Questions
about the Signs:
What
Sign Language do you use?
Musical Hands teaches Makaton Signs.
We are not currently offering the Makaton Signing for Babies
speech and language programme course. However, it is available
as a 6 week course for anyone interested, but is especially
beneficial for any children with a special need.
What
is Makaton?
Makaton is a complete language programme using signs and
symbols and speech to encourage communication skills. It
was developed in the 1970's and all the signs used in Makaton
are taken from British Sign Language (BSL), which is the
language of the deaf community in Britain. Unlike BSL there
are no regional variations in Makaton and the signs are
ALWAYS accompanied by speech.
Is
Signing only for Special Needs Children?
No. Signing was first developed to support children and
adults with communication and learning difficulties.
However,
it is now a popular way to encourage language development
across all ages and abilities and research has shown that
signing helps develop early communication skills, social
interaction, language, speech and literacy.
Musical
Hands Classes are for all abilities.
What are the main aims of
using signs?
For communication, to help with understanding, to help develop
language skills, to build relationships, to reduce frustrations,
to develop literacy skills.
Are
the signs hard to learn?
No, Signing with your baby or toddler is fun and easy.
Does signing benefit my child?
Yes. Signing enhances and encourages the development of
communication, vocalisation and language skills between
you and your child.
As
well as being fun and easy to learn it has been shown to
help reduce frustrations and help you in understanding your
child’s wants and needs.
Will
signing hinder my child from talking?
No. The signs used in class are never silent – they
are always spoken or sung. The children and parents learn
the signs alongside the words, which encourages vocalisation
and aids speech, rather than hindering it.
Experience
and research actually indicates that when Signing is introduced,
it encourages speech and can help babies to be more sociable.
Can
I still come to class if I am not keen on learning the signs?
Yes. You and your child can learn as many or as little of
the signs as you wish. If you do not want to sign with your
child then you can still enjoy the variety of other activities
in class or even come along just for the social side.
How
structured is the content of the signs in each class?
Each class will always involve signs but the content will
vary weekly. I actively encourage parents / guardians to
have input towards the content of future classes.
Questions
about the Singing / Music:
Does
Music benefit my child?
Yes. Music, singing, musical instruments and even the nursery
rhymes can be extremely valuable in enhancing personal,
social and educational development – particularly
for young children.
Children
learn about being in groups, watching, listening, sharing
and because young children thrive on repetition, singing
familiar songs and encouraging them to make music, is greatly
beneficial.
It
is suggested that music aids memory development and retrieval
in preschool aged children and that it is important to the
overall development of a child’s physical, emotional
and psychological well-being.
Do
I need to be able to sing to come to classes?
You do not need any special musical ability to enjoy Musical
Hands classes.
Questions
about the Dancing / Movement:
How
much dance features in the class?
The dance in the baby and toddler classes is very minimal
and basic and focuses more on the musicality and movement
to music than any structured dance movements.
The
pre-school classes have a greater dance element and children
will learn dance movements, develop spatial awareness and
increase their flexibility.
Does
dance benefit my child?
Yes. Dance teaches children to follow instructions, can
aid the development of self-confidence and self-esteem,
encourages mental and emotional development, enhances motor
skills and keeps the children active.
My
child has never been to a dance class, will they be able
to keep up?
Again, as with the music you do not need to have any dance
experience to enjoy musical hands classes.
Questions
about the Baby Yoga:
Do
I have to have previous yoga experience?
No. Regardless of your previous Yoga experience you will
still be able to enjoy the Mother and Baby Yoga and Massage
Classes.
What
are the benefits of baby yoga?
There are many benefits both physical and psychological
to both the baby and you. A few of the many benefits are
that baby yoga stimulates the digestive and nervous systems,
aids a more restful and deeper sleep, more settled behaviour,
stimulation of the vestibular system, bonding between mother
and baby, healing any birth trauma's, post-natal postures
and alignments for the mother, social interaction with other
babies and mothers....and many more!
Babies
enjoy and benefit from the cumulative effects of touch,
movement, rhythm and relaxation and as a parent you will
also share in this enjoyment and benefit.
Signing
& Special Needs Websites:
www.specialfriendsonline.com
www.makaton.org
www.forestbooks.com
www.cbeebies.co.uk
www.britishsignlanguage.com
Yoga
Websites:
www.birthlight.com
www.yogapages.co.uk
