American Sign Language Resources
Check your local community centers, community colleges or other educational centers that may offer day or evening classes.
Helpful information from the National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
ASL for Free and Paid Courses from Gallaudet University
Voice Nation: Beginner's Guide to American Sign Language (Thanks Tyler's parents!)
Resources from Wristco.com (Thanks Ella Martin!)
YouTube Resources
Social Media Accounts
The ASL Shop FacebookInstagram
Dictionaries
RIT NTID ASL Video Dictionary and Inflection Guide
ASL Books for Kids and Families
The Gallaudet Children's Dictionary of American Sign Language — Editors of Gallaudet University Press. Over 1,000 signs with color illustrations, organized alphabetically. Includes sections on Deaf culture, an introduction to fingerspelling, and an accompanying video dictionary at gcdasl.com. Published by Gallaudet University. Ages 5 and up.
The Handmade Alphabet — Laura Rankin. Beautiful colored-pencil illustrations of diverse hands signing each letter of the ASL manual alphabet, each paired with an object beginning with that letter. Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book. All ages.
Handsigns: A Sign Language Alphabet — Kathleen Fain. Each letter of the manual alphabet is illustrated with an animal whose name begins with that letter, shown forming the handshape. A clever, visual approach to the fingerspelling alphabet.
Sign Language for Kids: A Fun & Easy Guide to American Sign Language — Lora Heller. Photos of children demonstrating signs, organized by category (family, school, food, sports, feelings). Includes sentences and questions so kids learn how signs work together. Grades 3–7.
Learn to Sign the Fun Way — Penny Warner. Goes beyond the alphabet with games, puzzles, and activities to make learning ASL interactive. Good for classroom use or independent learning. Author has a background in child development and special education.
The Kids' Guide to Sign Language — Kathryn Clay. Focuses on commonly used sentences rather than individual words, helping kids learn how to put signs together in context.
My First Book of Sign Language — Joan Holub. Introduces ASL through the alphabet, with illustrated signs for objects beginning with each letter. Simple and accessible.
A to Z Sign With Me — Dawn Babb Prochovnic. Part of the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. Introduces ASL vocabulary through bright illustrations and rhyming stories. Multiple titles available in the series, each focused on a different theme (family, food, school, animals, feelings).
Monster Hands — Karen Kane, Jonaz McMillan, and Dion MBD. Milo and his friend Mel communicate in ASL from their neighboring windows, sharing ideas about the scary monster under the bed. Features rhyming vocabulary in ASL. An educator resource guide is available from the publisher.
The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language — Clayton Valli. Over 3,000 illustrated signs with clear depictions of handshape, movement, and position. Includes a comprehensive introduction to ASL grammar, syntax, and Deaf culture. A more advanced reference for older students and families ready to go deeper. Published by Gallaudet University.
If you know of other credible resources, please send me a message so I can update this page.