At the beginning of most of our story times, we sing a welcome song. This welcome song always includes a sign language component.
Sign language is a wonderful way to diversify story times and enhance your child’s language development.
Accessibility
Many children who have hearing impairments, speech difficulties, social anxieties, and other accessibility needs can benefit from sign language. Obviously, for hearing impairments, sign language can provide an avenue to communicate. In the same regard, children with autism or other speech challenges can use sign language to better explain themselves. Children who are shy or have trouble communicating in social settings can employ sign language as a positive tool. Sign language is a wonderful resource for accessibility needs, and teachers, parents and librarians can teach the basic signs in introductory story times.
Babies
As early as a few months old, babies can utilize sign language to express their needs and wants. Although babies are completely dependent on their caregivers, they can still learn ways to communicate. There are simple signs such as “more”, “thank you”, “eat”, “finish”, and “hungry”, that babies can learn fast. Caregivers need only be consistent and repetitive. Providing your baby with the means to communicate can enhance their verbal skills, dexterity, confidence, and limit frustrations.
Books
There are excellent sign language books available that also include helpful sensory components, like pull the tab and/or braille. Books can be the best tool to introduce sign language to children of any age. Here is a list of some of my favorite sign language books!
“My First Baby Signs” by Phil Conigliaro and Tae Won Yu (ages: 5 months - 2 years)
This colorful board book is a sensory-oriented way to teach your baby first words in sign language. With pull tabs, you can show the baby how to do each sign and interact with the book at the same time. With firm, hard pages, this board book can last a long time.
“Disney Baby, Baby Signs First Words” Jerrod Maruyama (ages: 6 months - 2 years)
With Disney characters as your guide, this board book explores various signs babies can learn and use. Children will love seeing their favorite Disney characters. The written instructions for the 12 signs are easy-to-follow and will help children express their feelings and needs.
“Baby Signs” by Joe Allen (ages: 6 months - 24 months)
With easy-to-read instructions and guided pictures of hand gestures, this book is a precious introduction to essential signs. Although babies cannot yet speak, this book proves babies can still communicate through sign language.
“Let’s Sign, Baby” by Kelly Ault and Leo Landry (ages: 6 months - 1 year)
This board book teaches you and your child thirty simple, yet, essential signs for communicating needs and frustrations. With clear pictures, simple, written instructions and guided hand signs for the alphabet, this book provides you with a clear direction for learning sign language.
“Emma Every Day” by C. L. Reid (ages: 5-7 years)
This inclusive early reader series is a lovely story about a young girl named Emma, who uses ASL to communicate. This book not only highlights a main character with accessibility needs, it includes an ASL fingerspelling chart, glossary, and content-related questions. Throughout the story, highlighted words have guided pictures to the side, showing the ASL spelling. It’s a wonderful series for children who are learning ASL but also for diversity and inclusion.
PLEASE REMEMBER: Although I provide an age range for these books, this is only a helpful guide to the general target audience. These introductory books to sign language contribute to any child of any age. A 5-year-old can benefit from a simple, one-word board book, even though that book is designed for babies 6-months-old. In addition, many books say 6 months is the starting point for teaching sign language to your baby, but every child is different. Babies who are younger than 6 months can be receptive to sign language.
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