Have you ever wished you could know exactly what your baby is thinking?
Long before first words appear, babies are desperate to communicate. They want to share excitement, request help, label what they see and connect with you. Baby signing offers a gentle, research-informed way to bridge that gap between wanting to communicate and being able to speak.
At Baby College, we introduce simple, practical signs in our baby classes near you to support early communication and strengthen the parent–child bond.
What Is Baby Signing?
Baby signing uses symbolic gestures to represent key words. It is not a replacement for speech. Instead, it supports spoken language development and helps babies communicate before speech is fully established.
At Baby College we use signs from Makaton, which are compatible with other major UK signing programmes.
Importantly, baby signing is about enhancing communication – not accelerating it artificially.
Why Does Signing Make Sense Developmentally?
Motor development happens earlier than speech.
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Babies typically show a desire to communicate around 6 months.
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The first communicative gestures (such as pointing) usually appear between 8–10 months .
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First spoken words tend to emerge around 12 months.
There is a natural gap between wanting to communicate and being able to do so verbally. Signing builds on skills babies already have – hand movements and gestures – to reduce frustration and increase shared understanding.
One well-designed study found that a child’s use of gestures to refer to objects is related to later uptake of spoken labels
Gesture-plus-word combinations also predicted later two-word phrases.
In simple terms: gestures and speech grow together.
Does Baby Signing Increase IQ?
You may have seen bold claims online suggesting signing leads to higher intelligence or dramatically earlier speech.
The research is more balanced.
While some early studies suggested possible short-term vocabulary benefits, later reviews have found that long-term language differences tend to level out
At Baby College, we focus on what is supported by evidence:
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Increased parent responsiveness
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Greater visual engagement
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More opportunities for shared attention
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Boosted confidence when babies successfully communicate
And importantly, there is no evidence of harm
Signing Is About Connection
Perhaps the greatest benefit of signing is relational.
When you sign with your baby:
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You slow down.
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You make eye contact.
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You exaggerate facial expression and tone.
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You become more tuned in to non-verbal cues.
This “infant-directed” communication style supports bonding and language learning.
Signing sessions in Baby College classes are joyful, playful and pressure-free. Some children pick up many signs. Others simply enjoy the interaction. Both are perfectly normal.
How to Start at Home
Keep it simple.
Start with one or two practical signs such as:
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“Milk”
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“More”
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“Eat”
Always say the word as you sign it.
Use it consistently and naturally. Babies learn through repetition – just like they learn to wave goodbye because we model it repeatedly
Most importantly: keep it fun. There is no “wrong” way to sign.
Why Try Baby Signing at Classes Near You?
When you join a Baby College class, you benefit from:
🧠 Evidence-based insights
👶 Developmentally appropriate activities
🎵 Songs and repetition that support memory
💛 A welcoming, non-judgemental community
If you’ve been searching for “baby signing classes near me” or “baby development classes near me”, we would love to welcome you.
Because confident parents make better parenting decisions.
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