Anne-Marie Wilkins of Diddi Dance tells us how dancing at preschool age can help instill the benefits of excercise for life.

Does your toddler rarely want to sit still? Do they have what feels like endless energy? Feel like you’ve tried everything to tire them out? Why not try dancing. ……

Dancing even for the under 4s is not only a great way of keeping fit and active but it’s also GREAT FUN! If you find the right style that your toddler loves then they can learn key skills too. Dancing helps with co-ordination and gross motor skills as well as rhythm. Dance is also a great confidence builder and can help with social skills.

Dance is just for girls though right? Wrong, if your toddler is a boy you’ll know he wants to jump around to his favourite music just as much as his female friends. He may not want to be a ballerina or fairy but give him a toy guitar and he’s a rock and roll star! Plus boys need tiring out just as much, if not more than girls and what better way to do this than 45 minutes of jumping, turning, galloping, moving and shaking?

With obesity rates in under 4s at their highest right now exercise is so important to avoid this continuing into later life. Exercise should be enjoyed. In the first few years of every child’s life how they view exercise is instilled and their view will stay with them for life so teach them that it can be great fun. Dance is an ideal way of doing this. Put on music and let them do their own thing at home or find a funky session that teaches all the key elements in a professional and fun way.  You want to make sure the teacher is inspiring and full of energy to keep the children engaged. The session should be action packed and full of exciting props and catchy music so they cant resist getting up to join in.

To see if you have a funky dance class in your area why not look up Diddi Dance. The sessions are taught by experienced professionals following inspiring lesson plans that explore lots of different dance styles from hip hop to salsa and country to rock and roll.

Find out more at www.diddidance.com if you don’t currently have classes locally then don’t worry we are recruiting enthusiastic energetic franchisees across the country all the time so there will be a class near you very soon!

Part 2 of our Baby Signing feature, Shelley Ensor from Little Signers Club tells us all about how you can start communication with your child way before they even start talking.

Baby signing provides incredible insight into your baby’s world, long before they have a chance to speak their first words. Witness the transition of a squalling infant to a confident communicating baby.  

“Taking Sam to baby signing classes was a crucial turning point and the best decision I have ever made in what had been a hard and emotional first six months of being a Mummy.  I truly believe that baby signing opened a gateway in his mind, enhanced his brain development and helped him to become a calmer, more communicative baby. 

No frustration, no fidgeting…instead there were smiles, laughter and one contented little boy who I was at last able to understand and enjoy.” Frances, baby signing Mummy to Sam

As if by magic, your baby becomes a person with imagination, thought and a personality.  Being with your baby is even more fun, you look for their response, curiosity and input – in short your interaction with your baby, and thus your bonding process, is more engaging.  Not only that, it can be put into practice with every baby, hearing or otherwise.  Signing with your baby is something that the whole family can get involved in – mum, dad, siblings and other relatives or care givers – and see equal rewards.  

“I think somehow it’s easier for mums to develop ways of communicating with babies, they seem innately able to read those subtle cues, tell the difference between cries, but baby signing unlocks some of these mysteries for everyone. As a father I feel like I can meet my son’s needs now. When he first signed to me that he needed a nappy change (at 4 months old!), and he did, I was bowled over!”   Ben, baby signing Daddy to Fin

Scientifically proven benefits:

The amount of research in the area of pre-speech communication is staggering.  For over 30 years Dr Joseph Garcia, the world’s leading authority on baby signing, has been providing some of the most exciting and authoritative research in this field.  So what are the benefits of signing with your baby?  Here are just a few of the recognised (and scientifically proven) benefits:

•Removes distress and therefore a baby’s need to cry in order to get what they may need.  

•Reduces your baby’s stress levels and the release of the stress hormone cortisol in both baby and parent.

•Provides your baby with and easy way to communicate with you – before they can talk!

•Strengthens the bond between you and your baby, helping to develop secure attachment

•Increases your baby’s confidence

•Better and more complex language development – generally at an earlier age.

•Really helpful for multi-lingual families as the sign remains the same whatever language(s) you may use

•When speech begins, signing can help you to distinguish what your baby actually means leading to less frustration and anger.  

•Reinforces memory and creative skills

•Helps in the development of language and literacy skills which is at the heart of young children’s learning; children need to communicate effectively to learn and develop other skills

A note on development

At 12-15 months, babies have just ten words most of which will be unclear.  At the same age, they have sufficient motor control to use many signs to communicate their needs to their parents.  

