How to Combine ASL with Preschool Music and Movement (with videos!)
Bringing American Sign Language (ASL) into your classroom isn’t just about teaching hand shapes—it’s one of the most effective ways to elevate your daily preschool music and movement routines.
When young children pair physical signs with a musical beat, they build fine and gross motor skills, retain vocabulary faster, and engage in inclusive, multisensory learning.
In this guide, we’ll walk through why combining ASL with music works so well for Pre-K and Kindergarten learners, and show how we integrate ASL words into our music video actions using two popular songs from one of our musical packages, Traveling the Seasons.
Why Combine ASL and Movement in the Classroom?
Dual Motor Development: Traditional movement songs focus on gross motor skills (marching, jumping), while ASL refines fine motor coordination and finger dexterity.
Inclusive & Accessible: Sign language provides non-verbal students, early talkers, and English Language Learners (ELLs) an immediate way to participate during circle time.
Anchored Learning: Pairing key words with meaningful hand signs helps children understand abstract concepts like patience, generosity, and seasonal change.
- Memorable actions! ASL is designed to be memorable. The movements are fun and memorable for children performing the action!
1. Teaching Kindness Through Movement: "Generosity"
In our seasonal production Traveling the Seasons, one of the first songs children learn after setting off on their journey is “Generosity”—a track focused on sharing and giving from what we have
Key ASL & Movement Actions:
Share (ASL): Place your open top hand on top of your open bottom hand and sweep it back and forth along the top edge.
Friend (ASL): Hook your bent index fingers together, then flip your hands and hook them together the opposite way.
- Family – Form “F” handshapes with both hands (thumbs and index fingers touching in circles), start with your thumbs touching,and sweep your hands outward in a circle until your pinky fingers touch.
Active Movement: When we sing ‘Generosity’ – a big circular motion of the hands, like a big water wheel.
2. Exploring every day!
The song ‘Enjoy every season’ exhorts kids to enjoy all the different seasons, and everything they do, every day. We combined ASL with expressive movement for big body exercise, and learning the ASL for ‘day’
Key ASL & Movement Actions:
DAY (ASL): Rest your dominant elbow on your flat, horizontal non-dominant arm and lower your raised index finger downward like the sun setting across the horizon.
Enjoy! (Gestural Movement): Swing arms wide over head from left to right
- Explore (Gestural Movement): hand over eyes as if shading from the sun, and look from left to right.
Tips for Introducing ASL Actions to Pre-K Students
- Research ASL online to find appropriate signs. We’ve found this site to be extremely helpful!
Pre-Teach 2–3 Signs First: Before turning on any music, demonstrate 2 or 3 core signs so children can copy your hand shape.
Exaggerate for the Stage: Small hand gestures can get lost from the audience’s perspective. Encourage kids to make their ASL signs big and expressive!
Use Video Models: Play the action video on a screen or tablet so your students can visually follow along while you move through the room.
Free Download for Early Educators:
Ready to try turnkey music and movement packages in your classroom?
👉 Download our Free Preschool Music and Movement Kit complete with audio tracks, scripts, lesson plans, and ASL guides!
