I attended Baby Sign Language Classes with my daughter beginning when she turned six months old. This was rejuvenating for me as I met some wonderful mommies and babies who were 'like-minded' , progressive and fun! I believe I have made some life-long friends and gained a huge support system in raising my first baby. This was such a rewarding experience, I must recommend it to all mommies, daddies and babies! It was a fabulous class for my daughter because she learned how to communicate by signing, without frustration, with her mommy, daddy and grammy. After taking these classes, she was able to sign when she wanted 'more,' when she was 'hungry' or 'thirsty,' and was even able to differentiate on some of her specific needs and wants. She enjoyed learning but mostly she absolutely loved the class activities, songs and interaction with other babies. Monta is a very committed, creative and knowledgable teacher. She welcomes parents and children with open arms. It is a relaxing, easy-going and fun atmosphere. No one can do any wrong with our very supportive, patient and kind Monta! Since we attended this class, she has also published additional books and tools to help you learn, with your baby, ASL Sign Language! If you would like more information, I recommend checking out the web site or just giving Monta a call! read more

Baby Sign Language Basics - Special Education Near Me - San Diego, California

I have really enjoyed bringing my daughter to these classes. The instructor is very enthusiastic and upbeat. My 10 month old daughter has over 10 signs and is learning more each week. It has been so fun for both of us to be able to communicate. My daughter also speaks at least 4 verbal words which are paired with signs we learned from the class. I am very grateful to be taking this class. This class comes with Monta's book as well which has a very easy to use sign dictionary with pictures that show exactly how to use the signs. The book itself is extremely helpful. Sign benefits aside my daughter really enjoys the parachute and bubbles at the end of class as well as seeing other babies her age. This is a great class. I highly recommend. read more

Well well well. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I shall start from the beginning. Class changed format to online via Zoom due to the corona virus. We signed up for class and all sat down in front of the computer as a family waiting on an amazing class to start. The Instructor "Monta" started class and put herself on mute. The entire class was typing in chat that no audio was available for the class. One of the other parents started using the draw feature in zoom to write over her slides to plead to her to stop because no one could hear anything. She finally stopped approximately 15 minutes into class and unmuted the microphones. I spoke up and advised that it was important she started the class over as no one could hear anything. She had stated that she would be unwilling to start the class from the very beginning. After all she had a schedule to keep and we could just join another class or watch the recorded video. Never mind the fact that I had taken time off work to attend this class. I said that if she wasnt willing to start the class from the beginning we should be discussing a refund if this is the way the classes were going to go. As soon as the word refund was brought up she proceeded to start the class from the beginning which is what the entire class had been typing in the chat. We chalked it up due to technical difficulties were looking forward to continuing the class. The following day I received a email asking if I was the one who spoke out. Later in the day I received another email to which I replied.Yes I was the one who spoke up and let her know that I do see value in the class. It was very frustrating as you were not heeding what anyone in the class mentioned via chat or via drawing on the slides. Monta then proceeded to respond to the email to advise we would be dropped from the course as she did not want someone publicly confrontational. My wife proceeded to reply to her and said that we were sad and disappointed to be dropped from the class over vocalizing a refund. We understood that this was a change to her normal class routine and once we were able to here the class it could have been a great experience. We received a email response from Monta stating that As the creator of her curriculum it should have been her decision to restart the class and that my husband publicly shamed her and that is why we were being dropped from the course. For anyone who reads this review we are more than happy to provide all copies of email correspondence so you are aware that if you start to question the instructor you could be accused of using harsh language that shattered her which will impact her teaching ability. read more

This is the best baby class you can take your baby to! We loved every minute of it. We started around 6 months and did all 3 sessions and my baby learned to communicate before speaking, which was awesome! There's a good variety of books songs and play activities to keep the little ones engaged and interested. Monta now offers outdoor, social distance friendly classes in the park for COVID. Monta is so positive, kind, bubbly and fun. We absolutely loved her classes. We will definitely be headed back with baby 2. read more

