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Visual Phonics Hand Prompts:
Lip Sounds; B M P W
B
The b hand prompt is the letter b in ASL, held to the side, moving in a forward motion as the sound is produced.
M
The m hand prompt is curving your hand and appearing to guide over humps as the sound is produced.
P
The p hand prompt is holding your four fingers behind your thumb and flicking them out into an open hand when producing the sound.
W
The w hand prompt is all the fingers held together and opening and closing as the mouth does with the sound is produced.
Tongue Tapping Sounds; D T N
D
The d hand prompt is having the pointer finger extended and simply tapping on a table or in the air while producing the sound.
T
The t hand prompt is holding the pointer finger under the thumb and flicking it out as the sound is produced.
N
The n hand prompt is tapping the tip of the nose as the sound is produced.
Throat Sounds; C K G Qu
C/K
The c/k hand prompt is making the letter c in ASL and tapping it to the throat as the sound is produced.
G
The g hand prompt is making the letter g in ASL and tapping it to the throat as the sounds is produced.
Qu
The qu hand prompt is a combination of the c hand prompt and the w hand prompt in front of the mouth as the sound is produced.
Overbite Sounds; F V
F
The f hand prompt is holding the four fingers under the thumb and flicking them up as the sound is produced.
V
The v hand prompt is holding two fingers out and sliding them forward while producing the sound. Imagine a viper's fangs.
Tongue Up Sounds; L
L
The l hand prompt is making an l in ASL and "licking" it up your face as the sound is produced.
Thin Friction Sounds; S X Z
S
The s hand prompt "pinching the sound and pulling it out" of the mouth while producing the sound.
X
The x hand prompt is the combination of the c hand prompt and the s hand prompt while producing the sound.
Z
The z hand prompt is the letter z in ASL while the sound is produced.
Thick Friction Sounds; Ch J Sh
Ch
The ch hand prompt is having a closed fist opening the hand right in front of the mouth while producing the sound. A good reminder for producing this sound is "Achoo" the sound a of sneezing.
J
The j hand prompt is making the j in ASL and sliding it down your face and "jumping" off the bridge of your nose while producing the sound.
Sh
The sh hand prompt is the pointer finger held in front of the mouth while producing the sound. This can also be thought of as the "be quiet" sound.
The Tongue Out Sound; Th
Th
The th hand prompt is the t hand prompt but with the three fingers up, the pointer finger flicks out as the sound is produced.
The "R" Sound; R
R
The r hand prompt is the r in ASL held to the side and rolling it while the sound is produced.
The "Hot" Sound; H
H
The h hand prompt is holding the open hand in front of the mouth and lowering it down while producing the sound. This is known as the "hot" sound since we tend to breath out when something is too hot.
The "Yeah" Sound; Y
Y
The y hand prompt is holding all the fingers together and opening the hand while raising the hand as the sound is produced. Imagine a blooming "yellow" flower. This is known as the "yeah" sound. Many children can produce the word "yeah" without being able to produce the y sound anywhere else.
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