“White” pulls off the chest and closes, like plucking a crisp white shirt. It is a smooth, satisfying sign and a useful one — milk, snow, and paper are all white. How to Sign “White” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via…
“Orange” squeezes an invisible orange at your chin — fruit and color in one sign. The mime is so literal that toddlers often giggle when they realize what it is. How to Sign “Orange” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia…
“Yellow” is the letter Y doing a little shimmy. Thumb and pinky out, twist twist — one of the easiest color signs for toddler hands. How to Sign “Yellow” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Make…
“Red” points at the reddest thing on your face: your lips. A fingertip brushes down from the lower lip, and it is usually the first color sign toddlers learn. How to Sign “Red” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons,…
“How” rolls two curled hands open like revealing a secret. It is the last of the big question words toddlers acquire, and the start of “how are you?” — the world’s most useful sentence. How to Sign “How” in ASL…
“Why” pulls a reason right out of the forehead. Toddlers hit the why-phase with or without this sign — teaching it just gives the avalanche a polite shape. How to Sign “Why” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC…
“Who” lives at the chin, where a curious finger crooks at the mystery person. It rounds out the toddler question words and fuels every doorbell, photo album, and storybook. How to Sign “Who” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons,…
“Where” is a single finger wagging side to side — simple enough for very young toddlers. It powers every hide-and-seek and every “where did it go?” game in the house. How to Sign “Where” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia…
“What” is the universal shrug, made official. Open palms shake side to side under a questioning face — the first question word most signing toddlers produce. How to Sign “What” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0…
“Name” is two finger-pairs tapping into a little X. It unlocks the most important question in a toddler’s social world: what is YOUR name? How to Sign “Name” in ASL Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Make the…