When my oldest was a baby, I was in FULL DENIAL that he was deaf. I was tapping him to get his attention and believed he was a "selective listener," even when he wasn't saying "Momma" or "Dadda" like his same-age peers. I had multiple friends tell me that baby sign language was amazing...that it helped ALL babies stimulate brain development, build confidence, reduce frustration, and acquire communication skills to help them talk sooner. I didn't want to believe it at the time, but I finally gave into my friend's suggestion to try out a baby sign language class in the North Park area. The teacher of the class was also an author named Monta Zelinsky Briant. I wrote about her in my book, but I must reiterate that she changed my life. She offered support and guidance during a time I felt scared, alone, and lost. She quickly helped our family with copies of her book, "Baby Sign Language Basics," and we started attending her upbeat, hands-on classes on a weekly basis. As a result, my child, Ryland, acquired 200+ ASL signs and finally had a "voice" without any access to sound. It was a miracle and something I will never be able to explain without emotion. Without a doubt, I recommend her book & classes to ALL families. She is an incredible person with a definite gift of helping others. read more

We are huge fans of Monta and her baby sign language classes. As new residents in San Diego without many friends with kids, going to signing classes was an easy way to interact with other parents and babies the same age as my son. We started classes when he was around 4 months. My son is a social kid and he enjoyed being around the other babies but didn't really sign for many months. One morning when he was 9 months a dog barked outside and he signed "dog". I was shocked. "Did you just sign dog?!!" He cooed and slobbered and acted bashful. The dog barked again. He signed "dog" again. Are you kidding?!! It was amazing. We were hooked. Starting with: dog, more, milk, and all done, we branched out to: read, story, cow, sun, rain, dream. By the time he was 18 months he had more than 50 signs. He could babble and make sounds but didn't have many spoken words. It didn't matter. With sign language we communicated constantly and had actual "conversations". He's now two and extremely verbal. His pediatrician says he talks more like a three year old than a two year old. I am certain signing played a significant role in his language development. That and my stellar mommy skills, obvi ;) Sure, you can learn sign language from a book but going to the classes helped us remember to keep signing. We learned new signs and were around other parents who were just as interested and engaged in the signing experience. Monta is nothing if not passionate about sign language. She was an inspiring source of knowledge and as a new SAHM who left a rewarding career to raise my son, it was wonderful to use MY brain to learn a new language. We don't sign as often as we did when he couldn't speak but he still signs for emphasis when he REALLY wants to get his point across. "I want to go to the park again. Again. Again. AGAIN!" I highly recommend this class for anyone even remotely interested in signing with their child. Babies really can sign (!!) and Monta's classes will keep you engaged, signing and having a good time. read more

We attended the 6 week toddler class and the material was very useful and presented in a fun way. The songs and stories were fun. However, I must say the short playtime in the middle of the class with the toys was a little bit boring. Maybe something else during that time (a bubble machine and more obstacle type activities balance beams, more tunnels etc. maybe? That'll get everyone into the mix and up and moving) may go over better. I also will point out that we paid for the 6 week class and the very first class was exactly the same as the class we attended for free at the library. So that kinda stinks. Not sure if the remaining 5 classes were different from the library classes or not. read more

We started baby sign language class with Monta (and bear!) when our baby was just under 6 months, and now we are in our second session. We love it! Signing offers babies an early path to communication, so less frustration and more skills to build fruitful relationships with others. The class itself provides a fun and creative environment for babies and parents to gather, learn, and play. Our baby has really blossomed in this class, thanks to Monta and her smile, the music and activities, and all the positive reinforcement from the other parents. read more

Baby Sign Language Basics - The babies love Monta and bear! - Special Education Near Me - San Diego, California

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I discovered Baby sign basics at the Point Loma library. I decided I wanted a more intimate setting where I can socialize with other parents and allow my child to socialize with children his age. I began signing with my son at 3 months and by the time he was 13 months he was signing 45 signs! The whole family was learning alongside my son (parents, grandparents & my 5 year old niece). The 8 week 3 level (level 1 level 2 A & B) classes have helped my 1 year old understand that he is able to communicate. I am looking forward to the not so terrible toddler phase now that he understands that he is able to communicate basic thoughts (what he is seeing or wants) and emotions. Monta shared experiences with her children as well as her knowledge from years experience with the development of young children. We are forever grateful read more

