Teaching Toddlers American Sign Language

Sometimes when teaching young children we unknowingly hold them back from their full potential. Luckily with Mother Goose Time I am constantly reminded of important and significant lessons my children can learn every day.

One lesson that really stood out, and we will continue to work on for many weeks to come, was communicating with body language. From this lesson we worked specifically on American Sign Language.

As someone who has worked in food and retail, there are many times where I wished I knew American Sign Language more fluently. I never realized this is something I could teach my daughters easily from a young age and make it very natural for them to grasp onto like a second language.

This week we really focused on sign language and how we can communicate with anyone with these simple hand gestures. The girls found it interesting and fun and the learning kept them engaged with me and each other.

First we focused on signing the alphabet while singing the alphabet song. Mother Goose Time included this awesome ASL Poster that we can hang on our Circle Time Poster. I plan on keeping it there the rest of the year and focusing on the Sign Language with each new letter we learn throughout the year.

The girls took on really easily to the hand movements and recognizing letters as they were motioned. We learned while singing and signing together.

Next we learned our names in Sign Language which Bella really enjoyed.

From there we used a unique tool from Mother Goose Time which makes learning fun and unique. Our new Cube Cards came with different signs on each side. We rolled the cube and learned new signs with each roll and acted them out together.

As we learned a new sign, we would act them out. We did each motion multiple times and then used them throughout the lesson. For example I would sign Bella "Sit Down" and they would all do it with me.

From there I collected a couple of books from our local library. We were able to take home some books that we could practice and read together. The girls liked practicing each letter and motion together.

These are lessons that I am grateful to be able to teach my girls while having fun and learning as an adult myself. If you have questions about Mother Goose Time, or the way we do our curriculum each month, simply comment on the blog or email me. I am happy to help you learn to teach your children new things and to grow together!

After months of being a paying customer, I was given this month's box for free in return for my real experiences and opinions.