Welcome to LearningWorks for Kids App Spotlight for Parents! In this series, we are highlighting some key apps for children and families and defining the key executive functions that can be strengthened through their use. This video will focus on the sign language-learning app ASL Kids. Click below to watch the video and learn more. The transcript is also provided below for your convenience. A special thanks to our videographer Alexa for her work on this awesome video!
Hello and Welcome to LearningWorks for Kids App Spotlights for Parents! In this series, we will be highlighting some apps that can really help your child’s executive functioning skills. Like what you see? Then be sure to visit us at learningworksforkids.com to read our educational blogs, and game reviews, and learn more about how to create a balanced play diet for your child.
Today we are going to be talking about the app ASL Kids. This app is a fun and easy way to get your young child introduced to the American Sign Language’s alphabet as well as some common words for them to practice.
When the user opens the app, they can choose words to learn from various categories such as Animals, Basic Items, Food, and Colors. When the user selects a category, they see the words they can learn written out in English next to a picture of the target word. This means that kids who are not yet able to read independently can still start learning to sign by recognizing the pictures and associating them with the corresponding sign. For users wanting to learn the ASL alphabet, the app also features a section with pictorial representation of the alphabet.
The user can also take quizzes using this app to test their ASL knowledge. By pressing play, the child will see a sign and then have to identify it from three options below. Again, the options will have the word written in English along with a picture so younger children can take these quizzes as well.
Practicing ASL is just like learning any foreign language; it requires your child to use their working memory and focusing skills. When your child hears a word out loud or sees its picture representation alongside its ASL sign, they are filing this information away in their brain. They need to focus on how to sign the word properly. They then need to activate their working memory by recalling the appropriate word in their head as they sign it using their hands. Apps like ASL Kids that show these actions in real time can go a long way to helping your child acquire some ASL signs right away while having fun at the same time.
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