Dear Monte, I started signing with my little one around 6 months old. Now she is 10 months old and my little "Super Baby" is signing all the time. She signs dog (now she actually says the word!), tree, leaf, waves "Hi" and "Bye", finished, she points at things that she wants, but I always ask while signing it. I am notsure if she is going to ever tell me "milk" or "water"... However the outside signs are so fun. She did rain, grass, butterfly and flower and she always signs "Baby" and "Signing Time"! WOW! This kid has learned so much! In just a short amount of time. Thank you for your help and we love the flash cards and books and the DVDs are an obvious hit. I am defiantly going to sign up for the next class. See you then! Thank you! Kimberly read more

Super fun my girlfriend and i did both courses and in the second one he is now starting to sign , we finished second course and had alot of fun and our kid will be smarter and happier if we continue to sign and give him a way to comunicate in these crutial years. Thanks so much monta for your amazing enthusiasm and dedication to ur craft . Highly recommend this is well worth the money. My son is starting to sign milk,food,dog its really cool babys are really smart! read more

Monta is absolutely phenomenal with the kids and she makes sure you leave class knowing how to incorporate the signs into your daily routine. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first about how effective it would be but I am now a firm believer that ever baby can benefit from this class. We started when my daughter was 8 months. She is now 12 months and her last class in next week. She is currently signing the following: Bath Change (change my diaper) Please Thank You You're Welcome Eat Milk Water Cheese More Clean Up Tree Light Spider Rain Shoe Go Hear Dog Kiss Book Help Daddy What There may be a few that I am forgetting but I am blown away by how much she has learned so quickly. Having the line of communication with your baby and the frustration that it relieves is worth every penny. read more

Our daughter attended Monta's baby sign language class when she was about 10months. We have learnt so much and it was really helpful especially at this age (around 1 year old) when it is quite hard to communicate we wanted to replace screaming with some basics sign language. 5 weeks later (right as Monta said she would) our daughter was ready to pick up in her signs and was communicating with us. It was amazing to see. We are a bilingual family so we use American Sign Language with both French and English. We would come back for our second child for sure that was and still is really helpful. read more

Monta and her sign language class are AMAZING!!! My daughter is now 10 months and we started in one of Monta's sessions when she was about 7 months. In about 4-6 weeks, my daughter was already doing two of the signs! Now she signs about 5 but understands more when I sign them to her. It's pretty incredible! Monta has a fun teaching style that lets the parents interact and practice in class. She includes reading, songs, and play which all make the signs easier to remember and helps show us how to incorporate the signs into our daily lives outside of class. She is always upbeat and cheerful and you can tell that she loves what she does. I found this class on Yelp and have raved about it ever since. It doesn't disappoint!!! read more

I cannot speak enough praise about how much the baby sign language class impacted mine and my husband's relationship with our baby. If there could be one piece of advice we impart onto other parents, it would be to take Monta's class. We started our son at 6.5 months and surely enough he began signing at 9 months and after month 11, it picked up to a new sign every couple days. He has over 50 signs now at 16 months so we're completely amazed at how much babies can communicate at such an early age. The class fosters both verbal and non verbal communication. Monta demonstrates how to engage and motivate our babies with the objects that interests them. She not only helped teach our baby a way to communicate with us, but she also had wonderful understanding of how we as parents can empathize with our babies. Combining those two elements, we have developed a responsive, trusting and fun relationship with our son. Not only is there less frustration from both the baby's perspective and from the parents, but it has been so enriching. We're simply amazed with the sheer number of signs that they can communicate at 9 months and beyond. read more

While the information is useful and the studio is very nice, there is no reason why this class needs to be two hours long. We were hoping for an interactive class where we could get to know the other babies and parents while learning the signing in a hands-on atmosphere, but instead we got talked at for two hours, which is way too long for babies and adults. Moreover, the entire lecture focused on why signing is useful and beneficial for babies (hint: if we're taking the class, we already buy in) rather than practicing doing it. You may as well buy a book and use common sense. read more

