Customer Reviews

Talking Hands: A Sign Language Video For Children [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We have had this video for just over a week and I put this one in for my 14 m.o. daughter each morning while we spend one-on-one time together. She watched it straight through the first time, sitting on my lap, and subsequently, when I do the signs for some of the words depicted as we watch the video, she enjoys it. Sometimes she walks right up to the screen to 'touch' something / someone she has seen. The video shows a sign and it is pronounced simultaneously, then other depictions of the person / object / activity are shown giving one the opportunity to practice (which is what I do with my daughter). The clips are very nicely done showing people, especially kids relating to each other and some animals, too. The words are probably the best vocabulary to work on with small children, including: eat, drink, milk, potty, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, girl, boy, cookie, more, please, thank you, sit, stand, sleep, etc.

The tape has multiple speakers / signers presenting each word. I know nothing about American Sign Language, so I cannot critique the video from the perspective of quality. I can say that I generally consider the productions of Small-Fry to be top notch in terms of content and production quality, and this is a shining example. I really like the healthy diversity of the people shown, especially seeing kids signing.

I know that there has been work done recently on the value attributed to teaching an infant to sign - which ostensibly aids them developmentally and provides a means for communicating before the child is able to talk. While it is a little bit too soon to judge based upon our experience with this video, I can't imagine a more engaging way to demonstrate the technique to young children. I am sure that my daughters will pick-up some sign language - just how much will depend on how much I practice it with them.

I am an avid consumer of sign language products targeted at children because my [hearing] son, 2 1/2, has been signing for well over a year. Videos like this one help keep him interested in signing even as his spoken vocabulary continues to soar.

This video's high points are the number of signs presented, the variety of signs presented, and the diversity of people presenting the signs - they show people of different ethnicities as well as people of all ages. The one drawback of this wonderful video is that the adults presenting the signs seem automated. They don't show a lot of facial expressions, which we know is a very important part of signing.

I think this video is a great addition to any signer's video library. It will certainly boost your signing vocabulary as well as your child's and it will definitely keep him or her interested in signing even after he/she begins to speak.

A short time ago we purchased the Talking Hands video for our 3 year old daughter who has a severe speech disability. We had begun teaching her sign language out of desperation to help her communicate and to ease everyone's frustration. Since we ourselves are not familiar with sign language it was difficult to know where to start.This video was just the thing to get the ball rolling. Our daughter was glued to it from the first viewing, and began picking up and imitating the signs very quickly. I would encourage anyone to buy this video. For us and many others who have children with speech disorders, learning sign language is more than just a novelty.

I have an autistic granddaughter. ...She has never been able to talk and is almost 4 years old. It was very hard to accept and tougher to communicate with her. Most people just give up and walk away. I purchased this video for her and her 5 year old sister, hoping they would learn from it. This is the only video my granddaughter wants to watch and whats more, she has learned everything on it and uses it. My daughter just about cried when Hannah started signing to her out of the blue one day. Both of my granddaughters use the sign language very well. This is a "must have" video for children. By the way, I have to replace it because they have worn it out. Thank you.

I got this video from the library. I am glad I did so I didn't spend money on buying one. They teach 30-some signs in this video. The signs are:

mother, father (daddy), baby, boy, girl, grandmother, grandfather, love, please, thank you, eat, drink, more, cookie, potty, help, socks, shoes, hat, open, close, stop, go, sit, stand, off, on, play, ball, car, bubbles, books, video.

Here's an example of how it's done. For the word "mother" a woman signs it 3 times, a boy signs it twice, a girl says, "mama" and signs it twice. The little dark-skinned girl that does the signs and talks is just so adorable. The other people, for the most part, are looking at an angle away from the camera and it's a bit annoying.

At the end of the video they have a review. They say, "Do you know what this sign is?" and they show a person doing the sign. The audio is off but you can see them move their mouth while they say the word. It doesn't take a genius to read their lips and know exactly what word they are saying. I don't know how effective of a sign review that is.

I thought a few of the people doing the signs did them a little wrong. I am no expert (we started signing with my daughter 9 months ago) but for "bubble", as an example, they have someone signing it and it looks like bubbles are bursting; which is correct. But, then another lady will sign it and it looks like she is grabbing bubbles instead of popping them. Your fingers should be together and your fingers burst out, like a bubble popping. But that one signer has her fingers out and then brings them together as if she is grabbing the bubbles and not popping them. Also, the sign "boy" wasn't done the best. Some of the signers look like they are just closing and opening their fingers by their forehead. They really should have moved their hand forward a bit while doing that. It's just a little thing but it should be done correctly, in my opinion.

If you really want some excellent signing videos definitely go with "Signing Time" and "My Baby Can Talk". My baby is 18 months old and has been watching these since she was 9 months. She now knows over 50 signs. She loves those dvd's so much and watches them everyday. If we owned Talking Hands I really doubt she'd want to watch it. I have other reviews for you to read.

The more I read about this topic (sign language for kids), the more I've discovered that introducing signs to your child is a great idea. And I do not have a hearing-impared child, but it's clear that my children (ages 2 & almost 5)get a great kick out of watching this video! We use the signs for "eat & drink," "girl and boy," "please & thank you" and lots of others, just for the pure fun of it. While my kids are not infants anymore and already have a good verbal language base, I read recently about the great benefits of using signs with kids as they are developing those skills, which helps them express themselves. Having seen many a frustrated toddler who can't explain what he wants, I think that's a great idea, and I, for one, am all for it. I recommend this tape to anyone!

I would rate this 10 stars if I could!! I got this for my daughter when she was about 18 mos. She's now two and requests this video by name. It's done in a way that kids will listen, and enjoy and try to repeat. The signs are ones that kids use on a regular basis (mother, father, more, please...) I enjoy it too. My dd can't get her fingers to do some of the bending, but the gestures are on the mark. I highly recommend this.

I purchased this video after doing some research on how beneficial sign language can be for hearing babies. When Kaleb turned 6 months I decided to buy two. This video has basically taken the place of the baby einstein videos he loved so much. Although he still enjoys those The Talking Hands video is watched 2-3 times a day. He becomes absolutely enthralled as he watches the kids and adults make the signs and act out the signs. I truly enjoy the fact the video is so diverse and show children of different ethnicities and those with disabilities. I believe this will help familiarize him with how different people can be. He usually watches it while he's eating or when he gets a little cranky. It immediately gets and keeps his attention. Plus when guest come over they began using the signs with him and this reinforces the signing. Overall it was truly a great investment and we don't feel guilty about letting him watch it over and over since it is such an educational video.

I was surprised with all the high-ranking reviews that this video wasn't better. It's an ok presentation at best. It moves very SLOWLY! Only 1-minute is spent on each of the 33 words, but it seems like an eternity! I got bored, not to mention my 11-month old. Most of the words are in other videos or books we've seen. What really bothered me was 2 of the 3 signers have zero personality! Facial expression is a BIG part of learning A.S.L. and these folks, however ethnic, seemed more like zombies! I also thought the 8-minute review at the end was a giant waste of tape! VERY DRY! Maybe they should've used the time to present more words instead? I did like the inclusion of several special needs kids throughout.

My child is 20 months old, and I started her watching the Talking Hands video when she was about 12 months, about 1 month later my child was able to communicate with other by signing. Now that my child has learned how to talk, she still uses her sign language, along with talking, to communicate. I find this to be good, because some words are still hard for her to say, but with the help of her sign language I can understand her well. I highly recommend this tape for children of all ages...