I’m always looking for new ways to reach and teach my students. I have often heard about the many benefits of using sign language to enhance learning in the early childhood classroom. Initially I was a bit intimidated by sign language so although I wanted to learn it I never did. When Louise from Signing Families contacted me I was ready and eager to learn more.
Benefits of Sign Language
You might think sign language is just for teachers who work with special needs students but it can be very helpful for teachers of all young children. Signing teaches hand motions which can help students retain information such as the alphabet, numbers, and more. You can also use sign language to help with classroom management. Teach students the signs for bathroom or water to reduce interruptions during instructional time.
When I saw the charts with the basic signs I knew this was the program for me. In just a few short minutes I could put together simple sentences- it wasn’t as hard as I thought! Here’s why I like Signing Families:
- Beautiful color photographs instead of cartoons on the charts
- The charts and videos show children signing
- They feature both multi-cultural and multi-abled children
- Spanish and English are both included on the charts and DVD’s
Why are these things important?
If children only see adults or pictures of adults signing it sends the message that this is an adult thing. Simply put they don’t relate to it as much as they do when they see other children doing it.
Featuring multi-cultural and multi-abled children is another way to relate to children and make it meaningful. When they see other children that look like they do then they will be more likely to respond positively. It’s the same reason I have baby dolls in my dramatic play center that reflect the ethnicities of the students in my classroom.
Sign language can also help students who are second language learners. Often these students can comprehend more than they can express verbally so sign language can be very helpful for them. This program also addresses the Spanish language which is a huge plus for many teachers.
Good news! This month Signing Families is offering 20% off all orders shipped within the US. No special codes necessary, just place your order and a refund for 20% of your purchase will be issued.
Do you use sign language in the classroom? Leave a comment below and tell us about your experiences with sign language in the classroom.
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We use sign for many things in class. Bathroom, letters w/ songs, numbers and feelings. I would love to incorporate even more into the classroom. When we sing Dr. Jean’s “who let the letters out” (I believe that is the title?) not only do the children give the sound but the sign too.
Thanks for this info. I have been using sign in my preschool classes for 3 years now. I love it and so do the kids. We learn an ABC song, it is from the wesign website http://wesign.com/product-info.....songs.html there is a youtube of this song at,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
We work on learning the song and signs all year long and then at the end of the school year we perform it for the parents and teach them a little bit of the song too. It has been a real hit with my families. I would love to add more sign to our day so I will be checking out the signing families site.
We teach sign language as we teach the aplabet
What began as a classroom management technique in my full day Pre-K 4′s class, turned into a full sign language curriculum! We started learning basic concepts and classroom words such as colors, letters, and manners. Then, my students started asking me what words were. I had to buy a sign language dictionary to keep in my classroom. Together, my students and I learned 177 signs last year! I am going to try to top that this year with my new class. I couldn’t emphasize enough how exciting it is to use sign language in all classrooms-Pre-K all the way through elementary.
That is great Jennifer, thanks for sharing! 177 is a lot of signs, congrats!
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