teaching sign language to young children

Have you tried sign language? It's a great fine motor skill for young children.

My students LOVE it and they learn fast. If you're thinking you have to be certified and know all about it to teach it, forget that.

Just keep it simple, do a few words and phrases, some songs and you're set! That's all I do. I use a few fantastic ASL sites that show you how it's done!

child_signingFor example I teach my students  how to "sign" all of the bolded words. in the following chant that I made up to teeach them the seasons.

Winter-Sping-Summer-Fall. There are 4 seasons, and I love them all

Here's how:

  • For winter, close your fists, put your arms on the sides of your body and shiver.
  • For spring, using your left arm at the side, bend your left elbow up, this will be a tree. Make a fist at the top of your tree. Grab your left wrist with your right hand and slide it down your left arm. As you are sliding your clenched hand down your arm, open your left fist, "splaying" your fingers, to show that your tree is growing.
  • For Summer, put your right index finger on your left eyebrow and move it all the way across to your other eyebrow and then completely off your face as if you are removing sweat.
  • For Fall, flip your left palm up. Using you index and middle finger make a person's legs. Have the legs stand on your palm and "fall" or flip off.
  • For the letter "I" make a fist with your left hand and put your "pinky" finger up.sign_language
  • For love, cross your arms over your chest.
  • For them,  point your finger at your students and wave it back and forth.
  • For all, hold both hands out in front of you. Using your right hand make a half circle around your left, coming around to slap the back of your right hand onto the palm of your left.
  • If this is clear as mud you can check out two of my favorite sign language websites. Link One and Link Two
  • I really enjoy doing sign language with my Y5's. AND I'm no expert.
  • I teach them all the color words and then the words to whatever themes we are studying + a phrase or two for the season, like "Happy Halloween" for October, or "It is snowing/raining." 
  • I also like to teach them several songs as well. It's simple.
  • You just go to these sites, look up the words you need, practice 'til you get the hang of it, write down directions to jog your memory, then teach your students.
  • Don't make things too difficult. Choose only a few words in a song. A good gage is one per sentence, unless it's a simple song like my Welcome song (below) where I choose a word in the beginning and  towards the end of the sentence.
  • You always want to choose the major noun that they are singing about.
  • They catch on quickly. Mine absolutely LOVE it + it's great for exercising their finger muscles.
  • My parents have given me wonderful feedback as their children always seem to go home and share this information with their families who are delighted.
  • We start our day off with a sign language song:
  • "Welcome to school today! Welcome to school today! Welcome to school today! We have come to learn and play."  They sign the bolded words. For welcome you make two waves like you are scooping towards your self. For school you clap sides ways in front of you twice, for learn you have your left palm up and you use your right hand to pick something out of the "book" (left hand) and then touch that (knowledge) with your right hand to your forehead. Play is the same as fun. For that, you raise both arms, elbows bent, make a fis with both hands, now put your thumbs and pinkies up and shake them.
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  • Why not give it a try today.  Simply look at a song that you are singing, choose a few words and look them up on either site. While you're there look up your spelling words, vocabulary words, the themes you are studying, the science unit you are doing, or a phrase that fits the season like "It is fall!" Or "Welcome back to school!" or "The leaves are falling!" Have fun! We do. I know you'll enjoy learning right along with your students, and what a fun way to increase finger dexterity and increase their muscle strength and coordination. musical_notes