Enhancing Early Learning with signing
Curriculum Links: Sign Language in KS1
In Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2), the shift from play-based learning to more structured, subject-focused lessons can be a big leap – especially for children who are still developing key communication and social skills.
Using British Sign Language alongside spoken language offers a very simple, effective way to boost understanding, support focus, and help all children feel included, without needing specialist training.
BSL-based resources bring spoken words to life through movement and visual cues, helping learners see, say, connect and understand new concepts more easily.
It’s an inclusive strategy that works well in whole-class teaching, small groups, and interventions.
Whole class learning and inclusion | Sign Language in KS1
Why Sign Language Matters in KS1
Speech + Language Delay
EAL + Visual Learners
SEND + Alternative Learning
Early Literacy + Language
Emotional IQ + Behaviour
Signing Help; one of the most useful signs for children, regardless of age or ability.
Key Benefits of Sign Language for KS1
- Supports differentiation without separating children
- Inclusive pedagogy for diverse classrooms
- Reinforces spelling, phonics and comprehension
- Increases accessibility to topic-specific concepts and vocabulary
- Builds confidence in expression and collaboration
- Supports and builds communication, language and literacy skills so that children can access the curriculum
Recent research, presented by the Ladder Lab in March 2025, evidenced that:
- BSL skills have a direct impact on English skills
- Children with hearing needs (glue ear, deafness, APD, injury, infection) require accessible language input (signing) from Day One; children can make progress with language and literacy, afterwards, but they will not catch up
- Children who have higher BSL comprehension skills have better literacy skills
Language Delays and Classroom Behaviour
In the busy hum of a KS1 classroom, it’s easy to label children as distracted, defiant or disengaged. But often, what we’re really seeing is language delays which lead into communication fatigue, anxiety, or confusion.
When children can’t fully understand what’s being said, or struggle to find the words to respond, they act out what they can’t express. That might look like frustration, silliness, refusal to join in or total withdrawal.
The good news is that this can be changed – simply and effectively.
By layering simple, visual sign language into your everyday routines, you give every child a way in. Signs make spoken language visible and memorable, helping children follow instructions, join in with confidence, and feel safe enough to try.
Sign Language to Support Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
Anxiety is no longer a stranger in the classroom. Recent NHS reports show that 500 children a day are being referred for support and that 1 in 5 children have a probable mental health condition.
For younger children, anxiety often shows up in unexpected ways: becoming withdrawn, refusing to participate, struggling with transitions, or showing signs of emotional overwhelm. These behaviours are easy to misinterpret, yet they’re often signs of a child who is anxious and doesn’t yet have the tools to cope or communicate their needs.
This is where signing can help, by providing a calm, inclusive and unobtrusive way to support children’s emotional well-being.
Key signs for feelings, routines and needs give anxious children a way to express themselves without needing to find the right words. This reduces frustration, builds emotional awareness and helps children feel more in control, safer in the classroom and ready to learn.
Sign Language and the Connection to Emotional Regulation
Signing is so much more than communication. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for emotional regulation.
When children use signs and fingerspelling, they’re not just expressing themselves, they’re physically crossing the midline of the body (using one side to move across to the other). This simple action strengthens the neural pathways between the left and right sides of the brain.
Why does that matter?
Because stronger connections between the logical (left) and emotional (right) sides of the brain help children make sense of their feelings and express them more easily.
Signing is one of the simplest ways to build emotional intelligence, especially for children who struggle with language, self-awareness or regulation.
By making language visual, physical and expressive, signing gives children the tools to say what they feel, before those feelings overwhelm them. It’s a small shift with a huge impact in KS1 classrooms.
Assume Competence; Signing for Clarity, Confidence and Co-Learning
When we assume competence, we shift from doing things for children to doing things with them, creating space for independence, confidence and deeper learning.
Signing supports this beautifully.
Visual language is processed more quickly than spoken words, helping children understand instructions, routines and new concepts with less cognitive load. They can then show what they know through signs, gestures, and speech, reinforcing their learning kinaesthetically and giving them more ways to succeed.
And best of all? Children love it.
