The United Nations General Assembly has designated 23 September 2024 as the International Day of Sign Languages. This is to highlight the vital role of sign language in ensuring that people who are deaf can fully realise their human rights. As a Deaf person and Cochlear Implant user working in the early years sector, I understand the fundamental role of language in how young children learn.

Language is a powerful tool and intrinsic to a child’s overall development. It fosters their ability to think and build relationships with others, making it an essential aspect of early childhood.

At Steady Steps Nursery and Preschool in Gosport, we have incorporated Makaton into our daily practice to support all children to develop their language skills. It supports inclusion as pre-verbal or non-verbal children, as well as those children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL), can communicate, learn and play with others.

What is Makaton?

Makaton is a language program that combines signs, symbols and speech to assist people to communicate. It is often used by people with communication difficulties, including those with Down's Syndrome, Autism and Learning Disabilities. Makaton incorporates signs from British Sign Language (BSL). BSL is often used by the Deaf Community in the UK.

By including signing into communication, Makaton bridges the gap between those who have difficulty with speech and those around them. This makes Makaton an inclusive and effective communication tool for all.

How Makaton was introduced in my setting

 About 10 years ago, our Area Inclusion Officer was visiting our setting and offered to provide Makaton training for the entire team. We were all keen to embrace this opportunity, as we had already been successfully using Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) with some of our children and incorporating basic BSL signs like 'Apple' during snack time alongside PECS. Additionally, we were using other visual aids such as 'Now and Next' boards and visual timetables, so including Makaton into our daily practice was a natural and logical step.

In addition to the comprehensive team training led by our Area Inclusion Officer, one of our staff members also completed Makaton training with the Makaton Charity. Together with my own qualification in BSL, this gave us the confidence to effectively introduce Makaton to the children.

What does Makaton look like in day-to-day practice in my setting?

At our setting, all children from Nine months through to rising Five learn Makaton. We use a ‘Signs of the Week’ approach, typically introducing two new signs each week, as we've found that children can easily pick up this pace. As adults consistently use these signs throughout the day, children naturally start using them too.

Each Monday morning during Circle Time, the children are introduced to the new signs, which are then reinforced daily for the entire week. Over time, we've refined the signs to focus on those most beneficial for the children to learn. We start the academic year with our 'Core' signs, such as ‘look,’ ‘listen,’ and ‘sit,’ which help the children adjust to new routines. As the term progresses, we introduce signs that enable children to express themselves, like ‘more,’ ‘no more,’ ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ ‘yes,’ and ‘no.’

As we approach Christmas, we incorporate themed signs that fit in with our festive songs. The following two terms include signs related to events happening during those times of year. Alongside the ‘Signs of the Week,’ we also use Makaton to sign all our Nursery Rhymes, ensuring consistency across all three rooms. This way, as children transition between rooms, Makaton remains a familiar and supportive tool for them.

Impact of introducing Makaton in the setting

Makaton has truly given all our children a voice. One of the most heartwarming moments has been watching a 12-month-old baby signing alongside older children, knowing that Makaton has made them feel included. However, the journey to introducing Makaton in our setting hasn’t been without its challenges. Initially, it took time for the staff to gain confidence in using Makaton. At times, it was forgotten as the team adjusted to communicating with their hands as well as their voices, but now it has become second nature.

Learning the signs and remembering them all took time. To help with this, we introduced ‘Signs of the Week’ prompts on Makaton display boards in each room, ensuring that both children and staff can easily refer to the signs. We also incorporate symbols on our communication boards and staff lanyards, particularly for our SEND children.

In the beginning, we relied on free resources from the Makaton website, but as our vocabulary expanded, we recognised the need to fully integrate Makaton as a language in our setting by joining the Makaton Charity. As members, we now have access to over 40,000 signs, symbols and video tutorials.

We are proud that Makaton has become a second language in our setting. In June 2016, we became ‘Makaton Friendly' – a scheme that recognises organisations committed to making their services accessible to those who use Makaton for communication. The Makaton Friendly badge demonstrates that we provide a supportive and welcoming environment, ensuring that individuals of all ages with learning or communication difficulties can fully engage with our services.

As an early years setting, one of the most significant benefits we’ve experienced from introducing Makaton is its positive impact on children’s personal, social and emotional development. We know that before young children can fully express themselves with words, they often experience frustration when they cannot make themselves understood. By teaching the children Makaton signs such as happy, sad, angry and worried, we have helped to bridge this communication gap. Using Makaton enables the children to express their needs and emotions more effectively, leading to emotionally healthy children and a calmer environment.

To conclude, introducing Makaton into Steady Steps has had a positive impact on the children’s development, personally, socially and emotionally. Makaton has empowered the children to communicate their feelings and needs, reducing their frustrations and promoting their emotional wellbeing. Makaton has given us a more inclusive and supportive environment, allowing all children, whether pre-verbal, non-verbal, or with English as an additional language to engage, learn and play together. Makaton has become an embedded language system within our setting, ensuring that every child is heard.