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Makaton is a language program that uses signs and symbols to help people communicate. It is designed to be used alongside speech, in spoken word order. Makaton appears to be growing in popularity, with recent coverage in the media and in SEND education. If you explore its , you will see that over 100,000 children and adults use it every day. It is a fantastic way to and support your pupils to develop language skills.
 

What makes Makaton so great?

When you start to use Makaton, children can take a more active part in life. are the keys to everything we do and learn from learning to read to developing our . The benefits of Makaton are endless, but here are a few reasons why it can be so useful for supporting communication in the classroom.

Visual learning

Being visual offers another 鈥榟ook鈥� or cue that children can latch their language learning onto.

Focus attention

Makaton can really help to focus the attention of children, particularly little ones. If you are signing as you talk or sing you are immediately more dynamic, expressive and exciting to look at!

Easy to learn

Makaton is very easy to learn. I have known many teachers who have been able to pick up the core signs quickly. Many of the signs are logical and easy to remember.

Functional and flexible

It is functional and flexible. To begin with, it鈥檚 a good idea to sign key ideas or words in a sentence, for example, if you were saying 鈥榠t鈥檚 time to line up鈥� you would just sign 鈥榣ine up鈥�. It can also be built into any element of the school day; from circle time to music lessons, snack time, lunchtime, when teaching new words, giving instructions or helping children problem solve or understand emotions. You name it, signing can support it.

Great for early intervention

You can start using Makaton early! Baby signing has lots of similarities to Makaton and if used consistently from a young age, some babies may even sign before their first words. As a first time Mum, I have been using signs with my baby since she was tiny! On the flip side, it鈥檚 never too late to start introducing signs with older children too.

Supports EAL

It鈥檚 great for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Makaton can be a fantastic universal cue for students who are finding themselves in an environment with a new or unfamiliar language. Of course, we have to be aware of any cultural sensitivities and make sure the signs we use are appropriate. In my first year as an Early Years teacher, I will always remember one of my Chinese students with very little English signing 鈥榮ad鈥� to me when she saw her peer crying.

Eases frustration

Signing can take away the frustration of being unable to communicate meaningfully or effectively. In any classroom, there is likely to be a range of development in the children we teach, students who might be experiencing a delay in , difficulties expressing themselves, finding the right words or have can all benefit from learning and using signs to communicate.

Supports literacy development

It can support . Makaton also uses 鈥榝ingerspelling鈥� where each letter of the alphabet has a corresponding sign. These can be used to develop children鈥檚 awareness of the sounds in words and to attach a sign to people鈥檚 names

It鈥檚 fun

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, it鈥檚 fun! Children love learning new signs, it鈥檚 like learning the actions to new songs. There are some great resources out there too!

How to start using Makaton

There are so many fun ways to introduce signing to your setting. The best thing to do is always start simple. There is no need to do everything at once, start with a few signs and build it up from there. Let me give you some examples of the best tips and ideas to get you started.