Farm Animals in Sign Language
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Farm animals are so loved by our little ones, and teaching your baby or toddler the ASL signs for their favorite farm animals is a wonderful idea! Your child may be similar to my daughter when she was younger - obsessed and highly motivated by animals of all kinds. This is a great opportunity to use sign language with your baby or toddler!
In this blog post, you will learn the best signs to start with in sign language and how to use them when playing with farm animals - or visiting them in real life! You’ll also learn sign language for farm animals, baby and toddler books with farm animals, as well as activity ideas that are very exciting and motivating to further support their sign language and spoken language development.
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Functional Vocabulary in Sign Language
Before I teach you any farm animals in American Sign Language, it’s also important that functional vocabulary doesn’t get left out.
Functional vocabulary is the foundation to early communication because they are used across multiple settings and represent many of the basic needs that our babies and toddlers will need to communicate with us first. Learn four reasons to use functional sign language vocabulary, along with examples, in this blog post.
Functional sign language vocabulary can also be used with farm animals! Here are some examples (and learn these signs here):
🐮OPEN: opening the farm doors or fences for the animals
🐷IN: putting the animals in the bar or stables
🐔GO: as they go run and play on the farm
🐴EAT: when it’s time to eat hay or apples
🐥SLEEP: farm animals need to sleep too!
Want to use sign language with your little one?
Sign Through the Seasons: Fall is an all-inclusive activity workshop that equips you to implement meaningful activities, targeted signed vocabulary, and intentional learning for your baby, toddler, or preschooler during the fall months (including farm animals)! Learn more about this seasonal e-course here.
Look Who’s Signing Now is my signature four part course that teaches you the exact blueprint I use to teach my own children sign language. Beginning with the foundation of why and when to use baby sign language, how to implement it, and what signs to use. With this self-study e-course, you will have the confidence to sign with your baby and boost their early communication while reducing frustrations, tantrums, and time wasted playing the guessing game.
Check out my online resources for parents! Browse my current offerings.
Sign Language for Farm Animals
COW: think about the small horns that cows have when using this sign
HORSE: make sure you’re only flapping down your 2 fingers (like the thin, narrow shape of their ears), otherwise you are signing something different
PIG: the fingers are moving up and down together, not wiggling independently (that means something else)
Farm animal books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
Reading books that include farm animals will help extend your child’s learning, interests, and experiences. Incorporate the signs you know (both functional and fun ones) as you read together.
Open the Barn Door is a chunky board book, perfect for babies and young toddlers 0-2 years old to easily turn the pages. They will love finding the different farm animals hiding on each page! It’s a great introduction to the animals and their sounds.
Moo On The Farm is a sound book that toddlers 1-3 years old will absolutely love. Pressing the buttons to hear the farm animal sounds is great fine motor practice to develop pointing, and having them find the corresponding button while you read is a great eye tracking and comprehension bonus!
(Don’t worry, there is a switch on the back to turn the sounds off if you ever need a break)
Who Sank the Boat is a farm animal book that older toddlers and preschoolers will love. It’s a great book to add in additional conversations while you read about size, sequencing, and predictions as well. available as both a board book and paperback.
To see additional books I love using with sign language, please see my Amazon storefront.
Farm Animal Activities for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
These ASL signs can also be used during activities and play with farm animals! Your little ones will be engaged and motivate to learn while they play. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
There are many artwork ideas out there, you really can't go wrong. Handprint farm animals are so sweet, and an easy way for babies (and toddlers) to create artwork and receive that sensory input from the texture of wet paint on their hands.
I love an easy sensory bin set up, and one that is taste safe for younger ones is icing on the cake! This farm sensory bin would be perfect to set up outside on a beautiful, fall day.
Puzzles are great for all ages! Babies will first love to hit and bang the pieces on the floor and together, then they will develop the curiosity and skills to attempt to do the puzzle itself. Here are some farm animal puzzles I love: jumbo knob puzzle, sound puzzle, and wooden chunky puzzle.
Farm animal figures are so versatile and great for open ended play. This farm animal barn and this farm animal tractor are timeless toys for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers as their pretend play develops over the years (and would be great to use in the sensory bin, too!)
I hope you have fun playing alongside your little one while deepening their sign language and communication skills!
