Days of the Week in Sign Language for Kids and Beginners
Days of the week in sign language are useful for calendars, school routines, therapy sessions, sports practice, appointments, weekend plans, and family conversations. Kids can use these ASL signs every day because the words come up naturally in real life.
Use this beginner guide to practice days of the week in ASL with a clear video, simple memory tips, calendar games, and next steps. Written descriptions can help you remember the idea, but the best way to learn is to watch real signing in the ASL Kids app or look up individual signs in the ASL Kids dictionary.
Watch the ASL days of the week video
Watch the full video once, then replay one day at a time. Say or point to the printed day on a calendar, sign the day, and connect it to something your child already knows: school, swim class, story time, a family visit, or the weekend.
How to sign the days of the week in ASL
Many ASL signs for weekdays use a handshape connected to the first letter of the English day and a small circular movement. Thursday is a common exception because Tuesday already uses a T handshape; many beginners learn Thursday with an H handshape or a T-H spelling pattern. Sunday can also vary by signer or region, so copy the video model your family, teacher, or Deaf community uses.
| Day | Beginner memory tip | Practice idea |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Often signed with open hands. Watch the video carefully because Sunday has regional versions. | Use when talking about church, family visits, rest days, or weekend plans. |
| Monday | Look for the M handshape and a small movement. | Sign Monday while starting the school or work week. |
| Tuesday | Look for the T handshape and a small movement. | Use with a Tuesday calendar marker or weekly activity. |
| Wednesday | Look for the W handshape and a small movement. | Sign during a midweek calendar check. |
| Thursday | Often uses H or T-H because Tuesday already uses T. | Practice slowly so Thursday and Tuesday stay separate. |
| Friday | Look for the F handshape and a small movement. | Use when talking about the end of the school week. |
| Saturday | Look for the S handshape and a small movement. | Use when talking about sports, playdates, errands, or weekend routines. |
ASL is not English on the hands. A sign may be linked to an English letter as a memory clue, but the movement, palm orientation, rhythm, facial expression, and context still matter.
Calendar practice for kids and classrooms
- Morning calendar: point to today’s date, sign the day, and say what happens today.
- Yesterday, today, tomorrow: choose three cards and practice the day that just passed, the current day, and the next day.
- Weekly routine chart: attach signs to routines like library day, therapy, gym, music, art, or soccer.
- Weekend countdown: practice Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when talking about weekend plans.
- Question game: ask simple questions like “What day is school?” or “What day is swimming?”
- Story time review: read a picture book about a week and sign each day as it appears.
- Line-up review: in class, sign the day before moving into the next transition.
Useful day and time phrases
Once single days feel familiar, add short phrases. These examples are meant as practice prompts; natural ASL grammar may not match English word order exactly.
| Practice prompt | Where to use it | Related signs to learn |
|---|---|---|
| Today is Monday. | Morning calendar time. | today, Monday |
| Tomorrow is Tuesday. | Planning the next day. | tomorrow, Tuesday |
| School on Wednesday. | Weekly routines. | school, Wednesday |
| Friday is pizza day. | Lunch menus and routines. | Friday, eat, want |
| Saturday soccer. | Sports and weekend plans. | Saturday, play, go |
| Sunday family. | Family visits and weekend routines. | Sunday, family |
| What day? | Calendar questions. | what, day, week |
Common beginner mistakes
- Learning only from text. The small circular movements can look similar in writing. Use video practice.
- Mixing up Tuesday and Thursday. Practice them side by side and say why Thursday may use H or T-H.
- Forgetting Sunday variation. If your teacher or local Deaf community signs Sunday differently, follow that model.
- Going too fast. Start with today, tomorrow, and one favorite activity day before practicing all seven days.
- Practicing without context. Connect days to real routines so the signs are useful, not just memorized.
Helpful practice materials
Affiliate disclosure: This page may include affiliate links. If you buy through these links, ASL Kids may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Use free video practice first. For a classroom, homeschool shelf, therapy room, or family calendar area, these product searches can help you find useful visual supports.
- ASL days of the week posters for kids on Amazon
- Sign language calendar cards for classrooms on Amazon
- ASL flash cards for days and routines on Amazon
For broader practice materials, compare Best ASL Flash Cards for Kids and Beginners, Best Sign Language Books for Kids and Beginners, and Best ASL Books, Flash Cards, Posters & Learning Tools for Kids.
Parents and teachers who want a more structured learning path can also compare Learn Sign Language Online and Best Online ASL Courses for Kids and Beginners.
What to learn after days of the week
- Follow the Start Learning ASL roadmap if you want calendar signs inside a full beginner plan.
- Use First 50 ASL Signs for Kids to add calendar words to everyday beginner vocabulary.
- Practice ASL signs by routine for school days, bedtime, meals, cleanup, and weekly schedules.
- Practice numbers in ASL for dates, ages, counting, and schedules.
- Learn colors in sign language for calendar markers, art, clothes, and classroom games.
- Practice basic sign language phrases for everyday conversation.
- Learn the ASL alphabet to fingerspell names, places, and schedule words.
- Use ASL games for kids for calendar review, classroom bingo, and weekly routine practice.
- Use ASL lesson plans for kids if you are teaching days of the week in a weekly class plan.
- Open free ASL printables for lesson plans, trackers, flash cards, and classroom signs.
- Use sign language activities with preschoolers during circle time, story time, snack, and cleanup.
Trusted ASL resources
For more examples, compare this lesson with Lifeprint’s ASL days of the week guide. Gallaudet’s ASL Connect topic lessons are also useful for broader vocabulary practice. For background on ASL as a complete language with its own grammar and regional variation, see the NIDCD overview of American Sign Language.
FAQ: days of the week in sign language
How do you sign the days of the week in ASL?
Many weekday signs use a handshape related to the first letter of the day and a small circular movement. Sunday is often different, and Thursday may use H or T-H because Tuesday already uses T.
Are ASL day signs the same everywhere?
No. ASL signs can vary by signer, teacher, region, and community. Learn from clear video models and follow the version used by your teacher or local Deaf community.
What is the easiest way for kids to practice days of the week in ASL?
Use a real calendar. Sign today’s day, yesterday, tomorrow, and one routine such as school, library, therapy, sports, art, or weekend plans.
Should beginners learn days, numbers, or colors first?
Any of them can work. Start with the signs your child needs most. Days are useful for routines, numbers are useful for counting and dates, and colors are useful for art, clothes, toys, and books.
