Customer Reviews

Simple Signing with Young Children: A Guide for Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Teachers (Early Childhood Education)

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I purchased this book to augment the Creative Learning curriculum I use in my preschool room and was not disappointed. Simple Signing with Young Children is a WONDERFUL, pertinent, practical guide to incorporating ASL into your classroom. Carol Garboden Murray did a great job at introducing ASL concepts and explaining the basics to someone like me: a preschool teacher interested in adding sign language to our everyday routine. The pictures are great: lots of them and easy to reference. The photos include the person and their facial expression, which is such a key element to learning...instead of just pictures of the hand demonstrating each sign.
The author also does a great job a explaining variations on the signs and how children typically adapt them to their developmental level. Her chapter on Sign Language for Babies is particularly thorough. Because of my background, I was most interested in her chapters for toddlers and incorporating ASL into the classroom. I was so excited to learn songs, fingerplays, and signs for classroom routines (like story time and "five more minutes to play"). There is also an index of signs at the back of the book for easy reference. I cannot say enough about what a great resource this is. Our preschool has currently ordered another copy to keep on hand as a resource for all of our teachers at the center.

In "Simple Signing With Young Children: A Guide For Infant, Toddler, And Preschool Teachers", preschool teacher, special education instructor, early interventionist, parent educator, nursery school and childcare director, and sing language workshop presenter Carol Garboden Murray draws upon her more than 17 years of experience and expertise to write a thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction manual for parents, teachers, and care-givers to teach very young children how to communicate through sign language. Detailed photographs aptly demonstrate how to execute each sign while written directions provide a methodical and step-by-step guide for educators and parents. Comprehensive, authoritative, and superbly organized, "Simple Signing With Young Children" is the ideal introductory instruction manual and very highly recommended for anyone having to teach sign language to very young children at home, in a daycare center, or a community preschool program.

How great it is to know when the baby is hungry, thirsty or full! Helping children to communicate alieveates so much frustration! Thanks Carol for a great book!

This book is wonderful, not only for teachers, but for parents too. The pictures, and clear instructions makes the book practical, and a must-have for the classroom or at home.

I love using signing with young children, and I've been to several workshops on the subject. I learn all the colors, animals, etc., and forget them the next day. This book is great to have around for quick reference so I don't keep forgetting, but more than that, Murray presents excellent ideas for incorporating signing into classroom routines and using them in songs. I'm a music teacher so I've found this helpful and inspiring as I try new ways to use signing with singing. She also includes pictures of real children and adults doing the signs in an index. This is the best book for signing in early childhood that I've found.