️

⏰️The countdown is ON for 23rd September!
1 month to go until our courses restart so make sure you have your place booked!

❤️Babes (0-6 months):
Mondays at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Wednesdays at Truly Scrummy Deli, Horsforth
Thursdays at The Bee Hub, Farsley
Fridays at Crank Studios, Morley
AND COMING SOON:
Fridays at Left Bank Leeds, Headingley from 11th Oct!

💚Stage 1 (5-14 months):
Mondays at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Tuesdays at St Mary's Church Whitkirk Community Centre, Colton (LS15)
Wednesdays at Truly Scrummy Deli, Horsforth
Thursdays at Little Leeds, Moortown
Thursdays at The Bee Hub, Farsley
Fridays at Crank Studios, Morley
AND COMING SOON:
Fridays Left Bank Leeds, Headingley from 11th Oct!

💜Stage 2 (14-24 months):
Mondays Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Wednesdays at Truly Scrummy Deli, Horsforth
Thursdays at Little Leeds, Moortown
Thursdays The Bee Hub, Farsley
Fridays Crank Studios, Morley
AND COMING SOON:
Fridays Left Bank Leeds, Headingley from 11th Oct!

👉Grab your place here, or join the waiting list if your preferred course is fully booked:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

🤩We can't wait to see you!

Josie and Jessie Cat! X

A little history lesson today lol! 🤣

❤️I was one of the thousands of families who have benefitted from signing with my babes, and now I get to help all you lovely families in Leeds benefit too! 🤩

❤️Giving our little ones a way to communicate before speech emerges, has SO many benefits to their long term communication development and its just magical when your baby can have a conversation with you through signing! 🤩

Josie x

Did you know Sing and Sign was born from a mum’s determination to help her daughter communicate? 💞👶

Back in 1999, Sasha Felix noticed her baby Francesca wasn’t babbling or pointing like other babies. But when music was involved, she was all smiles! 🎶

Sasha was told to wait until Francesca was older before seeking help, but instead, she introduced a few key signs with the guidance of a speech and language therapist. 👌

The results? Francesca's communication improved within weeks! That’s how Sing and Sign began—one mum’s simple idea that’s now helped thousands of families. 🌟

Love from Sing and Sign x

🌞 Our last 2 Summer Specials coming up!

🧸 We'll be at Little Leeds on Thursday 22nd August for our Teddy Bears picnic sessions!
❤️10am FULLY BOOKED
💚11am last couple of spaces left!

🐑🦆🐷Then we'll be at Left Bank Leeds on Friday 30th August for our last Summer Special, with a farm theme!
🧡11am last couple of spaces left!

🥰We are thrilled that so many of you have included Sing and Sign in your Summer plans!
🤩We've had 95 families join us through August and it's been brilliant!

🙏Can we get to 100?! Grab your space here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019
(Select Special events.)

See you soon!

Josie x

❤️Our Babes sessions are such lovely gentle classes for our tiniest babies.

💜Aimed at 0-6 month olds we focus on strengthening the bond you have with your little one, and finding out more about how they are communicating.

💚It's also a great way to meet other new parents as you will see the same faces each week for 5 weeks.

🧡Come and join us in September!
Head over here to see where we will be and when:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

Josie x

👶🏼 At Sing and Sign, we believe that it is never too early to start to support your little one with their communication skills.

💬 More and more frequently, we are finding that parents and carers are keen to support their little one with their language development, but don’t know where to turn…Sing and Sign is here to help!

💙 We have classes suitable for little ones from as soon as families are ready to get out to classes, until little ones are toddling about and beginning to use more language.

💛 We support parents to implement strategies, recommended by Speech and Language Therapists, into day-to-day routines. We ensure that classes are age appropriate for different stages of development and capture the interest of the target age group perfectly.

📍If you would like to find out more about Sing and Sign classes in your area, you can find your local classes on our website.

🤩 JOIN US AT Left Bank Leeds ON FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST 🤩

⏳️We've got just 2 dates left of our August Summer Specials now. It's been SO much fun that we've added another one 🤣🤣🤣

❤️When: 30th August, 11-11.45am
💜Where: Left Bank Leeds (Cardigan Rd, LS6 1LJ)
🧡Theme: at the farm

Plus a 🥳FREE🥳 Americano/Tea afterwards from the gorgeous onsite cafe!

