#40: Multisensory Phonics Activities That Work
When I first started teaching, I thought phonics lessons had to be quiet and orderly for students to learn. I’d ask my class to sit still and focus, but there were always one or two students who just couldn’t seem to stay engaged. It felt like I was trying to fit round pegs into square holes. Sound familiar?
Years later, I discovered multisensory learning, and let me tell you—it was like flipping on the lights in my classroom. Suddenly, all those little round pegs found their place, and learning to read became joyful and effective for everyone.
In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite multisensory strategies to take your phonics lessons to the next level. Whether you’re looking to reach the wiggly kid in the back or breathe fresh life into your established routines, these ideas will make teaching phonics feel doable and fun again.
Why Multisensory Learning Works
Picture this: you walk into a house, and every light is on—the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. That’s what multisensory learning does for the brain. Instead of activating just one area, it lights up multiple parts all at once. When students see, hear, and feel a concept, it’s like flipping on every switch in their brains, making the learning stick faster and longer.
The best part? You don’t need to overhaul your lessons to make this happen. These are simple tweaks you can make to what you’re already doing. Let’s dive in.
Tactile Strategies: Feel the Learning
One of the easiest ways to add a multisensory element to your lessons is by incorporating touch. For example:
- Carpet Tracing: Have students sit on their knees and use their finger to trace letters on the carpet while saying the sound aloud. Sure, the carpet might have glitter or crumbs, but the tactile feedback makes this simple activity incredibly effective.
- Sand Writing: Fill shallow trays with sand and let students write letters or words as they practice sounds.
- Shaving Cream Spelling: Spread shaving cream on desks for a messier but highly engaging activity. If shaving cream isn’t your thing, swap it for textured boards or sandpaper squares.
When students physically feel the shape of a letter, they form an extra connection in their brain, helping them remember the information more easily.
Visual Supports: Bring Concepts to Life
We all know that visual aids can help students—and nearly every child benefits from a little visual reinforcement:
- Alphabet Flashcards: Use cards that pair letters with images and keywords (e.g., “A is for apple”) to help students connect letter shapes to sounds.
- Interactive Sound Walls: Create a space in your classroom where students can match phonemes to their corresponding graphemes. Add pictures to represent sounds for an extra visual anchor.
- Anchor Charts: Build charts together during lessons to illustrate concepts like vowel teams or blends. Let students refer to them as needed.
These tools not only support struggling readers but also give confident readers a handy reference point to build independence.
Auditory Activities: Tune In to Sounds
Phonics is all about sounds, so it’s no surprise that auditory strategies can be a game-changer:
- Sound Tapping: Ask students to tap their fingers on a table or their knees as they isolate the sounds in words like “C-A-T.” This helps them focus on phonemic awareness while adding a rhythmic element. be time to reevaluate.
- Clapping Syllables: Have students clap the syllables in words like “el-e-phant.” You can also use tapping or snapping for variety.
- Phonic Songs: Find catchy tunes that reinforce letter sounds or digraphs. (Bonus points if you make up your own!)
Kinesthetic Learning: Get Bodies MOving
Some kids just need to move. Kinesthetic strategies are perfect for active learners who find it hard to sit still:
- Jump for Sounds: Assign a movement—like jumping, stomping, or stretching—to each sound in a word. For example, students might jump for the /c/, /a/, and /t/ in “cat.”
- Digraph Chants: Bring chants like “chugga, chugga, choo, choo” to life by having students stomp around like a train while saying the sounds.
- Stretchy Bands: Use resistance bands to stretch out sounds in a word. This is particularly great for blending phonemes.
Kinesthetic activities not only engage active learners but also help all students internalize concepts through movement.
Practical Applications: Making it Work in Your Classroom
One of the best things about multisensory learning is how seamlessly it fits into your existing routines. Here are some quick ideas:
- During Centers: Set up a tactile center with sand trays or shaving cream for letter practice.
- Transitions: Use a quick digraph chant or syllable clap while lining up.
- Whole Group Lessons: Add a kinesthetic element like jumping for sounds during a shared reading activity.
The key is not to feel like you have to do everything at once. Start with one strategy that feels manageable, and build from there.
A Real-Life Success Story
Let me tell you about Maria, a fifth-grade teacher and a member of our Science of Reading Formula community. Maria had a student, Emilio, who was learning English and struggling with decoding. He often avoided reading activities altogether, and she could see his confidence shrinking.
Maria started small. She introduced tactile activities like tracing letters on textured boards and kinesthetic strategies like jumping for sounds. Emilio was hesitant at first, but something clicked when they practiced jumping for the sounds in “ship” together. Within weeks, Emilio began decoding words he’d previously stumbled over, and Maria could see his pride growing.
“He’s reading in front of the class now,” Maria shared, “and his classmates are cheering him on. It’s incredible to see how much progress he’s made with just a few small changes.”
Start Small, Celebrate Big
If the idea of adding one more thing to your plate feels overwhelming, remember this: multisensory learning isn’t about doing more; it’s about making what you’re already doing work better. Look at your next phonics lesson and ask yourself, “How many senses am I engaging here? Is there a way to add one more?”
Start small. Maybe you try a tactile activity like sand writing or add a movement to your favorite phonics chant. Celebrate those small wins—whether it’s a student who finally “gets” the /m/ sound or a wiggly kid who stays focused through an entire activity. Every success matters, and you’re making it happen.
Here’s to lighting up all the brains in your classroom—one sense at a time!
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