What is International Day of Sign Languages?
International Day of Sign Languages raises awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf.There are approximately 72 million deaf people worldwide. More than 80% of them live in developing countries. Collectively, they use more than 300 different sign languages.
When is International Day of Sign Languages?
Saturday, 23 September
Activities:
- Manners Matter - Teach the children some easy signs that can be used throughout the whole year:
- Please: Use flat hand to make a circular motion on your chest. The motion goes toward your shoulder in a circle
- Sorry: Use a fist (S sign) and do the same circular motion on your chest as you do for please sign.
- Thank you: Touch the fingertips of one hand to your chin then move hand away from the body.
- You’re Welcome: Touch fingertips of one hand to your chin and move hand in an arc motion to your waist.
- More: Bring all fingertips together in front of your body and tap them together.
- Help: Fist with thumb up placed on open palm of the other hand.
Then role-play a scene using a tea set, table and chairs and use manner signs.
- Teach the children some easy amimals signs that can be used throughout the whole year:
- Dog: Pat your leg and snap fingers as if calling a dog.
- Cat: Use one hand to pretend to pull whiskers from the side of your mouth
- Bird: Index finger and thumb form a beak next to your chin
- Cow: Place a Y hand (fist with thumb and index finger up) at your forehead to form a horn
- Chicken: Begin with the bird sign (see above) then bring fingers down to the palm of the other hand and peck the hand.
- Horse: Place thumb, index and middle fingers open at your forehead and bend fingers down.
Then Sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm with the animal signs.
- Teach the children easy alphabet signs that can be used while sing the Alphabet song.