Have you ever stopped to appreciate how amazing your hands are? Not only do our hands allow us to write and draw and create masterpieces, but did you know that you can lower your stress levels simply by holding hands with another person? High five to that! And, even more impressively, without saying a word our hands can communicate an entire language.
American Sign Language (ASL) is the fourth most popular language in the US; it follows behind English, Spanish, and Chinese. Even if you've never taken an ASL class, there's a good chance you know a sign or two (like "I love you" or "okay"). Want to learn ASL? The National Association of the Deaf offers some excellent resources for getting started.
Below are five more hand-themed things to teach your kids.
1. A silly joke.
You can count on this funny joke, so keep it handy!
What is a clock's favorite time of day? 6:30, hands down!
(Miss the joke? Hands down is an adverb used to describe something with absolute certainty.)
2. A new vocabulary word.
Have siblings? Then you've probably received or given a hand-me-down at some point in your life.
A hand-me-down is an item (typically a garment or toy) that is passed from one person to another.
3. A word puzzle.
To solve a rebus, consider not just the words but the placement, size, color, and quantity of everything within the box (and sometimes just outside the box!) when trying to decipher the puzzle.
4. A fun fact.
The human body is made up of more than 600 muscles to help us move and groove throughout the day. Unlike other parts of our bodies though, our fingers don't actually contain any muscles that are used to move them.
The tendons in our fingers are connected to muscles in our palms and forearms, and these are the muscles we use to control our finger movements. Read more about how fingers work from Science ABC.
5. Teach a personal discovery.
Are you left-handed or right-handed? Studies show that approximately 12% of the world is made up of left-handed people.
Are you left-handed AND right-handed? Ambidextrous, which comes from Latin meaning "right-handed on both sides," is a term used to describe someone who can write equally well with either hand. Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, and Albert Einstein were all ambidextrous. Only 1% of the world's population is born ambidextrous, but it is a skill that can be learned.
"When things go wrong, don't go with them." – Elvis Presley.
