DIY in ASL!
Learn and practice basic American Sign Language signs by creating a short ASL video or flipbook showing greetings, alphabet letters, and simple words.
Step-by-step guide to DIY in ASL
Step 1
Decide whether you will make a short ASL video or a flipbook.
Step 2
Pick 3 greetings 5 alphabet letters and 5 simple words you want to show in ASL.
Step 3
Write each chosen greeting letter and word on a separate sheet or card.
Step 4
For each item look up the correct ASL sign in an ASL video or online dictionary.
Step 5
Practice each sign in the mirror until you can make it clearly and confidently.
Step 6
If you chose a flipbook draw the starting hand position for your first sign on the top page.
Step 7
If you chose a flipbook draw small changes on each following page to show the hand moving through the sign.
Step 8
If you chose a flipbook repeat drawing frames for every chosen greeting letter and word.
Step 9
If you chose a flipbook stack the pages in order and staple or clip them so you can flip them quickly.
Step 10
If you chose a video set up a quiet background and position yourself so the camera would see your hands clearly.
Step 11
If you chose a video record a short clip of each sign in the order you chose.
Step 12
If you chose a video edit your clips into the correct order.
Step 13
If you chose a video add a simple title card or caption for each sign.
Step 14
Practice showing your flipbook or play your video once to make sure each sign looks clear.
Step 15
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 index cards, a stapler, or a camera?
Cut regular printer or scrap paper into card-sized sheets or use cereal-box cardboard for sturdy pages, fasten flipbook pages with a binder clip or tape instead of a stapler, and use a smartphone or tablet to record following the 'set up a quiet background and position yourself so the camera would see your hands clearly' step.
My hands look blurry or keep going off-camera when I record—how do I fix that?
Move to a well-lit, plain background, position the camera so your hands fill the frame as the instructions say, record short clips for each sign and review each clip to re-record any unclear takes before you 'edit your clips into the correct order.'
How can I change this activity to suit younger or older kids?
For younger kids, choose fewer items (for example 1–2 greetings and 3 letters), use large drawings on thick paper and practice each sign in the mirror together with an adult, while older kids can expand to sentences, add captions or a title card, and edit the clips into a polished video.
How can we make the flipbook or video more creative or educational?
Add colored cards or drawings for each word, include a short caption or title card for every sign as you 'add a simple title card or caption for each sign,' record slow-motion clips for tricky signs, and personalize the project with your own name sign before sharing on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to create a short ASL video or flipbook
30 Basic ASL Signs For Beginners | American Sign Language
4 Videos
30 Basic ASL Signs For Beginners | American Sign Language
Basic ASL Signs for Kids | American Sign Language Day | Twinkl USA
100 Essential ASL Signs in 5 Minutes
Sign Language for Beginners | An Essential Guide
Facts about American Sign Language for kids
🤟 American Sign Language (ASL) is a full, natural language with its own grammar—different from spoken English.
🗺️ ASL has regional variation—some signs and styles change across communities in the U.S. and Canada.
🔤 Fingerspelling (the manual alphabet) is used to spell names, places, and words that don't have established signs.
🎬 Making short ASL videos or flipbooks is a fun way to practice facial expressions and movement—both are part of the language.
🧑🏫 ASL in the U.S. developed in part after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc helped found the first school for the Deaf in 1817.
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