American Sign Language for Kids: 101 Easy Signs for Nonverbal Communication by Rochelle Barlow Book Review

The easy way for kids (and parents) to learn American Sign Language.

There has never been a better way to start learning American Sign Language. Ideal for parents of nonverbal children or children with communication impairments (ages 3-6), American Sign Language for Kids offers a simple way to introduce both of you to ASL.

Build your vocabularies with 101 signs perfect for everyday use, all featuring detailed illustrations, memory tips, and hands-on activities. American Sign Language for Kids helps you focus on the types of words you need most with chapters conveniently divided by category. Get chatty with activities that guide you through conversations. You’ll be signing together in no time!

American Sign Language for Kids includes:

• 101 helpful signs―From family and feelings to meals and playtime, work with your child to master subjects that will help the two of you connect.
• Fun ways to practice―Discover enjoyable activities at the end of each section that make it exciting and engaging to learn signs and start conversing!
• Practical guides―Get useful advice for introducing signs to a child with autism, helpful primers on deaf culture, and more.

Discover an effective and meaningful way to deepen communication with your child―American Sign Language for Kids shows you the way.

My Thoughts:

I went to college some 30+ years to become an interpreter for the deaf. It has been many years since I have signed anything. I used sign language with my kids when they were little. My special needs daughter it was a huge blessing as she was non-verbal pretty much up until she was 6 years old. Now my daughter is 17 and doesn’t stop talking. 

My daughter is in high school now and has wanted to learn sign language in our homeschool. American Sign Language for Kids has been a perfect book for her special needs and her abilities. I like that it gets her signing words immediately that she needs as she doesn’t always express herself with her Autism.

Every sign not only shows the sign with an illustration but has a easy to understand format with describing the sign. There are memory tips which are so helpful and we were taught some when I was in school for ASL. It recommends that the parent learns the signs first before you begin teaching them to your child.

The first chapter in the book goes over ASL basics about ASL. It gives you some information on hearing loss and how to help your child learn ASL. I like that it goes over the etiquette in the deaf community as I learned it but haven’t seen it mentioned in other books I have for ASL. I would recommend that you take the time first to read over the first chapter as it’s a wealth of information for a parent who has a child with hearing loss, deaf, or you are just wanting to learn to sign.

Each of the 8 chapters is color coded. The second chapter goes over the first signs that you need to help your child understand if you needing to find a quick way to communicate important information like drink, food, bather room, mom, dad, and so on.

The other chapter are broken down by topics like family and feelings, mealtime, at home, playtime, everyday conversation, and then by alphabet and numbers.

Each sign is on one page with a large illustration of the sign and some written instruction underneath the illustration. 

Off to the side you have some helpful information to that sign. I could be a memory tip to help you remember the sign. For example for the sign banana it says that you are peeling a banana. Some have Grammar Tips and others will point out if it is a sign that has a similar sign to help you recognize the variation of the sign. There is also teaching tips to help them understand the sign and if it has a sign variation like to express the difference between a light or heavy rain.

This is a easy to understand sign language book for ASL. I like that it isn’t overwhelming but at the same time it is enough to get you started off to building a solid sign foundation. 

I received a free copy of this product from Callisto Publisher's in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this information accordance with the FTC Regulations.