Makaton Signing for Babies and Families - Gedling Library - Adult Learning

Gedling Library, Gedling

Date	16 April - 21 May 2026
Sessions	Thursdays: 11am - 12pm
No. sessions	6
Venue	Gedling Library, Gedling View venue details
For ages	19+
Group size	5 - 8
Cost	FREE - £24

About this course

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.

What will learners achieve by the end of the course?

To have fun and spend quality time with your baby/toddler using Makaton.
To describe how Makaton helps with the development of communication and language skills in babies and toddlers.
Learn 100 signs.
Be able to select signs that are important to you and your family and incorporate them in your everyday routines.
Use key Makaton signs in songs, stories and games.

What you will need to bring to the course:

Blanket to sit on.

Small toy rabbit and bubbles to blow.

Drink and snack.

Booking your place and fee information

If you receive 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 funding page for further information.

Residency in England

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must be living in England permanently and live outside of the devolved areas listed below or live within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) devolved area (Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire).

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

Residency Eligibility – other criteria

If you are living in the UK on a visa we will require evidence of this in order to be funded for the course, you can upload this evidence when you apply for the course. (completion of a questionnaire will be required).

Some exceptions may apply for example

Your visa expiry date must be beyond the end of your course
Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for 6 months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office
You are receiving local authority support under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014

Any learner who is not funded full cost fees would apply to these courses.