Teaching Kinders to Sign (Freebie Lesson Plan)

I hope all of the fathers out there had a wonderful Father's Day! The weather was gorgeous here and I was able to spend time with my own father, so I would say mine, was pretty amazing...even thought it wasn't about me, it was about this guy...my Dad! 

 Now that you have seen a little into my life from yesterday

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we can move on to a fun and easy way of teaching your kinders sign language!

Each year, as I am teaching letter recognition, I try to also teach how to sign each letter as well. I have an 8.5 X11 posters showing the correct sign for each letter. We talk about why and when we might use sign language and how it is the same as teaching them to speak in a different language.  Once I have taught all of the letters I go back and review what sign language is, why we would use it and I share a story/book.  After the review lesson, I use small groups to teach the students how to sign the sentence "My name is ___".  (This lesson is ideal if you have more than one adult in the room to teach more than one small group at a time).


In sign, your sentence is:

Bring your open hand to your chest.

Tap two fingers from one hand twice on two fingers from the other hand.

 (Images used from http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/signdesign/index.html)

 By the end of the lesson, students are signing their names to each other and wanting to go share this new "talent" with others! This lesson can be used in any grade really or you can use it at home with your own children! It is Fun and Easy! To get a copy of this lesson plan click below! Enjoy!

SIGN LANGUAGE 

I also use Debbie Clement's books, Red White and Blue, You're Wonderful, and Tall Giraffe to teach sign language. The kiddos LOVE her songs and love her books and LOVE HER even more! You can learn more about Debbie at Rainbows Within Reach

And to see how much the kiddos LOVE her, you can check out the day we spent together by going to 

Kindgergarten Hugs

Carie is a kindergarten teacher from Illinois who writes on the 17th of each month. She shares her experiences and ideas from her classroom, writing about reading, writing, math, Art, and several other fun and exciting things!

Carie also writes her own blog: 

Kindergarten Hugs

Carie Ramirez