RaJen Review: American Sign Language Flash Cards

 

We knew we wanted to experiment with sign language even before the twins were born. There were plenty of resources available, some where you just make up your own signs with your kids, and others based specifically on the more universally known American Sign Language (ASL).

We purchased two different resources. The first was the Sign With Your Baby (DVD) by Joseph Garcia and while that was all good and well, you were a bit stuck to a television. So then we purchased these ASL Flash Cards by Sign2Me when the kids were four months old, which, looking back, is an incredible feat because we were dealing with ear infection after ear infection after stomach virus around the same time and I'm surprised I was able think beyond how it looked to the guys at Home Depot after I purchased a large tarp, plastic gloves, and a bucket, not sure they'd believe me if I told them it was for letting our son go diaperless to deal with the worst diaper rash ever from seven days of diarrhea and not because I was planning to dispose of a body.

Wait, where was I? Oh, sign language.

So the plan was to teach ourselves some basic signs, do them around the kids and see if they'd pick up on them. Sure enough, they did back here and here. And they've continued to pick up on signs.

Things we like about these cards: the sign description is easy to figure out; the Spanish word is there, too; nifty boxes for storage. Things we don't like: the creepy bot signers; the cards, though a sturdy weight, are no match for the mouths and hands of babies - then again, neither is wood. I suppose we could have laminated them, but really.

We initially purchased three boxes (Quick Start Pack , Actions & Opposites , Objects and Emotions ) on Amazon for a little under $11.00 each. And I just recently ordered the last two boxes (Family/Clothing/Toileting Pack, Animals & Colors Pack ).

Sure they can use words now, but another method of communication during the toddler years is never a bad thing. Plus, with them requesting "More!", how can we resist?

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Comments

[LauraC]

Alex is 3.25 and when he starts giggling uncontrollably about something, he involuntarily signs "more". Just as cute now as it was then. We still use "stop" and "sit down" in public when I don't feel like yelling.

(I hate to suggest tv but we LOVED Signing Time because it was the easiest way for me and Jon to learn sign language. )

[Kathy]

We use signing time videos! Oh my gosh they are cute and the kids LOVE them. They are made for age birth to 8...Delaney at 8 months pays attention to them and Julia is 7 and loves them and Charlotte is 12 and begs to watch them. THey use kids to show them the signs after Rachel the director shows the signs THey are fantastic. We rent them from the library.

[reanbean]

Thanks for this review. After reading At The Table, I was going to look into getting some flash cards and wondered which ones you used. We've been signing with our twins since they were about 10 mo. old and my daughter uses signs all the time. My son, who has some fine motor needs, doesn't sign back much, but he knows the signs when we use them. We don't do tv, so videos are out, but we've used some board books and the flash cards sound interesting. I'd love to hear more specifics about how you use them.

[RaJen]

@reanbean - the intent of the cards was for jennifer and i to go through them on our own time, but the kids saw them one day, opened a box, and that was that. now they request the cards at the table. so we'll show the picture to them and say the word (with the sign picture facing us), and they'll usually sign and/or say the word and then we'll reinforce the sign. its kind of embarrassing, actually, because we never intended to do flash cards with our kids at this age - these are the people i make fun of, after all. but THEY like them as much as they love sitting in our laps for books or tossing things down the stairs. We have a few board books with signs (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) and in fact that's when I first realized that Harper was taking to signing b/c we'd do the book and then one day we're out running errands and Mateo was fussing so I start singing TTLS and I look in the rearview mirror and there's Harper signing the song. It was surreal.