💛 Last few spaces left for next week's Summer Specials at Little Leeds on Thursday (22nd) too for our Teddy Bears Picnic themed sessions! 🧸

☺️ We would love to see you there!

Josie x

And we'll be back with our courses in September!

In the meantime we are having SO much fun at our Summer Specials!

Come and join us in Moortown at Little Leeds next week on Thursday at 11am.

Last few spaces available:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019
(Select 'special events')

Josie x

It's always great to know that the research supports signing with your baby 😁

We'd LOVE to help you learn together and unlock your babies communication.

It's always amazing to have an insight into their world.
What are they thinking about?
What do they need?
What do they want to do next?

These are all questions your little one will be able to answer when they can sign to you!

Our Autumn term courses will start from 23rd September and we would love to meet you and your little one!

We have 3 age groups from birth to 2 years:
Babes: 0-6 months
Stage 1: 5-14 months
Stage 2: 14-24 months

Head over here to see where we will be and when:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

Some classes are already fully booked but hopefully there is one you can make.

Josie x

Wondering if baby signing might delay your baby's speech development? Good news—it doesn't! 🤩💪

Signing doesn't replace spoken words; it actually encourages babies to communicate verbally. The whole point of baby signing is to inspire more talking, not less. 👶

Using signs with your baby is a natural form of early communication, and it can even help boost language acquisition. Think about how "bye-bye" is often one of the first words babies say. 👋 We all wave to them, and they start to mimic us, eventually learning to say "bye-bye" because they enjoy the interaction and positive feedback. 💫

Baby signing works the same way for all sorts of other words. At Sing and Sign, we use simple gestures that complement spoken language, creating a fun and engaging way to communicate with your little one. 👐😊

Love from Sing and Sign x

Can't wait for lots of fun with you at The Bee Hub in Farsley TOMORROW🥳

🐷🐴🐑🦆We'll be singing and signing about what we might see at the farm, followed by a play session with all the amazing toys, inflatables, plus the sensory room! 🤩

⏳️ There are a couple of spaces left if you'd like to join us!

👉 If you have a little one between 4 and 24 months, grab a spot here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019
(Select 'special events')

See you there!

Josie x

Love being part of this fantastic organisation- it's been 10 years for me now 🤯

It's such a privilege being able to share the magic of baby sign with so many families and to watch as the little ones unlock their communication skills in front of our very eyes 🤩

But it's also a huge bonus, that our courses provide the perfect environment for families to make friends and expand their 'village' in the early months of parenthood.
I'm constantly hearing about meet ups happening before/after our sessions, and even beyond the end of our courses.

The Sing and Sign community is a special thing 🥰

We would love you to join us!

Josie x

What will you get from Sing and Sign?

🌟 COMMUNICATION: we are proud to be the multi award-winning experts in our field. Our classes focus on supporting and developing early communication from birth using simple signs alongside spoken language. Developed with, and endorsed by, Speech and Language specialists, you are in the best hands to support your baby and aid early communication 😁

🌟 CONNECTION: our classes, at all age groups, are about learning useful skills but just as importantly having fun and enjoying music together with your little one in a calm, relaxed environment. The familiar weekly class routine provides the perfect time, away from the stresses of everyday life, to focus on your baby or toddler and enjoy a wide range of musical activities, songs and interactive rhymes together. This, coupled with the increased mutual understanding you will gradually gain through being able to communicate with each other through baby signs, can lead to a heightened bond and connection with your baby. 🥰

🌟 COMMUNITY: our small group classes, as well as providing the perfect environment to learn, are a fantastic way to get to know other parents at the same stage of parenting as you. You will see the same familiar faces at class each week for the full term allowing YOU the chance to make friends as well as your baby! As Sing and Sign teachers we know of many lovely friendships that have grown out of our classes. Depending on where you attend classes you may find there are extras such as a class WhatsApp group or time for tea and chat at the end of class, and all attendees are encouraged to become members of our Jessie Cat Club - a Facebook community of Sing and Signers where you can ask questions and share signing stories. 😊

🌟 Sing and Sign has over 500 classes across the UK per week and we also have franchisees in France, Germany, Denmark and even New Zealand. 🌍 If you would like any more information, please get in touch with your local teacher.
www.singandsign.co.uk 💻

Love from, Sing and Sign xx

🤩 What a BRILLIANT day 🤩

Jessie Cat had a well earned rest this afternoon after 3 wonderful Summer Specials in Meanwood this morning 🥰

SO many cuddles and kisses from all the little ones 😘 and she loved every second!

