26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Time (1-3)

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Today I had the fabulous experience of participating in the spring workshop for the Children’s Services Division of the Oregon Library Association. I provided a super-quick demonstration of a variety of tried and true activities to enrich story time with sign language. 

I told participants there were many resources they could find on my blog to help them incorporate sign language into their own story times, for example:

Free downloads on my publisher's website, including a Story Time Event Guide, Activity Packets with Illustrated Alphabet/Number Handshapes, and Illustrated Glossaries, for all 16 books in my Story Time with Signs & Rhymes Series. 

Online Sign Language Dictionaries such as Lifeprint and Signing Savvy. 

Sign Language story time lesson plans.

And other popular posts including:

How to Enrich Your Learning Environment with Sign Language.

How to Get Started with Signing (geared for infants/toddlers and preschoolers).

A self-directed learning project for older students.

(Click here for a more comprehensive summary of my most popular blog posts.)

As I drove home from the meeting, I decided to use this event as inspiration for a series of brief posts with quick and easy ideas for incorporating sign language into story time. I’ll begin with opportunities for incorporating alphabet signs into story time, and move on to different themes and categories over time. 

Here are the first three activity ideas: 

1. Sing and Sign the Alphabet Song

Sing the traditional alphabet song, but enrich the experience by signing the letters A-Z as you sing. For beginners, you will need to lead the song at a slower pace than usual. For more advanced signers, speed it up! For really advanced signers, invite participants to sing the song and make the alphabet signs with both hands simultaneously.  NOTE: Even a baby, situated on his or her back, will enjoy listening to this melody and watching a loving caregiver sign the alphabet from overhead—it’s like a human mobile!

2. Introductions A-Z

Sit in a circle. Slowly sign each letter of the alphabet, A-B-C-D and so forth. When the group reaches a letter that matches the first letter in a participant's name, that person stands up and makes the sign for the first letter of their name and then says their name, for example, D-Dawn. The group says, “Hello, Dawn!” and the person sits down. Play continues with the next letter of the alphabet until all members of the group have been introduced. NOTE: Some letters of the alphabet will have more than one person whose name begins with that letter. Simply allow each person a turn before continuing play with the next letter of the alphabet. 

For more advanced signers, participants can introduce themselves by saying their name and fingerspelling their name, for example, D-A-W-N. Players can also add the sign, Name, to the introduction. 

3. B is for B-A-R-B-A-R-A

Stand in a circle and choose someone to go first. The first person begins by making the sign for the letter A. The next person signs B, the third person signs C, and so forth. Play continues with each person making the sign for the next letter of the alphabet until someone signs the letter that their own name begins with. For example, if Barbara signs B, play stops to allow this player to say and fingerspell B-A-R-B-A-R-A. The group says, “Hello, Barbara!” and the participant sits down. The next person in the circle continues with the next letter in the alphabet until a new player signs the letter that their own name begins with. Play continues until all players are sitting down. This game requires several iterations of the alphabet to reach completion. 

Abdo Publishing Group

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The signs for Alphabet and Name

A to Z Sign with Me   

Please contact me using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Enrich Your Learning Environment with Sign Language: Post #4

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Sign language is a great way to provide "pencil practice" for young children because it stimulates fine motor development. Holding a pencil requires fine motor skills. Incidentally, so does talking (given that vocal cords are fine motor muscles).

Some people shy away from teaching babies and young children "difficult" signs because they might not be able to do them accurately. I prefer to teach kids a variety of signs, including those that might be more difficult.

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The sign for water is a classic example. You make this sign by tapping the index finger of your "W Hand" to your chin. It's hard for new little fingers (and old arthritic fingers!) to hold the pinky finger down with the thumb. It often takes several practice attempts over time before a young child will produce this sign correctly. But think about all of the brain stimulation this provides! I love watching a child's face when they are attempting/practicing a challenging sign. It's as if you can literally see the wheels turning in their brains. The same is true when they are learning to hold a pencil!

It's easy to add the sign for water to your home or classroom routine. Instead of saying, "raise your hand if you'd like some water," or "line up for the water fountain," you can say, "Show me with your signs if you'd like a drink of water." This turns transition time into learning time!


Alphabet games can also be enriched with sign language. Instead of just singing the alphabet, sing and sign the alphabet. Instead of just signing with the dominant hand, sign with the non-dominent hand. Instead of just signing the alphabet with one hand, sign the alphabet with BOTH hands. Instead of signing the alphabet at a normal pace, sign it faster, and FASTER and FASTER!  You can find loads of ideas for incorporating the alphabet signs into your learning environment in this Start to Finish Story Time Post and you can find free ASL glossaries and alphabet games/activities (for younger kids or for older kids) on my publisher's website.

Happy Signing!