With the suggestion that up to 90% of toddler tantrums are due to just 4 needs and their inability to express clearly their need to eat, drink, sleep or receive comfort.

The use of 4 simple signs could reduce that frustration and with huge focus on the detrimental effects of stress on babies at the moment, it’s possible to see why using signing could help to relieve stress very easily.

Sadly, there is still a huge misconception that sign language is just for the hard of hearing or those with special educational needs. In some circles it’s considered a fad, not necessary for development. But the research is compelling and what’s more, it’s becoming more and more commonplace as parents become aware of the amazing insight they get into their little ones world. Let’s not forget that deaf parents sign with their babies from birth, be they hearing babies or not.

As our babies become pre-schoolers, verbal communication comes more naturally but our little ones are trying to get to grips with some huge emotional development – anger, frustration, tears, joy, happiness, sorry, love………and there is all that physical development too. Its long been advocated that you should help your child to identify their emotions by statements such as “I can see that you are really cross with Mummy right now, but the answer is no” or “You look so happy – being on the swings is such fun!” but what if you could help your child to take that one step further? By using sign language at the same time as making these statements, you then empower your child to identify and communicate their own feelings instead of projecting what you think is the problem for them.

Without a shadow of doubt, the most frustrating time of life is in the second year of a child’s life (12-24 months) and it is during this period that baby signing really does make a real and lasting difference. In a swirling vortex of development and sensory overload, children who don’t know how to communicate their feelings easily resort to lashing out or biting or meltdowns.

Toddlers and Pre-schoolers

Although our children have generally started to communicate using speech by this point, moving into the pre-school years there are still issues.  Sometimes the words themselves are overwhelming.   Children can’t think of the correct word or they have so much that they want to say that the words will not form. They stutter and stumble trying to communicate, becoming more and more frustrated with themselves when using just a few gestures can alleviate this problem for them until they are more confident with the necessary vocabulary.  Signing also helps you, the parent, to discern what your child means and you can gently correct their pronunciation.

I have the situation at home with my 3 year old who at the drop of a hat and for no seeming reason, resorts to tantrums. Her vocabulary is excellent; her use of language, for her age, astounding. She is a confident and articulate child most of the time, a common outcome with most signing babies.  Why the tantrums? Life is simply overwhelming for her. She can’t cope with everything that assails her senses on a daily basis and when she is tired, she loses the ability to communicate clearly what she wants or what has upset her with speech. So instead, I talk to her and ask her to show me, with her signs, how I can help her. It benefits us both – firstly she has my absolute and undivided attention as I have to be completely focused on her to see her signs and secondly, she can tell me that she needs a cuddle, that she’s tired, hungry or wants her bear. The storm passes and calm is restored.

From babies to grandparents – we can all benefit from learning to sign. It’s so simple, readily available quite literally at your fingertips – and contrary to popular belief, results in more confident little ones with better speech development at an earlier age than their peers when done correctly.

Find out more

The results of baby signing are so convincing that thousands of people now sign with babies throughout the country.  It’s recommended that you start signing with your baby from 5 months.

Our Top Tips on how to get started with baby signing

1.Is your baby clapping and waving?  Then your baby is definitely ready to begin!

2.Pick a few signs, relevant to your family, that you are happy to do consistently.  It’s easier to remember and concentrate on 6 or 10 rather than dozens of signs.

3.Always say the word as you sign it

4.Make sure you have eye contact with your baby!

5.Repetition, Repetition – Repetition.  The more you sign, the more likely it is that your baby will copy you

6.Is your baby staring at you, laughing at you, getting excited when you sign to them?  If so, you can be sure they are taking it all in…

7.Have fun!  Babies love to laugh and signing is a great way to engage them.

FIVE SIGNS TO GET YOU STARTED: (click to view larger)

© sign graphics Cath Smith from the LET’S SIGN Serieswww.DeafBooks.co.uk

You can find out more about learning to sign with your little one, tips on how to start and the numerous benefits at http://www.littlesignersclub.co.uk

© Little Signers Club June 2010

Baby signing has never been as popular as a means of pre-speech communication.

With increasing interest in using sign language with children under five, Signing Hands; Baby Signing Basics has been developed to help parents and carers access sign language easily and affordably.

 Produced in collaboration with leading British Sign Language author Cath Smith and authored by experienced baby signing teacher Lizzie Betts, this starter guide to baby signing has been illustrated in an enchanting collage style by Jo Cauldrick, which will delight babies and parents alike.

