According to the American Society of Deaf Children (ASDC), “Research shows that reading and signing stories together helps promote essential literacy skills for ALL children: deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing.” This page highlights some favorites! Just click on a book cover to enjoy the video read alouds in American Sign Language. To keep up-to-date on new releases and see a more complete listing, The ASDC maintains a running list of signed stories in their ASL Stories Directory. Use it to quickly find stories by a child’s age or by the book’s title. Also, join us for in-person storytimes with ASL interpretation!
In-Person Programs for Kids with ASL Interpretation
- Event: Music & Movement with Kindermusik
- Date & Time: Wednesday, December 03, 10:30am
- Location: Pike Branch
- Description: Children birth through age 5 and their caregiver will join Kindermusik of Indianapolis in this music and movement class. Adults will bond with their child through singing, dancing, and instrument playing. There’s room for everyone to grow in this family program!
- Register Here
- Event: Bilingual Storytime at College Avenue – American Sign Language (ASL)
- Date & Time: Saturday, December 13, 10:30am
- Location: College Avenue Branch
- Description: Join us for a storytime with a Deaf presenter and American Sign Language interpreter! This program is fully accessible and enjoyable to both Deaf and hearing individuals.
- No Registration Required.
- Event: Intro to Embroidery
- Date & Time: Friday, January 30, 2:00pm
- Location: East 38th Street Branch
- Description: Learn the basics of embroidery in a class setting, and take home your first project with pride! Class size limited – register to claim your spot.
- Register Here
Online Stories that are both Read Aloud and Signed (ASL):
Online Stories Signed (ASL) Only:
Where to Find More Video Read Alouds in American Sign Language:
- American Society for Deaf Children: ASL Stories Directory
- California School for the Deaf Video Sign Alouds for Children
- Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind: Video Storytelling for Families
- Rocky Mountain Deaf School: ASL Video Storytelling
- Rochester School for the Deaf: Video Storytimes
- Washington School for the Deaf: ASL Storytime
- Washington Reading Corps: Books in ASL
- Rocky Mountain Deaf School: ASL Video Storytelling for Toddlers
- Foundations for Literacy: ASL Stories
- ASL Stories Directory Hundreds of free videos of ASL retellings of favorite children’s books.
- #OperationASLStorytime on Youtube, Instagram and Twitter is a collection of children’s stories translated into American Sign Language (ASL).
Online and @Home Activities:
- Printable: ASL Activities Packet for Younger Children
- Printable: ASL Activities Packet for Older Children
- Art Lessons in ASL: How to Draw a Bear
- Art Lessons in ASL: How to Draw a Bat
- Art Lessons in ASL: How to Draw a Giraffe
- Art Lessons in ASL: How to Draw a Bacon
Learn American Sign Language on ASLdeafined
Learn American Sign Language with video lessons from ASLdeafined. The content is for anyone who wishes to learn ASL, regardless of age. Login with your Library card number and create an account. A mobile app is available for Apple and Android. The login you use for the main site will be the same login for the mobile app.
Sign with Me! Learn Basic Sign Language Together
Learning a second language is not only good for your brain, it also lets you communicate with a new group of people. American Sign Language (ASL) is spoken by around 1,000,000 people in the United States. Introduce your children to the world of signing with the books in this collection.