Ask Your Friends and Family if they know ASL
Interview friends and family about American Sign Language knowledge, practice asking respectful questions, record responses, and learn one basic ASL sign together.
Step-by-step guide to ask your friends and family if they know ASL
Step 1
Gather your Paper Pencil Notebook and ASL picture chart or cheat sheet so everything is ready.
Step 2
Choose three friends or family members you want to interview about ASL.
Step 3
Write three short respectful questions about ASL in your Notebook like "Do you know any ASL signs?" or "Would you like to learn a sign with me?"
Step 4
Practice asking your three questions out loud one or two times so you sound clear and polite.
Step 5
Go to the first person and ask for permission to interview them about ASL.
Step 6
Ask your three questions clearly to that person.
Step 7
Write down their answers in your Notebook right after they tell you.
Step 8
Ask that person if they can teach you one basic ASL sign or if they want to learn one with you from the chart.
Step 9
Watch the sign carefully and copy the movements until you can do it smoothly.
Step 10
Draw the sign in your Notebook so you can remember how it looks.
Step 11
Write the word the sign means under your drawing.
Step 12
Repeat Steps 5 through 11 with each remaining person you chose.
Step 13
Use Optional coloring materials to decorate your Notebook page with the drawings and notes.
Step 14
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use if I don't have an ASL picture chart or cheat sheet?
Use a free ASL chart or how-to videos from a library, website, or app, or make your own cheat sheet by drawing key signs on your Paper with your Pencil and Notebook to use during Step 8.
I can't copy the sign movements smoothly—how can I fix that?
Practice in front of a mirror, ask the person to demonstrate slowly and break the sign into smaller parts, and record the demonstration on a phone so you can replay it while you practice before drawing it in your Notebook as in Step 10.
How can I adapt this activity for younger or older kids?
For younger children, pick one familiar family member, ask one simple question and let them trace or sticker the sign drawing from Steps 2–4 and 12, while older kids can interview more people, video the taught signs, and add dates and reflections to the Notebook for a mini research project.
How can we extend or personalize the finished Notebook?
Turn your Notebook drawings into illustrated flashcards, add color-coded labels and the name/date of who taught each sign, film short teaching clips to share on DIY.org, or organize a mini-class to teach the signs you learned using Steps 9–12 and the sharing step.
Watch videos on how to ask your friends and family if they know ASL
ASL Alphabet for Beginners | Easy Sign Language for Kids | Twinkl USA
4 Videos
ASL Alphabet for Beginners | Easy Sign Language for Kids | Twinkl USA
30 Basic ASL Signs For Beginners | American Sign Language
Learn Sign Language with Gecko's Garage! | Gecko on the Bus | MyGo! | ASL for Kids
Basic ASL Signs for Kids | American Sign Language Day | Twinkl USA
Facts about American Sign Language and deaf culture
✋ A polite way to get a deaf person’s attention is a gentle tap on the shoulder or a wave — always ask before touching.
👐 American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete natural language with its own grammar — it isn’t just English on hands.
🧮 An estimated 250,000–500,000 people in the U.S. and Canada use ASL as their primary language.
🤟 ASL combines handshapes, facial expressions, and body movement to convey meaning, so faces are part of the grammar.
🌍 Sign languages are different around the world — ASL is not the same as British Sign Language (BSL) or others.
How do I run an activity where my child interviews friends and family about ASL?
What materials do I need to do an ASL interview activity with my child?
What ages is this Ask Friends and Family about ASL activity suitable for?
What are the benefits and safety tips for interviewing friends and family about ASL, and are there variations?
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