With first signs, engaging pictures, tips and exercises Signing Hands; Baby Signing Basics quickly and simply shows parents how to communicate with their babies correctly through the use of sign language.  

“Who wouldn’t want their child to be the first amongst their peers to be communicating, to be the most chilled out, to be happier, to have a real head-start?”

 Available from 1^st September 2010 from Little Learner Books  - www.littlelearnerbooks.co.uk

COMPETITION!

Shelley is giving away 3 copies of the above book ‘Signing Hands; Baby Signing Basics’. To enter the competition, click here. (The competition is open until 15 October 2010). Winners will be notified by Shelley after this date.

Libby Hill from Smart Talkers discusses the decline of listening skills

We take the development of communication for granted but it is actually the best achievement of our lifetime. There, is however,  a very alarming national decline in speech, language and communication skills which means that at least 40,000 children started school in 2009 without adequate spoken language ability (Wright, J., 2009) and a Government report in 2008 showed that this can be as high as 50% of children in some areas (Bercow, J.). The Government’s Communication Tsar Jean Gross, reported that ‘at least’ 1 in every 6 three year olds has a recognised difficulty while many, many more were undetected. Today’s demands of the reception class teacher are tremendous yet the children are starting school without the necessary pre-requisite skills. Spoken language skills are the building blocks for written language and almost every educational task pre-supposes a certain level of ability.

I carried out a study recently involving 100 schools across the country, which showed 100 % Primary Head Teachers were extremely concerned about declining speech, language and communication skills. The main problem they believed was a lack of listening skills.

We live in a very visual, fast- paced age and often the first time a child is required to do any formal listening is when they start school. Many, many children have to be taught to attend and listen before they can begin the demands of the national curriculum. I started my Small Talker groups to try to address this issue.  We work on ‘active listening’.

A lot of parents and staff will repeatedly say “Listen!” But what does that mean to a 3 year old? Listening is not a passive skill, it’s an active one and therefore one that needs to be learned. We tend to get quite poor results if we say “Behave!” to our little ones. It means very little, whereas if we describe the behaviour we want, they are more likely to understand what we require of them and then we might have some chance of them doing what we’ve asked. For example, if we want them to be quiet, sit still and not run around in the GP waiting room it better to tell them that than ask them to ‘Behave!’ Many parents and lots of teachers know this and act accordingly. We need to treat listening the same way.

Active listening can be broken down in to:

•good sitting

•good looking

•good waiting

•good thinking

You wouldn’t expect good thinking until school age and it’s very hard to do good waiting as a 3 or 4 year old (it’s hard enough for this 47 year old to wait if she’s got something to say!) Which is why they find it hard to wait for their turn or to let others answer a question to which they know the answer.

Our Small Talker groups (for 3 and 4 year olds) work on the first 3 components of active listening. We use a puppet to demonstrate ‘not good’ sitting so that he actually mirrors some of their behaviours e.g. picking the carpet to picking their noses. They are asked to help the puppet ‘because he’s not naughty, he’s just got to learn’. They have to look for the ‘un-desired’ behaviour and say ‘stop, do good sitting’. They are usually excellent at identifying the behaviour in the puppet although they may still be doing the same themselves for a while. Afterwards, I put the puppet where he can ‘watch’ them do good sitting so he can learn by example. I then monitor the behaviour in a very positive way so that I praise good sitting (and the wriggly ones usually sit up in an aim to please) or if that doesn’t work I ask the wriggly ones to help the puppet by showing him ‘good sitting’. If they are constantly nagged to sit still or to listen, they will switch off. It’s amazing how well they respond to this approach. I have had a few run-ins with TA’s and parents who have been completely peed off with my approach because they are itching to dictate ‘Will you sit still, now!’ However, I’ve asked them to trust me and watch what happens even if I am irritating them….  we’ve had some great results!
www.smarttalkers.org.uk or www.smalltalk-ltd.co.uk

or visit our blog: smarttalkers.blogspot.com

About Me:

I’m Libby Hill, single parent to 2 young boys. I’m a specialist speech and language therapist with Small Talk Independent Speech and Language Therapy, which I set up in 2007. We’re now a team of Therapists and assistants that covers Staffordshire. We also run Smart Talkers Pre-School Communication Groups, which is a series of pre-school classes concentrating on communication, which are available to franchise across the country.