Using ASL to Teach Feelings and Emotional Regulation in Young Children
- Vielka Montout
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
A child throws a toy.
Another child cries during transition.
A student shuts down during group work.
Many behavior challenges begin as communication challenges.
When children have language for their feelings, they are more able to regulate, connect, and recover.
Why Emotional Language Matters
Social emotional development is closely connected to language development. When children can label feelings, they are better able to seek support, express needs, and participate in relationships.
For Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, visual language provides accessible tools for emotional expression. For hearing children, signs can support emotional awareness before speech skills are fully developed.
Teaching feelings is not an “extra.” It is foundational for learning readiness and classroom participation.
Signs That Support Emotional Communication
• happy
• sad
• angry
• scared
• proud
• tired
These signs can be taught through routines, books, and role-play.
Consistency is more important than quantity.
What This Looks Like at Home
Sign tired before bedtime
Sign happy during play
Sign sad when comforting
Sign proud when celebrating effort
Children begin to connect emotions with language through repeated real experiences.
What This Looks Like in Classrooms
Teachers can:
introduce one feeling sign each week
use visuals during morning circle
model signs during conflict resolution
reinforce signs during reflection time
Visual emotional language benefits all learners, including multilingual students and students with communication delays.
Try This Activity
Create a daily Feelings Check-In.
Ask students to choose a feeling and model the sign together.Discuss situations connected to that feeling.
This builds both vocabulary and empathy.
Connecting to Books
Stories help children see emotions in context.
In Little Hands, Big Feelings, signs and illustrations support emotional expression and resilience. Teachers and families often use the book to introduce emotional vocabulary in developmentally appropriate ways.
Reflection
How does your child or student currently show frustration or joy?
What language could help them express that more clearly?
Explore emotional learning resources and inclusive children’s books at
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