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Topic-tailored vocab sheets
Search the sign library by name, add your 6–12 chosen signs to a sheet, pick a colour and download. Repeat for each topic or module.
For BSL tutors
Free teaching tools for BSL tutors
Build lesson-specific vocab sheets, fingerspelling worksheets and word searches for your learners in minutes. These resources are designed to support BSL tutors, not replace live teaching from a qualified tutor.
- No sign-up required
- Each generated resource includes a small british-sign.co.uk credit
- New signs are added to the resource library over time
Free tools for BSL teaching
Quick printables, warmers and homework tasks for your lessons
Vocab Sheet Maker
Build a topic-specific A4 vocab sheet for each lesson, using your chosen colour palette.
Choose up to 12 signs from our library, pick a colour and download a printable A4 sheet.
OpenWord Search Maker
Generate a word search using this week’s lesson vocabulary as a quick warmer or homework task.
Build a BSL fingerspelling word search around any theme or your own list of words.
OpenFingerspelling Player
Show new learners how their name is fingerspelled - an easy, engaging way in.
Type any name or word and watch it fingerspelled in BSL, with adjustable speed, hand preference and skin tone.
OpenWord/Name Printer
Print a name badge sheet for new learners, or a glossary card of key fingerspelled terms for your current topic.
Generate a printable fingerspelling image of any name or word – handy for name labels, displays and take-home keepsakes.
OpenFingerspelling Quiz
Set the quiz as low-stakes homework and compare scores at the start of next session.
Ten fingerspelled words to read and type back. Three difficulty modes, with an optional leaderboard.
OpenToday’s Signspell
Open today’s Signspell at the start of class as a 5-minute warmer.
A fresh BSL fingerspelling puzzle every day. Use the seven fingerspelling letters to find as many words as you can.
OpenHow to use them
Ways to use these in practice
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Quick lesson warmer
Open Today’s Signspell at the start of class. Five minutes of useful practice, with no setup.
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Check what learners remember
Set the Fingerspelling Quiz as homework between lessons. Learners get an instant score, and you get a quick sense of where the group is.
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Names for new learners
Use the Fingerspelling Player to show each learner their own name fingerspelled. A friendly way to get started in week one.
By learner level
Tools that work for each stage
Learners’ own names are a friendly way in: use the Fingerspelling Player to show each name, then the printer for a take-home name card. A greetings vocab sheet and a few everyday signs make an easy first handout.
Build topic-specific vocab sheets for each module (family, colours, weather, food, work). Drop a themed word search into homework so learners revisit each sign visually between sessions.
Use the Fingerspelling Quiz as quick, no-pressure practice between sessions. Today’s Signspell makes a good five-minute warm-up to keep fingerspelling fresh while you focus on grammar and conversation in class.
For mixed-ability community classes, lean on the Vocab Sheet Maker and printables. They give every learner the same visual reference to take home, which is useful for parent-and-child sessions, community groups and Saturday drop-ins.
Topic packs
Quick topic picks for lesson handouts
In the diary
Annual moments worth planning around
Deaf Awareness Week
UK Council on DeafnessA major UK moment for Deaf awareness. Plan a themed week of lessons – open with a Deaf history discussion, build a wall display from the alphabet chart, and finish with learners fingerspelling a chosen word as a group activity.
Sign Language Week
British Deaf AssociationMarks the anniversary of the UK Government recognising BSL as a language in its own right (18 March 2003). A natural time to revisit Deaf-led content, introduce learners to Deaf authors, creators and organisations, and share a sign of the day on social media.
International Day of Sign Languages
United NationsA UN-recognised day celebrating sign languages worldwide. A useful chance to show learners that British Sign Language is one of many sign languages – American Sign Language, Irish Sign Language and Auslan are all different.
Worth knowing
How these resources fit into your teaching
Support materials, not a replacement for a tutor
These tools are designed to sit alongside the work of a qualified BSL tutor. They are quick to set up, but they don’t teach grammar, classifiers, role shift, fluency, feedback or the lived experience a Deaf tutor brings to a lesson. Use them as warmers, homework and visual handouts, not as the lesson itself.
Consistent look across your modules
Every sheet you generate uses the same sign library, illustration style and A4 layout. Learners build a coherent set of handouts over a term, even if they print them themselves.
Tablet-friendly
The interactive tools work on a phone, tablet or computer. Useful if you teach in venues where you can’t rely on a projector, or if you set tasks for learners to do between lessons.
Free, with stable URLs
Every tool is free and lives at a stable URL on british-sign.co.uk. Safe to link from a course handbook, a VLE or your own teaching website.
Quick downloads
Posters and printables to download
A next step for learners
Share our 10-section online BSL course with learners
When learners want more practice between sessions, our 10-section CPD-certified online BSL course is a useful next step. They work through it in their own time, on any device.
Beyond our site
Trusted UK organisations
BDABritish Deaf AssociationA Deaf-led UK charity campaigning for BSL rights, language recognition and Deaf community priorities.Visit NDCSNational Deaf Children’s SocietyResources for families with deaf children and young people.Visit RNIDRoyal National Institute for Deaf PeopleInformation, advice and campaigning for deaf people, people with hearing loss and tinnitus, and their families.Visit SignHealthSignHealthDeaf-led health charity providing services and information in BSL.Visit
Questions
The things people ask us most
Can I use these resources in paid classes?
You can use the tools and printables in your own teaching, including paid classes. Please keep the british-sign.co.uk brand mark visible and do not resell, repackage or upload the resources as your own.
Can I edit the printable sheets?
The generated sheets are designed to be printed as they are. You can choose the signs, title and colour before downloading, but please keep the british-sign.co.uk brand mark visible.
Will you add more signs to the library?
Yes, the sign library grows over time as we publish new vocabulary on the main site. Revisit the Vocab Sheet Maker periodically and the latest signs will be there.
Can I use these instead of my own teaching materials?
No. They are designed as support materials for warmers, handouts and homework. They do not replace your own lesson planning, live teaching or feedback.
Are the signs regional?
BSL signs can vary by region, community and signer. Our library aims to show commonly used signs, but learners may see different variants elsewhere. This can be a useful teaching point rather than a problem.
Can I link these from my own course materials?
Yes. You can link directly to the tools from your course handbook, VLE or teaching website. Please link to the live pages rather than copying the resources elsewhere, so learners always get the latest version.