My family and I love the PBS show Signing Time! My husband was actually the one to find it one Sunday morning while he was feeding the girls breakfast. Before we got our DVR, we would set the VCR up to tape each and every episode so we wouldn’t miss one while we were at church.
Now, as a homeschooling mom, I use the Signing Time! videos as a teaching tool for my two girls. They can’t get enough of it and neither can I! They teach the signs so easily that children and grownups of any age can learn ASL (American Sign Language). The show is geared towards teaching the hearing audience sign language in a fun, captivating, and educational way.
Co-creator, host, and mother, Rachel de Azevedo Coleman teaches the sign language to the watchers and then the signs are reinforced by two bright and special members of her own family: her daughter Leah, who is deaf, and Leah’s cousin, Alex. The children are joined by a small animated frog named Hopkins.
Encouraging interaction through signing, singing, dancing, and speaking, there is sure to be a way to teach all ages and learning styles how to communicate through ASL. The show features all original songs by Coleman conveying messages of self-worth, tolerance, and the joys of learning and growing. Through peer modeling, fun activities, clever animation, and enjoyable characters Signing Time! makes learning ASL an enjoyable and easy experience for everyone.
They introduce the signs for colors, numbers, and family members. They also teach the ASL alphabet, signs for playtime, school, the zoo and so much more. Each episode is full of so many signs to delight and teach your children. The show is set up so each sign is introduced by Coleman who shows you how to perform the sign correctly and tells you the name of it. Then it cuts to Alex and Leah and other children performing the sign. The children are not edited for perfection and this has helped my perfectionist daughter realize that the sign does not have to be perfect to still be right. As long as she is understood it is right!
My own children, Miriam and Emma, find that using sign language is a fun way to communicate with each other and myself. They use it at home, at friends and families homes, and even when we are out and about around town. I love the beauty of ASL. I feel more graceful as I share the signs with my children and talk to them.
If you would like to check out Signing Time! for yourself follow the links below! Happy signing from my family to yours!
Signing Time Volume 1: My First Signs DVD - $ 17.99
Retail Price: 21.99
You Save: $4.00
Signing Time DVD Full Collection Gift Set - $ 254.96
Retail Price: 280.15
You Save: $25.19
