Sign Language Alphabet Printable Poster for Preschool and Kindergarten

Inside: Use these interactive and inviting sign language alphabet printable cards and ASL alphabet posters for preschool or kindergarten.

I don’t think I’ve ever stepped into a preschool or kindergarten classroom that hasn’t had a flagship alphabet poster or alphabet line traversing the room.

In many cases, the alphabet just kinda…sits there. It can start to blend in with the wall. I get it! We have great intentions, but few ideas as to how to meaningfully use it.

That’s why I created these sign language alphabet cards and can’t wait to share ideas for how to use them and bring new life to your alphabet.

Sign Language Alphabet Printable Cards

Because kids all take in information differently, I’m a big advocate of teaching to different learning styles. Some children remember visual clues that they see, while others are more auditory or kinesthetic in nature. They learn by hearing or hands-on learning.

To offer our little ones the best chance at meaningful learning, we need to teach in a variety of ways. Whenever we can incorporate multiple senses, children simply learn and retain more! 

Not to mention the oh-so-important bonus of making learning fun and engaging! 

If you are doing things like pointing out a picture in a visual, holding an object, or moving your body to a letter sound, you are giving children the ability to learn in multiple ways.

These printable alphabet cards have it all! They are a treasure trove of multi-sensory learning goodness and include:

• Large letters in both upper and lower case
• Beautiful visual illustrations to help remember letter sounds
• My favorite, American Sign Language (ASL) letters! In four different skin tones, so everyone can relate!

Related: Alphabet Wall Cards and Posters

I have these printable ASL Alphabet Printable Cards that you can grab over in my shop or over on my TPT store!

Benefits of Sign Language

 The are so many benefits for teaching children sign language:

• To develop gross and fine motor skills
• Foster early language development
• Assist with letter recognition
• Help build vocabulary
• Develops focus
• Boost self-confidence
• Supports letter and word recall
• Strengthen memory skills
• Strengthen teacher/caregiver bonding
• Foster a love of learning

Plus, kids just really enjoy it and find it fun!

My favorite benefit of sign language is that it offers kids a look into a world of people who are different from them. Learning to accept differences is a great opportunity to help children see their, and others’, uniqueness as STRENGTH!

Related: Powerful Books that Celebrate and Accept Differences

Uses for Sign Language Alphabet Printable Cards

These alphabet printables can be used in a myriad of ways in your classroom and home. There are two types: an ASL alphabet poster (which you can get for free below!), and individual sign language alphabet cards.

Printable ASL Alphabet Poster

This ASL alphabet poster is my gift to my email subscribers! Just fill in the box above to grab your copy from me.

Laminate the poster and hang it in a location where your students can reach it. This can be used for whole-group direct instruction and also for individual exploration.

For whole-group learning, you can pick a letter or two to focus on and practice the sounds and signs. You can tap into other learning modalities by incorporating favorite abc songs/chants during circle time, acting things out, and bringing in tangible objects that start with various letters/sounds. We love alphabet games, too!

For individual exploration, I love having teacher pointers available for the kids to use to point around the poster.

Sign Language Alphabet Cards

For a classroom, I would definitely recommend printing these out full-size, laminating, and posting them across your wall at the students’ level. You could also make rows if that works better with your space, as long as you place them in alphabetical order from left to right and top to bottom.

These ASL alphabet printables are also perfect for individual practice or for partner work. They are amazing in a literacy center!

For use in centers, you can print them out four to a page. In your printer settings, select multiple and be sure it says “4 to a page.” Then laminate!

Kids can trace with dry erase markers, form with playdoh, use magnetic letters or stamps to make/match the letters, or even act out the objects on the cards with a partner.

Partners can also pick a card and make the letter sign with their hand, while their partner practices with them!

Teaching the Alphabet

When I teach reading, I teach kids that there are three ways to “know” a letter:

• The letter sound
• Identifying things that start with that sound
• The name of the letter

Developmentally, kids typically benefit more from learning the sounds and corresponding objects first.

The letter names typically are learned as they are learning the sounds, but are actually not the number one priority. As an example, if your child sees letter ‘A’ and automatically says “apple” or the /a/ sound, that is something to be celebrated! He/she may not yet know or remember that the letter is called ‘A’, but they definitely have strong associations going on in their brain.

If you haven’t incorporated sign language into your teaching yet, I encourage you to use these printables as a stepping stone and take the leap!  If you are already teaching using signing, these ASL alphabet printables will make a great addition to your current materials. I would love to hear about ways you incorporate sign language into the lives of your kiddos! 

Happy Signing!