10 Best ASL Teaching Activities to Try Right Now!

Every ASL teacher knows the feeling…you want your students actively communicating, laughing, signing, and truly using the language, but coming up with fresh ideas week after week is exhausting.

After more than 25 years in the classroom, I’ve discovered that the best activities aren’t always the fanciest or the ones that take hours to prep. They’re the ones that get students interacting, reviewing naturally, and asking, “Can we do this again tomorrow?”

If you’re looking to add some excitement to your lessons while saving yourself planning time, here are ten of my favorite classroom activities that I put on repeat. Each one will give brief information about the activity and will share a link to the full blog post for a more in-depth description. Read on to see what you can add to your classroom toolbox!

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1. First Day Stations

The first week of school can feel overwhelming for both teachers and students. Instead of spending the entire period reviewing the syllabus, let students move around the room while getting to know your classroom, expectations, classmates, and ASL.

Why teachers love it:

• Builds classroom community immediately
• Gets students moving
• Creates a positive first impression
• Requires very little teacher talking

Read next: First Day Stations, Creating Classroom Stations

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2. Escape Rooms

Escape rooms have become one of my favorite ways to review vocabulary and grammar. Students work together to solve puzzles, communicate in ASL, and stay completely engaged from beginning to end.

The best part? Students don’t even realize how much they’re reviewing because they’re so focused on solving the challenge.

Whether it’s the beginning of the school year, holidays, or review before a test, escape rooms work for almost any unit.

Read next: First Days of School Escape Room: A Fun Way to Build Classroom Community

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3. Sign It, Find It

If you’ve never tried this vocabulary game, you’re missing out.

Sign It, Find It is fast-paced, competitive, and incredibly simple to prepare. Students practice receptive and expressive skills while reviewing vocabulary in a way that keeps everyone involved. Unlike the Marker Game, random points are assigned to add a level of competition and more excitement to the game.

It’s perfect as:

• Bell ringers
• Review days
• Early finisher activities
• Sub plans
• Brain breaks
• First-week review

Read next: Sign It, Find It—A Fast-Paced ASL Vocabulary Game Students Love

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4. March Brackets

Who says brackets are only for basketball?

One of my favorite classroom traditions is creating tournament-style brackets where students vote on their favorite signs, Deaf history events, vocabulary, stories, or cultural topics.

Students become surprisingly invested, and the discussions that happen along the way are some of the best you’ll hear all year. You don’t need to use this activity in March; it is great any time of the school year.

Read next: Using March Brackets

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5. Murder Mystery

If your students love solving problems, they’ll absolutely love a classroom murder mystery.

Students gather clues, communicate with classmates, eliminate suspects, and solve the mystery…all while using the target language.

It’s the perfect activity when you want students communicating without feeling like they’re completing another worksheet.

Read next: How to Host a Murder Mystery in Your Language Classroom

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6. Mind Reading

Want an activity that gets every student signing, thinking, and laughing? Mind Reading is a simple but highly engaging game that encourages students to ask questions, make educated guesses, and use target vocabulary in authentic conversations.

This activity is easy to adapt for any ASL level and works well as a warm-up, review game, or brain break. Because students are focused on figuring out the mystery word or concept, they naturally practice expressive and receptive skills without feeling like they’re completing another assignment.

Why teachers love it:

• Encourages authentic communication
• Builds critical thinking skills
• Reinforces vocabulary in context
• Requires little to no prep
• Works with virtually any unit

Read next: Mind Reading: A Fun and Interactive ASL Classroom Activity

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7. Magic Squares

Looking for a quiet review activity that still challenges students?

Magic Squares combine vocabulary practice with logic puzzles, making them perfect for independent work, partner activities, or stations.

Students stay engaged because they’re solving a puzzle rather than simply matching vocabulary.

Read next: Magic Squares with Vocabulary

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8. Story Prompt Cards

One of the best ways to build confidence in expressive ASL is by giving students a reason to tell stories. Story Prompt Cards spark creativity while helping students practice vocabulary, classifiers, sequencing, and facial expressions in a low-pressure, engaging way.

Students can work independently, with a partner, or in small groups to create original stories using the prompts. Every round is different, making this activity easy to reuse throughout the year with any proficiency level.

Why teachers love it:

• Encourages creative storytelling
• Builds expressive signing skills
• Reinforces vocabulary in context
• Works as a warm-up, partner activity, or assessment
• Requires minimal prep and can be used year after year

Read next: Story Prompt Cards: A Creative Way to Build ASL Storytelling Skills

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9. Interpersonal Communication Activities

If your goal is language proficiency, students need opportunities to communicate, not just memorize vocabulary.

Interpersonal activities encourage authentic conversations, partner work, movement, and real-world communication while naturally reinforcing grammar and vocabulary. I start my class with an interpersonal prompt every day. Students love to sit and chat in a low-stress, non-graded environment. Just add a fun topic and see how students do.

They’re easy to adapt for nearly any ASL level.

Read next: Interpersonal Communication Ideas

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10. Turn Your Classroom Into a Giant Board Game

Want to create a lesson your students will remember all year?

Transform your classroom into a life-sized board game where students move around the room, complete challenges, answer questions, and review vocabulary in an entirely new way.

It’s one of those activities students continue talking about long after class ends.

Read next: Turn the Classroom Into a Board Game

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Great Teaching Doesn’t Have to Mean More Planning

One of the biggest misconceptions in teaching is that engaging lessons require hours of preparation.

They don’t.

The activities above have become classroom favorites because they’re easy to implement, encourage authentic communication, and make learning memorable. Many can be reused with different vocabulary or grammar topics throughout the year, helping you spend less time planning and more time connecting with your students.

Looking for More Creative Activities?

If you’re always looking for creative ideas to make your ASL classroom more engaging, be sure to explore the rest of the Creative ASL Teaching blog. New articles are added regularly with practical strategies, classroom-tested activities, and time-saving ideas designed specifically for ASL teachers.

Have you tried the Big Book of Activities? Teachers are loving this book of ideas to help them be more creative, fully planned, and save them time. Grab your copy today with over 100 ideas to use in your classroom today.

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