If you’ve ever competed in a spelling bee, you know how rewarding it is to be a good speller. The same applies to fingerspelling, which adds a double-dose of Bee pride for those fluent in American Sign Language (ASL): Spelling a word correctly, AND fingerspelling it correctly.
Even if your baby is only knows some basic signs such as such as “more,” “milk” or “mom”, finger spelling is a natural second step. Around the age of two, a child develops a growing awareness of the alphabet. At this time you can begin exposing your child to the letters of the Sign Language alphabet. To help you get started, here are a few tips when learning the ABC’s in Sign Language.
There are 26 letters in the alphabet: Some letters are iconic, meaning they look like what they represent. This gives your child a visual reference for how the letter is written or read such as letters C, D, I, J, K, L, O, V, W and Z. This is a very useful tool when it comes to spelling and it will last you through adult-hood.
Rule of the Palm: The palm of your hand toward the person you are signing to, with the exception of G, H, P and Q.
Stay Still: Always keep your entire hand and elbow steady as you fingerspell, no bouncing – this assures easy readability.
Finger spelling doesn’t need to replace the signs for “more,” “milk” or “mom”. But as your child becomes aware of reading and writing, the manual alphabet is a must-have.
PS – If you need a complete handout of the alphabet above, contact us and we’ll send one right over!
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