Here is a list of ideas that could make a great gift for a friend, family member… or something just for you! Below are some categories if you’d like to skip to something that interests you (I won’t blame you if you decide to jump straight down to the tech)… for instance, you can find some surprisingly good deals on things like brand new AirPods or one of the new Apple Watches on Amazon right now.
ASL Gift Ideas
Sign Language Resources
Language Learning
Books
Audio Books
Kindle
Tech
ASL Gift Ideas
If you are currently looking to pick something up for a friend as a gift, what better way to make someone’s day by giving something unique to them? For instance, if you know that your friend or relative is involved in the sign language community, here are a few gift ideas that can make them feel appreciated.
- Be Kind Shirts ASL
- ASL Clothing and Stickers
- American Sign Language Scrabble Tiles
- ILY Fidget Toys
- 55 Piece ASL Stickers
- “I love you” sign language keychain
- Personalized ASL Name Bracelet
Sign Language Resources
If you are currently learning sign language for yourself or for someone you know, these are some of our favorite resources that can help build up your vocabulary with ASL dictionaries, flashcards, videos, ASL word searches, and even scrabble tiles.
- 500 Flash Cards of American Sign Language
- The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary
- The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language
- The Gallaudet Children’s Dictionary of American Sign Language
- ASL Fingerspelling Word Search Games
- American Sign Language Scrabble Tiles | ASL Alphabet
- My ASL Alphabet Flash Cards
- American Sign Language for Kids: 101 Easy Signs for Nonverbal Communication
- Signing Time Season 1: My First Signs (free with Prime Video)
- Baby Signing Time Flash Cards
- American Sign Language for Beginners: Learn Signing Essentials in 30 Days
Language Learning
Learning a new language successfully involves more than just learning new vocabulary. It involves perseverance, passion, disciple, routines, and practical ways to make learning a daily habit. To help you make learning a new language successful (and enjoyable) here are some books that I personally have found to be very helpful.
- Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
- The Secrets of Polyglots
- American Sign Language for Kids: 101 Easy Signs for Nonverbal Communication
- The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)
- Autodidactic: Self-Taught
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
- Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
- Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less
Books
Books are an amazing way to intake new information, learn a new skill, or simply learn how to be more productive. Below is a list of some of my favorite books that I’ve personally read and highly recommend. For instance, Atomic Habits is an amazing book by James Clear that can help transform the way you approach building new habits and breaking habits that you want to get away from.
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
- Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- Learn ASL: Everything You Need to Start Signing
- The Motivated Brain: Improving Student Attention, Engagement, and Perseverance
- The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
- Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
- Autodidactic: Self-Taught
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
- The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity
- The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
- Thinking, Fast and Slow
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
If you don’t mind buying books used, you can get some of these titles for really cheap on Thriftbooks. You can even score a some free books when you meet certain thresholds through their ReadingRewards program. It’s a great option for those that like to read physical books, however, if you prefer to listen to your books I also curated some of my favorite audiobooks below.
Audio Books
Different strokes for different folks. I know many of us would much rather listen to a book than to sit down and read a book. If that sounds like you, then here are some recommendations that I think you will find a lot of value in. Some of them are even read by the author themselves, such as “Grit” by recent winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant, Angela Duckworth.
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
- Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive
- Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)
- The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
- Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less
- Thinking, Fast and Slow
- The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
- Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team
- Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
- The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Kindle Unlimited
One of the best ways I find to fall asleep is with a Kindle by my bedside and plenty of things to read on it. So, one of the services I’ve grown to love recently is Kindle Unlimited where you can read as many titles as you want. Plus, right now Amazon is running a promotion where you can try it free for a month or get 3-months for only 99 cents. I’ve personally have taken advantage of these kinds of promotions to burn through a lot of titles that have been on my to-read list. Another perk is that you can read all of these titles from your phone or tablet too through the Kindle app. Here are a few of my favorites that are available through Kindle Unlimited.
- American Sign Language for Kids: 101 Easy Signs for Nonverbal Communication
- The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)
- Thinking, Fast and Slow
- The Secrets of Polyglots
- Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive
- American Sign Language for Beginners: Learn Signing Essentials in 30 Days
- The Everything Sign Language Book: American Sign Language Made Easy
Tech
Now that we’ve gotten through all of the educational stuff, let’s have a little bit of fun. If you’re looking for a new TV, laptop, Kindle device, or a gaming console, here are some deals you may want to look into.