Signing Time Dictionary

Over 400 common signs, including the top starter sings for your baby!

Each sign includes a video, teaching notes, and downloadable flashcards to make learning easy.

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Sad in Sign Language

Learn how to sign sad in ASL (American Sign Language). It’s important to talk about our feelings!

  1. Hold both hands in front of your face. The palms face you and fingers are slightly separated. One hand is just slightly higher than the other.
  2. Draw the hands down a few inches as you make a sad face.
  3. It’s really important to show the emotion for this sign!
  4. This sign just looks sad, and your face is crestfallen. Use this visual to help you remember the sign.

Teaching Tips – to learn how to sign sad in ASL

  • Play a game of charades using emotions. You can learn some other feelings (happy, silly, excited, grumpy, scared) in our dictionary. Take turns having one person act out the sign and the other participants guess and sign the feeling back.
  • Sign language for infants can help them begin to understand emotions – which is especially helpful as the toddler years approach. If your child cries, say, “Oh! I’m sorry you’re sad!” And sign sad. Help her make the connection between the feeling and the sign. Eventually she will be able to tell you herself, sometimes even without the tears!

Transcript:
Sad. Open your hands and bring them down over your sad face. Sad.

Download the Flashcard (click on the image. The file contains a few color and black-and-white options. Print according to your needs.)

Want to improve your family’s signing? Learn more with our fun lessons.

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