English (Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing)
Challenges:
- Children struggle to structure thoughts or respond in full sentences
- Weak vocabulary, especially among EAL or post-pandemic learners
- Reluctance to read aloud or join group reading
BSL Support:
- Signs support sentence-building, sequencing, and recall
- Boosts vocabulary retention and expression
- Engages reluctant readers with movement and meaning
Action Step:
Use sign language for high-frequency or key words and storytelling
Maths (Number, Measure, Shape, and Space)
Challenges:
- Children don’t understand or remember maths vocabulary
- Abstract terms like “less than”, “half”, or “difference” cause confusion
- Children with attention needs lose focus when faced with abstract tasks
BSL Support:
- Sign language makes maths language visual and concrete
- Physical repetition helps embed counting and sequences
- Embodied learning helps kinaesthetic and visual learners
Action Step:
Sign number sequences, maths operations and positional language
Science and Foundation Subjects
Challenges:
- Key concepts lost on children with low language confidence
- Difficulty following instructions or engaging in group work
- Limited understanding of topic-specific vocabulary (plants, materials, etc.)
BSL Support:
- Signs give clarity to instructions and key vocabulary
- Helps link spoken and written new vocabulary words
- Enhances inclusive participation in experiments and discussion
Action Step:
Create visual word banks using key signs for each topic
PSHE / Citizenship
Challenges:
- Children struggle to name or manage emotions
- Peer conflict or misunderstandings due to poor communication and / or frustration
- Low confidence in assemblies or social spaces, lack of belonging
BSL Support:
- Signs for emotions, needs, and positive interactions reduce behvaiour outbursts and conflict
- Supports respectful communication and turn-taking
- Reinforces inclusion and empathy
Action Step:
Use ‘feelings’ and ‘needs’ signs daily to check in
Creative Curriculum (Music, Drama, Art, PE)
Challenges:
- Some children are hesitant or refuse to take part
- Children forget actions, lyrics or what comes next
- Creativity stifled by limited verbal expressions or being unable to contribute confidently to group work
BSL Support:
- Signing songs builds memory, rhythm and confidence
- Signing while dancing/acting engages all learners
- Allows non-verbal children to participate fully and share their creative thoughts
Action Step:
Add sign-supported songs, now and next routines and creative curriculum keywords to lessons
Supporting spellings using the BSL Fingerspelling Alphabet – letter A
Speech and Language Support | Mixed ability classes | Behaviour | Neurodivergence
Sign Language Support for Teaching Challenges
| Challenge | How Rhyme & Sign Books Help | Primary Curriculum Link |
|---|---|---|
| Glue Ear & Temporary Hearing Loss (8 in 10 under 10) | Visual and kinaesthetic cues support communication when hearing is impaired | English (speaking/listening), PSHE |
| Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing | BSL supports accessible communication, inclusion, and early understanding of language | English, PSHE, Citizenship |
| Children with SEND / Speech Delay (1 in 5) | Reinforces vocabulary, meaning, and emotional expression through signs | English, SEN Support, PSHE |
| EAL / Multilingual Learners | Sign acts as a language bridge — reinforcing spoken language through visuals & actions | English, Modern Languages |
| Inclusion & Belonging | Signing helps create accessible, emotionally safe spaces where every child can take part | PSHE, Citizenship |
| Differences & Diversity (Neurodiversity, Physical Differences) | Helps children understand and communicate about difference in positive, empowering ways | PSHE, Citizenship |
| Low Vocabulary & Language Gaps (esp. post-pandemic) | Repetition, rhyme, signs and stories boost vocabulary retention and usage | English |
| Behaviour linked to communication difficulties | Signing reduces frustration, supports expression and emotional regulation | PSHE, Behaviour Management |
| Lack of confidence with early literacy | Signing builds fine motor skills, memory, narrative structure and enjoyment of books | English, Handwriting, Reading |
| Pressure to show measurable progress | Supports multiple ELGs including Language, Literacy, and PSED | English, PSHE, SEN documentation |
If you’re working with children who struggle with speech and language, EAL, low confidence, or SEND – all while trying to keep your lessons engaging, inclusive, and on track – you’re not alone.
The pressure to meet every need in one classroom is real, and it’s exhausting.
That’s why we’ve created a free overview to show how using simple British Sign Language strategies can support you.
Signing helps children follow instructions, boosts their vocabulary, and enables them to join in more confidently, all without adding to your workload.
Use signing for whole-class learning, small groups, for early interventions or reducing the attainment gap. Signing is a truly flexible, inclusive approach – and proven to work.
Download the overview and see how sign language can bring calm, clarity and connection to your classroom – one small change at a time.