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Bilingual Babies

Timithi Aplin-Barrett
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Kids Sign; teaching sign language to youngsters  Nikohl Upton

Babies around Christchurch are learning Sign language

Instead of going to coffee groups on her maternity leave, Nikohl Upton is teaching babies sign language. 

She's been learning sign language for four years and always intended to teach it to her baby, Cooper.

Then she realized that there were no classes in Christchurch, saw an opening and, in February, started "Kids Sign".

"It would be quite fun to share with other parents," she says.

It's a venture designed to create strong bonds between babies and parents as well as create bilingual children.

"You've got that face to face interaction and that quality time and parents just slow down and get that eye contact with their baby."

She says she's hoping she'll be able to continue the classes when she goes back to work as a primary school teacher.