Makaton Signing for Babies and Families - St Johns Centre - Family Learning

• Date: 20 February - 1 April 2025
• Sessions: Tuesdays: 11am - 12pm
• No. sessions: 6
• Venue: St John's Centre, Mansfield
• For ages: 19+
• Group size: 5 - 16
• Cost: FREE - £21

Makaton Signing for Babies and Families (MSBF) is for parents, family members or carers who would like to sign with babies and children in their care and have no previous experience of Makaton. These sessions are designed for you and your little one to have fun and learn together. This course is taught by a licensed Makaton Trainer.

Makaton is a communication system that uses speaking, signing and symbols. Before children speak they use gestures, pointing and facial expressions to communicate with us. Makaton helps to develop those natural skills.

The course is a fun and easy way to learn to sign with your little one. Signing while speaking has been shown to encourage the development of communication and language skills. It can help reduce frustrations and help you to understand your baby’s needs and wants.

Makaton Signing for Babies is provided as a series of sessions for you and your baby. Together you will learn up to 100 signs and have fun practising them in songs, games and activities.

You will be provided with a copy of the ‘Makaton Signing for Babies Pocket Book of Signs and Symbols’ at the second session.

By the end of the course, you will have learned:

A range of strategies and activities for supporting your baby/child/ren with fun and interactive learning incorporating it into everyday routines. On successful completion you will be presented with a certificate and a 30 day free access to the Makaton Charity website.

Resources required:

• Bubbles to blow.
• Toy cuddly rabbit, small toy bus and a ball.
• A blanket to sit on.
• Water and snack.
• Week 5 – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book
• Week 6 – Dear Zoo Book

Suggested Reading for the course:

• Play and Learn with your Baby (The Baby Club) by Sally Smith ISBN 9780241410219
• My first Makaton symbols and signs book by Tom Pollard ISBN 9781907864056
• Website of the Makaton Charity: Makaton.org

If you are in receipt of certain benefits you will be offered the course for free, however if you have a financial barrier which may prevent you from enrolling on the course, please visit our webpage for further information https://www.inspireculture.org.uk/skills-learning/funding-your-courses/

To secure your place on the course BOTH the following must be done:

• Complete the EVENTBRITE BOOKING, AND
• Complete our INSPIRE ONLINE ENROLMENT FORM for each person attending the course.

You should be redirected to the Inspire Online Enrolment Form after completing the Eventbrite booking. If you are not redirected, please use the link supplied in the Eventbrite booking confirmation email.

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must have been living in England and have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years.

Some exceptions may apply if you are living in England with evidence of the right to remain and are from an EEU/EEAU country (completion of a questionnaire will be required). As we no longer receive funding for our ESFA-funded courses for learners living in the devolved areas listed below, full cost fees would apply to these courses if you live in these areas:

• Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Greater London
• Greater Manchester
• Liverpool City Region
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland
• Tees Valley
• West of England
• West Midlands
• West Yorkshire

Check the FAQs page, or get in touch:

• By phone: 01623 677 200
• By email: [email protected]

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