Bump and Sign – Discover the Benefits of Signing Before Baby Arrives!

Activity Description

*Bump and Sign – Discover the Benefits of Signing Before Baby Arrives*

Hello! My name is Jules and I’d love to tell you more about Bump and Sign. If you’d like to know anything specific about signing with your baby and to join the waiting list, please send me a message at [email protected]

*What Is Baby Sign Language?*
You may have heard all about ‘baby sign language’ by now? And heard about the many benefits other families experience by being able to communicate using sign language (gross motor skills) before baby can communicate with spoken language (fine motor skills). So I won’t explain all of that here… For more information about the benefits of signing with babies please visit my website – www.famlingo.co.uk

*What is Bump and Sign?*
Bump and Sign aims to provide a space for expecting parents to meet, get to know each other, and learn signs from British Sign Language (BSL) BEFORE baby arrives. This allows plenty of time to form new local connections and learn a new form of communication – visual language!

*What is BSL?*
British Sign Language (BSL) is one of the UK’s native/natural (indigenous) languages. The other main indigenous languages in the UK are Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Cornish) AND BSL is was first ever recorded sign language meaning we have the “oldest” sign language in the world!

*Is Sign Language Universal?*
Short answer… no 🙂 Just like spoken languages can be very different, signed languages also differ from country to country too. This may seem confusing or surprising at first, but as we know people can have very different spoken accents and we often use various words to mean the same thing without thinking about it. The same is true for signed languages. Please don’t worry about all that! In these sessions we will keep things simple!

*Is BSL used in Schools?*
Yes! Sadly, not all schools due to lack of funding and qualified BSL tutors but certainly many schools in the UK use British Sign Language and some schools teach BSL rather than some of the traditionally taught spoken languages. Hopefully by the time your children take their GCSEs, the BSL GCSE will be readily available to study in secondary schools in the UK.
Current news on the BSL GCSE can be found here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/12/british-sign-language-gcse-everything-you-need-to-know/

*What Will I Gain By Joining Bump and Sign?*
New connections and communication! Famlingo was born to teach family sign! We teach British signs because we believe in protecting and promoting British Sign Language. Learning BSL not only helps to enhance communication between you and your family but improves communication for the wider UK community who use BSL – 150, 000 and counting!

*What is the Wider Impact of learning BSL?*
“Every sign learned is an act of allyship.” – The British Deaf Association (www.BDA.org.uk)
The signs learned during Bump and Sign can help you and your family to enhance communication and reduce frustration when your baby is not able to communicate with spoken language. However, you may not realise that by learning BSL you will also be having a much wider positive impact in your community and make a huge difference in the lives of deaf children and adults who use British Sign Language.

*A Privilege to Learn Sign Language?*
Sign Languages were actually banned in education in 1880 which led to deaf children being punished if caught using sign, and professional deaf adults were left unemployed and replaced by non-deaf teachers. Thankfully, BSL recently gained legal status in the UK (BSL Act 2022) and was recognised as a language in it own right in 2003 but the decision of the Milan Conference 1880 are still effecting deaf children, adults and their families today and leaving them behind. The British Deaf Association (BDA) lead the way for fight for the rights of deaf people in the UK, and by learning BSL you will be contributing to their mission:

*BDA Mission*
To ensure a world in which the language, culture, community, diversity and heritage of Deaf people in the UK is respected and fully protected, ensuring that Deaf people can participate and contribute as equal and valued citizens in the wider society.

This will be achieved through:

– Improving the quality of life by empowering Deaf individuals and groups;
– Enhancing freedom, equality and diversity;
– Protecting and promoting BSL

At Famlingo, we are passionate about raising awareness of BSL and the community from which ‘baby sign’ comes from as without the Deaf Community we wouldn’t have the many benefits that sign language brings! As an approved Signature Centre, we offer accredited BSL courses Levels 1 to 3. So if you wish to gain nationally recognised qualifications too, this can be easily transferred to a BSL course with us later! For more information about Signature qualifications visit www.signature.org.uk

Thank you for reading this far!

I hope you’ll join us in our Bump and Sign classes! If you’d like to join the waiting list, please email me at [email protected]

Happy signing!
Jules
Famlingo Founder