But it's hard work being SO popular 😆

😭 MISSED OUT TODAY???

Dont panic- she'll be back at it again soon 🥳

Come and join us at The Bee Hub in Farsley on Thursday 15th August
And/or
Little Leeds in Moortown on Thursday 22nd August.

Grab a space here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019https://bkmy.uk/?SS019
(Select 'special events')

Jessie Cat would ❤️LOVE❤️ to see you!

Josie x

🌞 It's August! 🌞
And we've got 4 SUMMER SPECIALS next week 🥳🥳🥳🥳

But ONLY 1 still has spaces 😵

If you'd like to join us at 12pm at Valley Urban farm on Monday, grab a space here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

I'd LOVE to see you! ❤️

Josie x

🥳ANOTHER SUMMER SPECIAL ADDED!🥳

I'll be sticking around in Meanwood on Monday for a 3rd session at 12pm!

⏳️ Bookings are OPEN so grab a spot ASAP here:
https://bkmy.uk/?SS019

See you there!

Josie x

🌞 SUMMER SPECIALS START THIS WEEK! 🌞

And the sun has come out too! 😁

🥳 We can't wait to see lots of you over the next few weeks!

⏳️ If you haven't booked a space yet head over here ASAP and grab one of the last remaining spaces:
👉 bkmy.uk/?SS019

Horsforth 31st July 10am SPACES
Farsley 15th August 9.45am SPACES
Moortown 22nd August 11am SPACES

Josie x

❓️Considering joining us in the autumn❓️

🤷‍♀️ Why not come along to one of our SUMMER SPECIALS to see what Sing and Sign is all about?

☺️ Lots of families who came along last term will be there so you can find out what it's really like from them - and maybe even see their little ones signing! 🤞

❤️ We kick off next week in Horsforth on Wednesday at the amazing Truly Scrummy Deli, with a FREE HOT DRINK for you after the session!

⏳️ Last spaces available at 10am on 31st July.

👉 Head over here to grab a space:

bkmy.uk/?SS019
🌞 Select Special events to see our summer specials timetable and book your space.

See you there!

Josie x

Gestures are more than just cute - they reveal a lot about a baby's thought processes. 🌈

When a baby uses a gesture, it means they can think about and represent things in their minds, which is an important step before they start talking. 👋

For example, when a baby signs "hat" or "book," they are not just mimicking; they are showing they understand and can represent these objects in their minds. 📚🧸 This is called "symbolic thinking" and is a key building block for future language and learning. 🤩

So pay attention to these early signs of symbolic thinking. They give you a unique insight into your baby's cognitive development! 😍

Love from Sing and Sign x

It really is THE BEST! 🤩

🥺 I really miss having a signing little one at home these days- my 'baby' is almost 5 😵

But I just ❤️LOVE❤️ seeing your little ones signing in class, and hearing about what they are signing at home.

🌞Keep it up through the summer break, and don't forget to come along to a SUMMER SPECIAL for a top up before we start back in the Autumn!

See you soon,
Josie x

The first time you have a “conversation” with your baby, even if it’s basic, is a magical moment 🤩🥰.

Gestures and early words help you understand each other and make communication enjoyable. It’s a beautiful window into their little minds 👶.

Baby signing can enhance these early conversations, giving your baby tools to express themselves more clearly. When your baby signs "eat" or "sleep," it feels like you’re having a real dialogue, paving the way for richer communication 👌💫.

These early exchanges are not only heartwarming but also crucial for developing a strong parent-child bond and supporting your baby's social and emotional skills 💞.

Love from Sing and Sign x