toddler Archives - Play On Education

Making The Most Of The Early Years With Baby Signing

Driving home from my new Baby Signing Workshop class I started to think about all of the new babies and mummys I had just met and how wonderful it was that they had found each other to share all of their baby stories, celebrations and worries. I thought about how very young all of the babies were in that class, (the youngest being just 6 weeks old and the oldest nearly 7 months), and how quickly that special time passes by.

So What is Baby Signing?

Baby Signing is a method of communicating with your baby before they are able to speak. The great thing about baby signing is that it can reduce tantrums as baby is able to communicate his wants and needs. It really is amazing to discover how much our little ones know and understand and baby sign is the key to this valuable information. It is also a fantastic way to bond with your baby and promotes clear and focused communication. To take a course of baby signing training and then apply what has been learned is so rewarding. Some possible results of signing with baby include developing a stronger bond between baby and parent, easier communication of baby’s wants and needs, a larger vocabulary and of course precious time spent together.

baby signing for communication

Babies develop at an unbelievable rate during the very early years and this is why those early days and weeks are so important. It is easy to be misled into believing that a child’s education begins at 4 years as they enter school. However this is not the case. New pathways are being formed in the brain from the very beginning at an amazing rate and need to be stimulated for a child to reach his or her full potential. To spend this time together and to be able to take part in activities together early in your child’s life is precious and must be cherished.

One of the fun ways to spend time with your baby or young child is to attend groups or classes. If you are unable to access a class or cannot find one in your local area, then why not try out an online course? The benefit of an online course is that you can login at a convenient time and then try out the activities with baby when the time feels right. Often you also have access to the information in an online course at a later date if you happen to forget any of the activity ideas.

Enjoy the time with your little one.

How Play On Education Came To Be!

by Joanne @ Play On Education

Hello! This is Joanne from Play On Education and as the first blog post told you a little about the company Play On Education, it would be nice to introduce myself properly too.

I live in a small village in Worcestershire with my husband and son. We are completely snowed in at the moment as I’m sure you can well imagine! My working life has always been very busy with over ten years experience of working in mainstream education as a school teacher and music co-ordinator, whilst also working evenings and weekends as a private piano and theory of music teacher. On the birth of my son I had intended to continue my work as a school teacher part-time, but as the end of maternity leave drew nearer and nearer I could see that I had a huge decision to make. I have always had a strong interest in early years music education, in the effects that musical experiences have on the very young and alongside the continuing professional development provided by various schools I have worked in, I have also sought out further specialised courses to learn more about this area of music education and child development.

Having a baby is such a life changing experience and is the perfect time to reassess your goals in life. I decided that it was the perfect time in my life to make big changes – after all I had already gone through the biggest change of all! My piano teaching business has been very steady for years and has helped to make all of this, (my new business!), possible. I have been able to continue teaching piano whilst growing the business in other directions. The plan has been to expand my teaching to include Music Kindergarten classes, (accommodating babies and children from newborn to 7 years of age), with baby, toddler and preschool music classes to introduce children to musical activity in a fun and age specific way. My plan has also involved selling early years educational items, both to parents and other educators and the most recent addition has been the inclusion of baby signing classes, to help parents to communicate with their little ones prior to speech.

learning music and play So where are we now? Well, following some online promotion and demonstration courses throughout the latter half of 2010, we are now approaching a full launch of the business. New music classes for the baby and toddler age, aswell as baby signing classes will be starting in Bewdley, Kidderminster, Worcester and Pershore areas in the new year. The logo has been designed and my company name has changed from ‘Music Palace’ to ‘Play On Education’ to incorporate all of the different aspects of the new business, (music, education, educational & musical toys, and the list goes on …….). I have been told that my new website will be online in two weeks, and finally it’s all starting to come together! So here’s to a lovely Christmas holiday with the family and to starting a fantastic new year with a brand new fully launched business in 2011!

Welcome to the Play On Education blog!

by Joanne @ Play On Education

Hello! Joanne here, and I would like to welcome you to the first post on the Play On Education blog!

Play On Education is a Worcestershire based company specialising in teaching piano, theory of music, early years music and movement classes and baby signing. In addition to classes Play On Education also have an online shop which also caters for parents and teachers of young children by selling musical toys and instruments, educational toys, books, learning and parenting resources.

The aim of this blog is deliver news about classes and products at Play On Education, aswell as providing interesting information on music, music education, general child development, communication, parenting and any other item that may be of interest to families and childcare workers who may use Play On Education’s services.

You are very welcome to subscribe to this blog or follow us on Facebook, You Tube and/or Pinterest to find out more about Play On Education. I hope you find this blog interesting, informative and fun!

Happy reading!