Baby Signs® is a program that incorporates the most helpful ‘baby friendly’ signs from ASL as well as signs that babies and parents have created. This program is designed to create a temporary bridge to speech for hearing children and their parents. Over 2 decades of research has shown that the benefits of the Baby Signs® program are:
- Reduces tears, tantrums and frustration
- Makes learning to talk easier
- Boosts self-esteem and self-confidence
- Stimulates intellectual development
- Strengthens the parent-child bond
There are several classes that are available depending on the needs of you and your child. The classes are:
- Baby Signs® Parent Workshop – 90 minute class which gives parents an overview of the program including the benefits of signing, basic ‘How To’s’ for teaching babies
- Sign, Say & Play® Classes – series of 6 theme based classes offered over a period of 6 weeks with 45 minute sessions designed for the parent and child to attend together. 37 signs are taught through songs, books and activities.
- More Sign, Say & Play® Classes – an extension of the Sign, Say and Play® classes which follow the same format of learning through songs, books and activities. 36 additional signs are taught during this 6 week series of classes.
For more information regarding Baby Signs®, please refer to the Baby Signs® website www.babysigns.com. For registration information please call 415-346-3853.
Body Mechanics for Parents and Caregivers
As a parent/caregiver taking time off for a back or overuse injury is not always an option. The best bet therefore, is to prevent an injury from happening. Taking care of a child involves a lot of bending, lifting, twisting, squatting, kneeling, carrying and movement in general. Starfish Therapies will be offering a one hour, once a week class that will provide training on the best way to protect your body while taking care of and having fun with your children. The format of the class will be such that there will be weekly topics allowing you to choose which ones will be most beneficial for you. Some of the areas that will be covered include, but are not limited to: core muscles – what are they, strengthening, stretching, lifting, body mechanics, repetitive strain, how to walk with your child, and positioning for floor play, to name a few. Topics will be announced in our monthly newsletter and will be generated by therapist expertise and participant request. For registration information please call 415-346-3853.
Motor Smart Kids is a program developed for parents and children to teach you how to promote gross motor development for your child. It focuses on acquiring gross motor skills, detrimental habits and postures to avoid, and tricks and tips for how to entice your child to perform beneficial activities such as tummy time and crawling. This class is also used to demystify concepts in gross motor development, such as Tummy Time, that you here and read about but are not sure why it is important and what to do if your child hates them! In addition we will provide a plethora of examples on how to utilize your kids toys to enhance their gross motor development as well as suggestions on how to make it easier on you. We will also address areas such as temperament and behavior that can affect your child’s gross motor development. In addition there will be opportunities for parents to bring up questions and topic ideas that they feel are pertinent to their child and family.
Currently we are offering a Pre-Walkers Developmental Playgroup.