Learn, sign, and spell with Deaf Children Australia
The Deaf Children Australia Auslan Spelling Bee is a fun and inclusive way for children to learn the Auslan fingerspelling alphabet. Schools, home educators, families and libraries can use these free resources to run an Auslan fingerspelling competition in their classroom, school, or community group.
The Bee helps all students build visual communication skills and supports deaf and hard of hearing children by increasing Auslan awareness in the school community.
All resources on this page are free to download.
What is the Auslan Spelling Bee?
The Auslan Spelling Bee is a classroom activity where students learn to fingerspell using the Auslan alphabet.
Teachers show an image, and students fingerspell the matching word. The Bee can be held in a single class, across a year level or as a whole-school competition.
You do not need to know Auslan to run the Bee – everything you need is included.
Why Run an Auslan Spelling Bee?
- Builds visual language and communication skills
- Encourages inclusion and Deaf awareness
- Supports both deaf and hearing students
- Helps children develop confidence and teamwork
- Easy to run with minimal preparation
Teachers can introduce the Bee over several weeks in Term 1 and/or Term 2 2026, practising a few letters or words at a time.
Hear from our Schools!
WHAT A BUZZ!
Yesterday, St Raphael's kicked off the week with our very first Auslan Spelling Bee.
We started the day learning about Auslan, Deaf culture and how to fingerspell the Auslan alphabet. We also mastered the "Deaf clap" (waving our hands), which we used to celebrate!
Our brave Homeroom representatives stepped up to play a high-stakes game of "Guess the Word by Emoji," in which they had to fingerspell the answer. Year 10 kept it close, but Year 7 took the overall year-group win!
A huge thank you to Deaf Children Australia for providing every student with an Auslan alphabet bookmark to take home
The excitement didn't stop there! Kindy, Year 2, Year 7 Green and Year 12 cheered our Spelling Bee participants on as our BEES went head-to-head:
A Year 8 student took out the ultimate "Queen Bee" title against Years 7 and 8!
A Year 12 student won the sibling showdown against her brother (Year 8) and a Year 9 student won against her sister (Year 12)!
A Year 12 student took home the crown for the students in a fierce Teacher vs. Student round against one of our brave teachers.
The positivity and enthusiasm in the room were unmatched. I am so proud of everyone who participated and so proud to be an Auslan Spelling Bee School!
St Raphael's Secondary School
Download the resources
Auslan Fingerspelling Alphabet
- PDF poster of the Auslan alphabet
- Includes clear diagrams
- A video of the full alphabet being fingerspelled
Sample word list + Fingerspelling guide
A set of 5 practice words for teachers to try before choosing words for the competition.
Includes:
- An image for each word
- Small Auslan letter diagrams showing how to fingerspell the word
Certificates
Ready-to-print certificates for Bee winners and participants.
Recording sheet
A simple sheet to record student names and track words spelled correctly.
Newsletter blurbs
Short, ready-to-use snippets for school newsletters. These blurbs explain what the Auslan Spelling Bee is and help families understand the activity and how students are learning the Auslan fingerspelling alphabet.
Alphabet Letter Posters (A-Z)
26 posters showing:
- The letter
- Auslan handshape
- A colourful image to support learning and memory
- A full word to match the image
- A diagram and description of how to sign that word
Perfect for classroom walls or learning stations. Each poster shows the letter in context, using a word, picture and the Auslan sign. This supports different types of learners by building clear visual connections.
How to run an Auslan Spelling Bee
Step-by-step instructions covering:
- How to prepare students
- How to run class heats
- Judging and rules
Poster or class display
A poster you can print and display in your classroom or around the school.
Letter for families
A short letter template explaining what the Bee is, why the school is participating, and links to helpful resources so families can practise at home.
Social media templates
This is a template you can use to share that your school is partaking in the DCA Auslan Spelling Bee on Facebook, Instagram or newsletters. Simply download the image, add your school logo if you would like, and post on your social media accounts.
We Want to Hear From You
We would love to know if your school, class or community group is taking part in the Auslan Spelling Bee.
If you plan to run the Bee, or if you already have, please reach out and let us know.
You are welcome to share:
- Questions about the resources
- Stories from your classroom
- Photos (with permission)
- Feedback from students
- Anything special that happened during your Bee
Schools or groups who contact us will also have the option to receive a bespoke Auslan Spelling Bee certificate featuring their school name to help celebrate their students’ achievements.
You can get in touch at:
communications@deafchildren.org.au
We look forward to hearing from you and celebrating your Auslan journey with you.
