“Like” lets a toddler tell you what wins — which food, which toy, which book. The hand pulls a feeling right out of the chest, closing thumb and middle finger as it goes.
How to Sign “Like” in ASL
Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Make the handshape: Spread your hand on your chest with thumb and middle finger extended toward you.
- Start at the chest: The middle finger rests near the center of your chest.
- Pull and close: Draw the hand straight out, snapping thumb and middle finger together as it leaves.
You are pulling a good feeling out of your heart — that image helps adults remember it, and exaggerating the pull helps toddlers copy it.
Step-by-Step Photos
Photos: Rodasmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
When to Use It With Your Child
- At preferences: “You like bananas!” with the sign whenever enthusiasm is obvious.
- At choices: Offer two toys and sign “like?” as you ask which one.
- About yourself: “I like this song!” — toddlers learn fastest from genuine reactions.
Tips for Success
- A flat hand pulled off the chest counts at first; the finger pinch comes much later.
- Use it at real enthusiasm moments so the feeling and sign stay glued.
- Add “don’t like” soon after — preference pairs beat single signs.
Signs Related to “Like”
“Don’t like” starts identically and flicks the fingers away, and “love” (arms crossed over the chest) is the bigger sibling. All three live at the chest, where ASL keeps its feeling signs.
The thumb-and-middle-finger handshape in “like” appears in a whole family of ASL feeling signs — “interested,” “excited,” and “touched” all use it.