Imagine being housebound with a baby or toddler, day and night, for months on end. That has been the reality for thousands of young families during this health crisis lockdown. Not being able to socialise, or have the support from their friends and families, has been tough.
Having a baby can be hard at the best of times. It’s exhausting, with limited sleep. It’s overwhelming, not knowing what you’re doing. It can be lonely, being away from others.
Loneliness can have a serious impact on mental health, leading to depression, stress, anxiety, and feeling unable to cope. Then add on a lockdown…
Young families need interaction with others!
Socialising develops important life-skills for children, playing with others and learning difficult concepts, such as sharing and turn-taking! Adults forge new friendships, ‘all in it together’, as they navigate this exciting but challenging new time in their lives. They realise they’re not alone, that others are going through it too, with similar experiences. This all leads to positive parenting: everyone doing their very best to raise their children. Social interaction, and connecting with others, is key.
Usually there is a plethora of baby and toddler classes out there, with baby signing, singing, dancing, swimming, massage and art all on offer!
Signing, in particular, is proved to benefit post-natal depression significantly, releasing natural happy endorphins. Baby signing allows parents to understand their children long before they’re able to talk, relieving parents of the frustration from ‘guesswork’ and giving babies a means to express themselves. Just spending time with other parents and carers, connecting over shared experiences, improves wellbeing.
In this current health crisis, the world has turned upside down. However many classes have gone online and the very best ones are live and interactive. They provide all the fun of a face-to-face class but from the comfort of your own home. If the camera is turned off (or even if it isn’t) you can take part in your pyjamas!
TinyTalk Baby Signing wants to give everyone a big boost through this lockdown! We’ve got 4 free sessions of mini-classes, bedtime stories and late-night lullabies every week, all free and on our YouTube channel: the ‘TinyTalk Video Hub’.
Every Tuesday and Thursday there’ll be lively morning mini-classes at 9.00am to sign and sing along to, to get everyone feeling happier and connected. And there’ll be 7.00pm gentle evening bedtime stories and late-night lullabies to soothe and comfort. We are officially extending the season of ‘comfort and joy’ – it’s not just for Christmas and definitely allowed in lockdowns!
We want to support and give joy to our lovely TinyTalk families as much as possible. See you on Tuesday morning at 9.00am for our live mini-class! You won’t want to miss out!
Founded in 2002 by Katie Mayne, an experienced Primary School Teacher and Teacher of the Deaf, the multi award-winning company has helped thousands of young families understand each other better.
Laura Green, the local teacher in Nottingham West says: “The TinyTalk Hub is SUCH a great idea to provide a snapshot into the classes and also give families a break in the day! I was honoured to be the first to deliver a mini class and loved the feedback I got the from families. Joining TinyTalk last September I have found it to be a hard but very rewarding journey. I love running the classes and enjoy seeing all the families having fun and getting involved! It’s also helped with my own mental health as it has given me a focus and something to work towards I feel very lucky being able to support my families online, all of us going through lockdown together. I am getting such great feedback, saying it is “much-needed normality each week when everything else is so different”
It’s a winning combination that TinyTalk baby signing classes offer, marrying education and entertainment with a close and supportive community. TinyTalk’s commitment to their young families is impressive: quality teaching for the little ones and a social ‘safe space’ for the adults, providing a much-needed lifeline.
No one knows how much longer we will all be in lockdown, unable to spend time, physically, with our loved ones. Until then, TinyTalk is doing all it can for its class families – being there for them and their little ones – as we all go through it together.
To find your nearest TinyTalk teacher, visit www.tinytalk.co.uk or www.tinytalk.ch.