Sing And Sign (DVD)

"Time to sing and time to sign, are you ready for music time? We feel happy and we feel fine, everyone sing and sign!"

... So begins this fantastic DVD to help hearing babies with very early communication skills. It's great fun and is not like any other action songs DVD.


What is Sing and Sign?

The 'Sing and Sign' concept was invented by a lady called Sasha Felix, in Brighton, in 2001. ...
...Signalong. The idea behind sing and sign is that babies want to communicate right from birth and are born to be sociable. Sing and sign is a fun way to help both parents and babies understand each other better. There are clear hand signs to accompany the words in the songs.
Sing and sign classes started up in Brighton and gradually became more popular, spreading out across the country. They proved to be so popular that this DVD/Video was ... more

"Time to sing and time to sign, are you ready for music time? We feel happy and we feel fine, everyone sing and sign!"

... So begins this fantastic DVD to help hearing babies with very early communication skills. It's great fun and is not like any other action songs DVD.

What is Sing and Sign?

The 'Sing and Sign' concept was invented by a lady called Sasha Felix, in Brighton, in 2001. She uses traditional nursery rhymes and her own creations, along with hand signs based on British Sign Language and is compatible with Makaton and Signalong. The idea behind sing and sign is that babies want to communicate right from birth and are born to be sociable. Sing and sign is a fun way to help both parents and babies understand each other better. There are clear hand signs to accompany the words in the songs.
Sing and sign classes started up in Brighton and gradually became more popular, spreading out across the country. They proved to be so popular that this DVD/Video was created.
The website has all sorts of parents and experts opinoins on 'Sing and Sign' and also tells you where your nearest local class is. It also tells you how to set up as a Sing and Sign teacher yourself if you are interested.

My Experiences

I first bought the video of this after reading about it in a parent's magazine. The article directed me to singandsign.com. I had not heard about sing and sign before and was very excited at the concept of babies being able to communicate effectively before speech, as it eases some of the frustrations for the baby and the parent.

We have used the video so much that it started to wear out. It was only available in video format when I bought it, so the DVD is a welcome addition. Looking at the vastly improved website now, I see that a second DVD is due to be released soon as the first one has been so popular. I would recommend having a look at the web site to help you see what the DVD and Sing and Sign concept gives you. There is a lot more information on it now than when I first looked at it in 2002.

I sent off for the video from singandsign.com in 2002, when our first baby was born. It has been in constant use ever since.

It is reassuring to find a video/dvd which benefits both parent and child so much. It encourages the parent to sit and join in with the rhymes and actions as there is so much benefit to both parties. With something like the Tweenies, it is tempting to leave your child to it, while you get on with something else! (Nobody wants to admit to this, but most people do it sometimes, I think!)

The signs are so easy to use, that you can incorporate them in every daily activity until it becomes second nature. My son is three now, and still uses the signs for "please" and "sorry" along with the spoken word without even realising it.

In one of the pictures below, my little girl is signing "bird". She loves to look at them in the trees at the bottom of the garden and points them out. Her first 'signed' word was 'drink', so I knew when she was thirsty. She loves animals, so the section in the DVD featuring animals is a favourite of hers.

Recently we have also been watching a programme made by CBeebies called 'Something Special'. This also uses the Makaton language and they also have songs on it. The programme features children with learning disabilities but it appeals to every child. My children can't get enough of it. I mention this programme beacuse I am really impressed that this sort of education is becoming more widely known about as all children have to mix together and communicate with each other. A little boy who lives across the road from us uses Makaton in his everyday life and I feel that since I have become aware of this different way of communicating, I am also encouraging my children to see it as second nature. They will be able to understand how their neighbour feels a little easier, and frustrations are broken down for everyone.
My 3 year old recently performed his Nursery School Summer concert, and I was interested to see that the children performed 'When Goldilocks went to the house of the Bears' using Makaton signs to accompany their singing. They had been learning about people who communicate in various ways. I felt quite excited that he had had an introduction to this kind of communication form an early age.

What's on the Sing and Sign DVD?

This DVD introduces you to signs for words that babies will want to use from the outset, such as, 'drink', 'more', 'all gone' etc. It uses familiar songs and tunes which we all know from childhood, so it is very easy to 'get into the swing' of. There are some great new songs incorporating various animals, playground activities, methods of transport which all show real children having fun and communicating with their parents.

There is a mixture of real life video with Sasha singing and signing in the corner, and groups of parents with children in a circle led by Sasha. Sasha has a great expressive face and really gets the children entranced in the songs. She is not a 'teacher', but lets the children pick up what they want, when they want, to get the most out of it. There is a little hand puppet cat she uses, called Jessie who seems to be a firm favourite in the hiding songs!
The songs are simple and easy to pick up. The signs are only used on the most obvious parts of the songs to get the meaning across. A parent or a baby would not be able to pick any of it up if there was constant signing all the way through.

I have found myself using the signs learned from this DVD quite a lot in every day life with my children. You can also teach other family members, such as Grandparents, the signs, which makes them feel more involved with the children too. Once you get used to it, these signs feel very comfortable and a natural progression. Your baby will start to point or wave on their own, so why not pick up on their desire to use signals like this for anything. Sasha points out on the DVD that you can always make up your own signs for familiar people or objects. There are no hard and fast 'rules'. It's a great way of having fun.

I would thoroughly recommend this DVD to anyone with babies to help them feel more confident with communication from the start.

It is fantastic value for money, as I have mentioned before. I can't wait to introduce our new baby to it. My older children will get a sense of satisfaction at being able to communicate with their new sibling too.

It currently costs £17.99 from singandsign.com and the video is also available.

 

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