Learn to fingerspell your name
You’ll need
- Device with access to the internet
- Copies of the fingerspelling alphabets (optional)
- Access to a printer (optional)
To watch in full screen, double click the video
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.
Planning and setting up this activity
- Download (and print out, if needed) enough copies of the right handed and left handed fingerspelling alphabets, and the ‘Hello, my name is’ sheets.
- One copy between two or three people is usually fine. You could laminate the sheet to make it easy to clean.
Practising your fingerspelling
- Everyone should get in a circle with copies of the BSL fingerspelling alphabet. Ask if anyone knows what finger spelling is or has done it before.
- Explain that fingerspelling is a method of spelling words using hand movements. The fingerspelling alphabet is used in sign language to spell out names of people and places for which there's not a sign for. Fingerspelling can also be used to spell words for signs that the signer doesn't know the sign for, or to clarify a sign that's not known by the person reading the signer.
- Tell everyone that fingerspelling is used in British Sign Language (BSL), which is what you'll be using. BSL uses a two-handed alphabet however some other sign languages, such as American Sign Language (ASL), use a one-handed alphabet.
- Using the BSL fingerspelling sheets, the whole group should practice their alphabet together. A confident adult or young leader can show everyone how to make a letter, and then the group can copy.
- Once the group has practised the alphabet together, everyone should take a few moments on their own to practise fingerspelling their name.
- Now, get back in a circle, and practise signing ‘Hello, my name is’.
- When everyone’s ready, put the ‘Hello my name is’ and the fingerspelling of their name together. Now, they can introduce themselves, and understand someone else telling them their name.
- Everyone should get into small teams and sign their names to each other. They could also sign the alphabet.
- Now, once people know their names, everyone should try and put some of the letters together to make short words. They should start with simple words, such as ‘cat’ or ‘home’.
Testing your fingerspelling
- Once everyone is confident, you could try hosting a spelling bee. However, instead of verbally spelling words, players must fingerspell the letters. Ask everyone to get into teams. One person from each team should play in each round. The last person standing in each round wins a point for their team. You could have different categories, such as names, colours, shapes, animals, trees, films, songs, countries, foods, numbers and so on.
- An alternative version is for players get in a circle and pass a soft ball while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the object must fingerspell their name or a word provided by the person leading the activity. If they hesitate for too long or make a mistake, they’re out. The last person in the game, wins.
What’s sign language?
- Sign language is way of communicating using hand shapes, facial expression, gestures and body language. It’s mainly used by people who are D/deaf, or who have hearing impairments.
- The most common form of sign language in the UK is British Sign Language (BSL).
- British Sign Language (BSL) has its own grammar, structure, and syntax. This means that the words aren’t necessarily in the same order as they are in spoken English.
- Other countries have their own sign languages, such as American Sign Language. In Northern Ireland, Irish Sign Language (ISL) is used as well as BSL.
- Find out more about British Sign Language on the RNID website.
Other forms of signing and communication tools
- Makaton is a communication tool and it uses signs and symbols to support speech. You speak while you sign, so you sign words in the same order as in spoken English. You may recognise Makaton as it’s used in the CBeebies TV programme, Something Special.
- Sign Supported English (SSE) is a way of speaking and signing at the same time, using BSL signs for key words while speaking English.
Reflection
This activity helped you to develop your communication skills. Is it important to be able to communicate in a variety of ways? Can you remember who might use fingerspelling or sign language?
What things might be helpful when communicating with deaf people or people with hearing loss? RNID have some information about how to communicate with someone who is deaf or has hearing loss. This includes making sure you have the person's attention, facing them (because lots of people will use lipreading) and to be patient. Also, remember, everyone is different - don't assume that someone knows or uses sign language, or that someone will be able to lip read, just because they are deaf. Instead, ask them what's helpful for them.
This activity also helped you to learn to respect others, regardless of their background. What do you think it feels like to speak a language not many other people understand? Do you think it makes life more difficult when people don’t speak the language you use? What could your group to change this – do you think it’s important to try to learn some basic words and phrases? How might that change things for people who use sign language?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- To make this activity easier, you could let people have the fingerspelling sheets in front of them during the spelling bee.
- To make this activity harder, if everyone is confident, you could see who can sign the alphabet in the fastest time.
Make it accessible
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
You could use British Sign’s vocabulary sheet creator to build new sentences or phrases to try. Why not try our Play Silent Sprint activity to test your fingerspelling too?