learning sign language through Bible memory
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At the beginning of this year, I decided I wanted to begin learning American Sign Language. A rather lofty goal for someone who hardly has time to get to her to-do list, let alone to learn a new language!
But my plan was to learn along with my girls, teaching them their ABC’s and their ABC signs all at once. Nothing like teaching something to make you learn it, right? 
We love the “Signing Time” DVD and board book series. Their explanations are so helpful and memorable. We learned our alphabet signs easily, thanks to the help of Rachel, Alex, and Leah on “Signing Time”!
And then we found these fun and colorful alphabet flash cards that also include the letter sign. We couldn’t resist! Though sometimes we think the girls know which letter it is by the sign, instead of the other way around.
I often find myself doing dishes while the girls watch the “Signing Time” DVD’s, so I’m relying on the girls to remember the signs and the explanations behind them to convey to me. (And my girls, being so creative, make up not only signs, but logical sounding details that sound just like the lady on Signing Time…so it’s hard to know what to believe is really a sign and what isn’t!)
When I searched PaperbackSwap for books on sign language, I was excited to find some that were just for children, and just for learning Bible verses! Not only is it a great way to help my children learn Scripture, it’s a great way for us all to learn some signs—especially signs we might not learn in another ASL curriculum.
Sign & Say: Bible Verses for Children is fairly basic, with short, easy Bible verses. Faith Speaks! Expressing God’s Word in Sign Language is more in-depth, even showing you how to sign the verse reference numbers! It includes some longer, less-common verses, as well as some basic “confessions of faith” based on other verses. Between the two, I think we’ll be set for a while, not only in basic Bible memory, but new signs to learn! I think that learning the familiar verses will help us better remember the signs. And maybe one of these days, my girls (and I?) will be able to sign along with the songs we sing at church.
Do you know any sign language? What are your favorite resources for memorizing Scripture or for learning ASL?
Linking up with YLCF’s Children’s Books Reviews for the March Of Books.
We have been trying to learn sign language too. This past summer we met a deaf neighbor who road to church with us so we worked at learning as fast as we could but then he went away to college and we haven’t kept up like I wish we would have. I am getting ready to teach Sunday School class tomorrow and I thought it would be fun to introduce signing along with my memory verse but I am having a hard time figuring out all the signs I need.
I am twelve yrs old and I just took my first sign language class today! So exiting! We learned how to sign Psalm 23:2a He makes me lay down in green pastures. 😀
How neat! I’ve wanted to learn ASL but have never gotten around to it. We did do some signing with our oldest. She caught on quick.
Hey miss G,
Thanks for the heads up about some good books. I learned the alphabet as a kid and some baby talk signs when that was needed…
Blessings.
We’ll have to plan a fingerspelling session. Methinks my girls would outspell me, if only they could spell! 😉
The little girl I babysit on a weekly basis is 18 months old. Her mother was a teacher to the deaf before becoming a mom, so she speaks ASL fluently and has been using with her baby from the beginning. The baby now knows dozens upon dozens of signs and it is incredible how well we can communicate. Of course, she is having to teach them to ME, as I had no previous signing experience. We watch the Signing Time DVDs together and read the books and flashcards, but she has most of that down pat by now. I, on the other hand, pay close attention! I never know when I’m going to come over and she’s going to have a whole new sign to throw at me!
I haven’t done anything with ABC’s but I have used sign language with children a lot. I’ve found it to be extremely beneficial and the kids just love it.
It must be because little ones are so visual? It’s such a visual/tactile language, it completely engages all ages! 🙂
Oh how fun, Everly! What a unique experience, for you to learn from the daughter of an ASL teacher! 🙂 (The Signing Time DVD’s are invaluable, aren’t they?!)
Check out this website my sis-in-law sent me, where you learn the alphabet based on the shape of the sign: http://aslphabet.com/
My children LOVE the Signing Time products! Our youngest, who is 19 months old, has learned quite a lot of ASL through the DVD’s, books, and his big sister’s tutoring. 🙂 I was shocked to watch him learn to sign before he could even talk!!
I’m hoping for the same for my 11-month-old. So far, he likes to flail his hands a lot–and I think he thinks he’s signing, but we can’t always tell what! 😉
Oh, what nice books! I wanted to learn American Sign Language this year too. I was planning on teaching me ASL while teaching my husband Norwegian and our son English and Norwegian. But that just might be a little too ambitious 😉 I still want to learn and teach ASL, though. And I see what blogpost I should save the link to for when I do 😉
Wow, that does sound ambitious! 😉 Good for you, though! I wonder if there are studies about the benefits of learning languages simultaneously vs. separately? 🙂
Oh, and I forgot; I think learning ASL at the same time as your ABC’s is a great idea, it probably makes it that much easier. I can still hear my childhood’s retreat leader’s voice recite certain Bible verses. But singing is my favorite way of memorizing scripture 😉 another is emphasizing one word at a time as you say the Bible verse out loud, and then continue until you’ve emphasized each word (and said the whole verse out loud as many times as the verse has words).
I think there are studies in favor of learning languages simultaneously. At least I think they say that when children in families with several languages ( which would be the case for us) have both languages spoken to them, they will start to talk a little later, but learn both languages fluently (though that might be simply because the children are little.. that’s interesting. I’d like to find out if there are such studies..
It’s definitely learning by immersion! 🙂 And their minds pick up things so easily at that age.
I “stumbled” on your site while searching for some resources to signing Bible verses. No coincidence, I believe. I, too, absolutely LOVE the Signing Time DVDs and Rachel’s way of using music to help the signs stick better. It is interesting that in your comments here you discuss learning a new language by immersion (which works for adults as well as little ones, by the way!) and possibly learning more than one language at once. I will say that I have found it interesting that Spanish and ASL have some rather strong parallels grammatically even MORE than English. Although English is my first language I had a strong pull to study Spanish due to my family background. I would say that I am in no way proficient in Spanish but fluent enough to use it at work and be able to use it conversationally in settings without an interpreter present. Working as a nurse carries a whole NEW meaning to language in that medical lingo is a classification all its own but, having grasped Spanish created a greater desire in me to try my hand at ASL, especially when caring for a child who was born without a jaw. I worked as his private nurse for over 2 years and had the privilege of introducing him to ASL as a toddler. How rewarding that was! But I shared all of that to say that in my rapid learning to teach him, I discovered how KEY having learned another language was! Spanish and ASL mirror sentence structures and somehow created in me stronger means of remembering what I was learning. I would definitely recommend learning each, especially for those in the medical field, as they provide a means of communicating with those you care for as well as opening doors into medical missions and other fields of work. All the best to those who are learning!