Learning Together: ASL Games & Activities for Families!

The ASL Games & Activities for Families are a fun way for parents and children to learn ASL together. Each game focuses on a specific part of ASL and provides lots of opportunities to practice and use one type of sign/phrase. You don’t have to know a lot of ASL signs or sign fluently to play the games – they are made for beginners! The games do not require special materials, but use toys you will likely have in your home. In some cases, certain pictures are needed, so we have provided them here, in a file you can download and print off. Each game is demonstrated and explained in a video. This will give you the basic idea of how to play the game, but there are lots of ways to change these games to make them fun for you and your child. The first game is called “Feed the Farm Animals” and focuses on verb agreement; the second game is "No, David!" and teaches about negatives in ASL and the final game “Handshape Fun!” teaches how to use your hands to accurately describe things around you.

Videos: 

Tutorial #1: Feeding the Farm Animals

• The first game is called “Feed the Farm Animals” and focuses on verb agreement. The purpose of this game is to feed the animals on the farm. The child will give specific food to the various farm animals. For example: Give the grass to the sheep. Give the corn to the chickens. In this game parents and children learn that the verb GIVE is signed differently if: • I give the corn to the chickens. • You give the corn to the chickens. • The farmer/girl/boy gives the corn to the chickens. • There is one animal or there are several animals receiving the food.

•  Feed the Farm Animals Cards.docx

Tutorial #2 - Handshape Fun!

• This is a handshape game that introduces the use of Size and Shape Specifiers (SASSes) in American Sign Language. SASSes give more information about an object's size and shape. Four ASL handshapes are used in this game: C, F, G and O.

•  Size and Shape Specifier Cards.pdf