Signs for nuclear family members; pre-signing skills; family pronouns.
📖 4 min read · 3 worked examples · 8 practice questions
Family means the people we live with at home. At this word: 'Family – Our People at Home'. Here is a picture of a home. This is a Kenyan home. Inside this home, there are people. Let's meet them. This is Dad. In KSL, we sign DAD like this. (Demonstrate sign.) Can you sign it with me? This is Mom. Sign MOM like this. (Demonstrate sign.) Try it! Here is a Child. That's you! Sign CHILD like this. (Demonstrate sign.) Good job! I want you to think: Who lives in your home? Do you have a dad? A mom? A grandpa? Grandma? Brothers? Sisters? Think about it and tell us. Today our goals are: learn signs for family members, practice pre-signing skills, and use family pronouns.
First, we need to get our eyes and hands ready for signing. We will learn three things: Look at the signer, shape our hands, and sign correctly. At the signer's face and hands. This helps you understand every sign. Let's practice hand shapes. This is B-hand — open palm. I finger-spell M-O-T-H-E-R, then sign MOTHER like this (palm near chin). 1-hand — point with index finger. Finger-spell P-O-I-N-T, then sign POINT by pointing forward. S-hand — make a fist. Finger-spell F-A-T-H-E-R, then sign FATHER near your forehead. Remember to sign here — from shoulder to waist, in front of your chest. Keep your hands in this space.
Let's learn the sign for 'mother'. In English, we say 'mother' or 'mama'. First, let's fingerspell M-O-T-H-E-R. Watch my hand carefully. The sign for mother: open B-hand shape, thumb touches chin twice. Watch me demonstrate — like this. She cooks ugali.' Follow along with me. Practice with your partner.
Let's learn the sign for 'Father' in KSL. I'll finger-spell it first: F-A-T-H-E-R. Then I'll show you the sign. Use an open B-hand, like this. Bring your hand to your forehead and tap twice. The sign for 'Father' is made at the forehead. Watch again: forehead, tap, tap. Repeat after me: forehead — tap tap. Let's use it in a sentence: 'My father goes to shamba (farm).' I'll sign it: MY FATHER GOES SHAMBA. Notice the father sign at the forehead again. Compare with 'Mother'. The sign for 'Mother' is at the chin — same B-hand, but here at the chin. Forehead for Father, chin for Mother. Practice both so you remember the difference.
Excellent work today, everyone! It is time to look back at 'What We Learned Today'. You have all done a wonderful job learning family signs and other important things. First, we learned the signs for family members. F-i-n-g-e-r-s-p-e-l-l M-O-T-H-E-R, then sign MOTHER. F-i-n-g-e-r-s-p-e-l-l F-A-T-H-E-R, sign FATHER. We also learned B-R-O-T-H-E-R and S-I-S-T-E-R. Who can show me the sign for BROTHER again? [Pause] Very good! MOTHER, FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER. Sign with me! [Demonstrate slowly] Great job, everyone! Your hand shapes are getting better. Next, we learned more signs! F-i-n-g-e-r-s-p-e-l-l G-R-A-N-D-M-O-T-H-E-R, sign GRANDMOTHER. F-i-n-g-e-r-s-p-e-l-l G-R-A-N-D-F-A-T-H-E-R, sign GRANDFATHER. We also learned H-A-P-P-Y and F-A-M-I-L-Y. We also learned the special pronouns M-Y, sign pointing to yourself; Y-O-U-R, sign pointing to the other person; and O-U-R, sign making a circle in front of you. These are very important for talking about your family. For example: 'MY MOTHER' or 'YOUR FATHER'. We also practiced three important skills: Eye contact – look at the person you are signing to. Hand shape – make the sign clearly. Sign space – sign in the 'box' in front of you. These three things will make your signing beautiful and clear! For homework: I want you to go home and sign the family members to your actual family! Show them MOTHER, FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER, GRANDMOTHER, GRANDFATHER, HAPPY, and FAMILY. You can be the teacher! You are all becoming wonderful signers!
At this. First, we POINT to the picture. Point with your index finger. Then, sign MY. Touch your chest with a flat hand. Then, sign MOTHER. Touch your thumb to your chin. Together: POINT (to picture), MY, MOTHER. That means 'THIS IS MY MOTHER.' Now, let's say it together as a class. POINT — MY — MOTHER. Let's practice three times. First time: slow. Second time: normal speed. Third time: with emphasis on MOTHER.
Let's practice another sentence: 'Your Baba and My Mama'. Watch carefully how we sign 'YOUR FATHER' then 'MY MOTHER'. First, sign 'YOUR FATHER' by pointing to the other person. Then sign 'MY MOTHER' by tapping your chest. The arrow shows the order. For 'YOUR FATHER', point away from yourself. That shows it belongs to someone else. For 'MY MOTHER', tap your chest. That shows it belongs to you. It's your turn! Pair up and sign about your own parents. I will help you practice. Start signing!
Let's sign a full sentence: 'Our Family Is Happy'. Watch closely. Finger-spell O-U-R and sign OUR – point to your group. Then finger-spell F-A-M-I-L-Y and sign FAMILY – interlock your hands. Finally, finger-spell H-A-P-P-Y and sign HAPPY – make an upward circular motion on your chest. Can you see how they show happiness? We sign it the same way. It's your turn. Practice signing 'Our Family Is Happy' by yourself. Take your time.
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