I've been meaning to leave a review for awhile- I did the class twice with my son Max and LOVED it. Monta's classes are well structured to learn sign as well as tips and tricks for learning good behavior early. We started at 4 months and ended at 10 months but still keep up with signing videos and using it every day. My son is now 14 months old, has about 20 signs with a head start on socializing in groups. Just today I got a compliment on his amazing behavior in another class and I know baby sign is what helped the most! read more

Great sign language classes. Both teachers are excellent and fun! Its a fun way to interact with other families in the community while learning to sign. So grateful to have this in our community. read more

Just wanted to update since my last review, 3 months ago. The light bulb has gone off and our son has now used over 30 signs! So grateful for this class, it's amazing to communicate with your baby this way :) read more

My son continues to learn new signs on a regular basis. I like having the book that came with the class registration. I can refer back to it when I want to teach my son a new sign. read more

My 11 month old daughter just finished 8 weeks of Baby Sign Language Basics, and we loved it! The class was so good for her in many ways, and it gave us an activity to enjoy together every week. We will continue to use and build upon the signs we learned in class. My daughter is still on the young end for signing back to me, but can already sign when she wants milk or to tell me she wants more :) Our teacher was wonderful, really knew her stuff, and made the class super fun. I looked forward to it every weekend. As a bonus I got to watch my little girl interact socially with the other babies in the class, which was priceless, and so important for her development. I'd highly recommend this class to all parents. read more

My son and I took this class with Monta for 6 months straight, and loved it -- I can't recommend it enough! I am a parent who takes my baby to a lot of classes and activities, both free and paid, and felt like this one was a good investment both money and time-wise because it included all of the elements I was looking for in one class -- music, playtime with other babies, the occasional story, as well as sign language. The class size is small, so we made friends but it wasn't overwhelming for my baby. My son was 10 months old when we started and together we learned over 100 signs. Sign Language has been such a valuable tool for figuring out what he needs, and now that he is a toddler, I feel he is a lot less of a 'terrible two' than he would have been otherwise. Each class starts with a short lesson for the parents, while the babies play with toys. The rest of the class time is taken up with fun activities, like songs, and other activities that are for the babies. Of course babies will learn most signs by us parents repeating them at home, but the activities we did in class gave me a lot of fun ideas I could use. I have also been to Monta's free storytimes at the library, which was a fun way to continue exposing my son to signs. However, the storytime doesn't include a lesson for parents, so I recommend taking Monta's class first -- then attending storytime. I've recently moved to the Bay Area and had a second child. I looked into the classes here and was very sad to find that the ones here don't include any of the fun activities for the babies. They just teach the parents with flash cards and posters and the babies just have to entertain themselves. So I guess I'm spoiled now. read more

Wow, these classes are really a lifesaver when it comes to combating toddler frustration! I took one class when my son was just 8 mos. old and I am enrolled for another class this fall. My now 17 month-old son is really starting to 'blossom' with his signing skills and has started taking a keen interest in Monta Briant's flashcards too. Particularly the photos of her signing, which he always ignored before! It is really exciting to see his signing vocabulary growing along with his new, increased hand-eye coordination. Ms. Briant is incredibly gifted at helping us communicate with our kiddos! If you don't believe in baby sign language....doubt no more, just try it and you will be surprised!! read more

Ellie now signs 40 words at 15 months old. She learned 3 signs yesterday and catches on when I show her just once. It's pretty amazing to see it all come together. She signs "please" about 50 times a day; 1/4 of the time I don't know why she says "please" but she knows that's when she gets what she wants. Not bad having a polite 15 month old who says "please" and "thank you" all the time (of course, still with impatience) :-). Thanks, Monta! read more

Wonderful class and instruction! We started class when my son was about 9 months old and took both sessions A and B. It is amazing to see how much he learned and how easy it is for him to communicate his needs. He's now 14 months and starting to say more words but the sign language has been integral to his development. He can communicate what he wants and needs using sign language even though he's just starting to learn how to talk. Monta was a wonderful instructor and always had a cheerful smile on her face. It was great for my son to play with other children his age in class and learn sign language as well. I recommend this class to all my friends with babies, it's fantastic! read more

I ensured my youngest came to learn from Monta after our wonderful experience with our eldest 8 years ago. Youngest took level 1 and levels 2A and 2B. Our 15 month old enjoyed class each time and has learned 12 signs. Today I figured out that she was signing shark for me to show her the Baby Shark video (when before I had assumed she was signing tree). The smile and laughter that emanated from her when she knew I understood her was priceless. Thank you Monta for your excellent, fun, energetic and effective instruction! read more

I started taking my daughter to Monta's classes when she was 7 months old. I have to say that it was her favorite thing that we did together, aside from the story times that Monta does around town at various libraries. Monta has a lot of charisma and the babies just adore her. The classes have a specific curriculum each week, and the babies and caregivers learn through the songs that you sing together along with parent/teacher guided playtime. She is very knowledgeable and really knows how to teach babies. I was amazed. It really is so much fun and I'm so glad we this. My little girl is 12 months now and knows about 25 signs! It is so cool to be able to communicate with her at this age. I think everyone should do this! read more

Monta Briant is a best selling author of baby sign language books and DVDs. Watching her work with both the parents and babies become more magical as the class progressed. She was teaching the parents, and the parents were teaching the babies. When the parents leave they are able to continue the lessons learned at home by a process of repetition and love. The babies are then able to communicate with people prior to being able to talk. Amazing. I even remembered several of the signs, because they seem so natural. If only I had known about this system when I was raising my own three children. read more

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The baby sign language classes offered here are truly wonderful. I started my son at 6 months and we are repeating the program because he loved it so much. We have had both Monta and Susan as instuctors and both were fantastic. My son just lights up when we walk into the room to start the class! I highly recommend these classes to all moms! read more

My husband and I took our son for one six week signing session here when he was 6 months old. I can't remember the teacher's name, but it was the lady who also teaches in Spanish, not Monta. All three of us liked the classes and I found them to be useful, interesting, and fun. It is structured with an opening song, a demonstration of the words, songs that use the words, play time where they bring out toys grouped into little stations and you practice the words while playing with your child, and a closing song. The only thing I didn't like about the classes was the play time. It is a great concept, but in practice, it was awkward. We weren't always exactly sure what to do with the toys; we felt weird about rotating to other stations because we didn't want to kick other families off a station if they weren't done yet; we weren't sure if the other parents wanted to share stations, especially since my son would try to talk to and touch their kids in a not so gentle way; my son was still small and wasn't particularly interested in the toys, so I felt kind of lame trying to get him to play with them when he was clearly non-responsive and wanted to be doing other things... I think the toys stations would have worked better if 1. they had made more of an effort for the group to get to know one another and thus feel more comfortable sharing and 2. the class was made up of older babies (most of the kids in our session were under one year). read more

I started class with my daughter at 13 months with Susan in Carmel Valley. Susan is a really great teacher, wonderful with the babies, and patient with the parents. In just 6 weeks, my daughter learned and absorbed so much and is now using several signs, including more, all done, cat, bird, ceiling fan, please, .... it's very cute, and amazes me! The class was fun and the session flew by. Would definitely recommend! read more

We have taken 2 semesters with Monta. Although the class size is small, the same material was covered in both sessions even-though she will tell you that the material will be new in the 2nd session. Also, you can get FREE sign language class....Yes, I said FREE! Search San Diego Continuing Education. With today's economy, it is always better to try and save some cash!! read more

We are taking the class at the Bird Rock location in La Jolla. My son started going at 7 months and has taken about 12 classes. He mostly attends the school with our nanny, but I have been to a few classes with him as well. He loves it! He comes back from the class very excited and happy. He enjoys the teaching methods that include music, songs, and games that go along with sign language learning. He is happy to interact with other kids. Now he routinely signs for milk when he is hungry and is attentive to our efforts to introduce him to other signs. I am glad to expose him to Monta's teaching techniques. I think the learning that he does will benefit him long-term. read more

My husband and I look forward to the Baby Sign Language on Saturday mornings with Susan Mortland all week. The 45 minute class goes by so quickly and we love singing and learning along with our 7 month old son. I'm not quite sure how much he is catching on but I feel confident that the he is secretly paying attention and retaining more than we know! The Baby Sign Language offers us a chance to interact with other parents and really engage our baby with interesting, fun, new activities. I would highly recommend the class! read more