Reading doesn’t have to be still or silent. For young learners, struggling readers, or students with sensory needs; multi-sensory strategies make reading easier to understand, more enjoyable, and engaging. These approaches involve using more than one sense at a time to process information.
Multisensory reading activities often include touch, sound, movement, and visuals. When students use their hands, eyes, ears, and bodies while learning, it helps them stay focused and better remember what they’ve read. You don’t need expensive tools or digital subscriptions to use these ideas. It can be as simple as using everyday materials you can find around the classroom.
In this article, we’ll explore 10 of the best multisensory reading activities every teacher should know. These methods will support literacy development, increase participation, and make reading come alive for every learner in your classroom.
How Does Phonics with Tactile Letters Support Early Reading In Students?
Phonics with tactile letters uses texture and movement to strengthen the connection between sounds and symbols. Students trace raised or textured letters with their fingers while saying the corresponding sound aloud. You can make these using foam, felt, sandpaper, or glitter glue.
This approach works especially well for students with dyslexia or other reading challenges because it engages multiple senses simultaneosly. Touching the shape, seeing the letter, and saying the sound creates strong brain connections. Repeating this during lessons helps students recognize letters faster and blend sounds more accurately.
Use tactile letters during phonics instruction, high frequency word practice, or center time for a sensory-rich boost to foundational skills.
Why Is Reading with Textured Storyboards a Game-Changer For Teachers?
Reading with textured storyboards transforms reading into a hands-on, interactive experience. Each element of the story—such as characters, settings, or objects—is made from a different textured material like felt, sandpaper, or fur. Students can move and touch these pieces as the story unfolds.
According to Edutopia, storyboards encourage learners to break down complex concepts into manageable parts, fostering deeper understanding and retention. By allowing students to represent ideas visually, storyboarding supports diverse learning styles and can be adapted across various subjects and grade levels.
Textured storyboards are especially effective for sensory learners in the same fashion. They provide an anchor for attention, keep hands busy, and make abstract story elements more concrete.
Students with sensory processing challenges often struggle to stay engaged during traditional reading lessons. Textured storyboards provide a multisensory approach that offers several powerful benefits for these learners:
How Do They Improve Engagement and Memory?
When students touch and move textured story elements, they create a physical memory of the story. This helps them focus on what’s happening in the book and supports better comprehension and recall. The act of manipulating tangible objects anchors their attention to key parts of the narrative.
How Do They Help with Sensory Comfort?
Many students with sensory difficulties are cautious around new textures. Using storyboards with safe, gentle materials introduces these sensations in a non-overstimulating way. Over time, this helps students become more comfortable exploring a variety of textures, building sensory confidence.
Why Are They Important for Inclusion?
Textured storyboards allow full participation from students who are visually impaired or those who need concrete representations to process information. The tactile feedback offers another way to understand the story, even when visual or auditory input is not enough.
How Can This Help Expand A Student’s Comprehension And Language Barrier?
Physically exploring textures like fur, roughness, or smoothness adds depth to students’ understanding of vocabulary and abstract concepts. In this practice they will not only learn the words, but understand them. This can spark rich conversations and help develop more advanced language skills .
In short, reading with textured storyboards makes literacy more accessible, engaging, and meaningful for students who learn best through touch and movement.
How Do Audio Books with Follow-Along Text Build Fluency For Students?
Audio books with follow-along text let students listen to fluent reading while visually tracking the words. This builds vocabulary, fluency, and pronunciation. Students hear tone, rhythm, and pacing, helping them understand all the essential parts of expressive reading.
This is especially helpful for students who have trouble decoding or who learn better by hearing. As they follow along, their comprehension of word meaning and sentence structure grows.
Use audio books during group sessions or whole-class listening. Pause to discuss vocabulary or ask students to act out what they hear to deepen their learning experience.
How Can Drawing Improve Comprehension?
When students draw what they read, they turn words into pictures. This makes abstract ideas more concrete and helps them recall details more easily. Ask students to draw characters, scenes, or favorite moments from the story.
Drawing supports visual learners and provides a great way for nonverbal students to express understanding. Add captions or dialogue bubbles to mix in writing skills too.
You can also use drawings to retell or summarize stories in a creative and engaging way.
What Happens When You Add Movement to Reading?
Movement helps students who struggle to sit still or pay attention. You can include movement by having students act out story parts, hope to correct word cards, or clap syllables. This keeps energy levels up and makes lessons fun.
Movement also improves memory by connecting learning with physical action. It’s a great fit for kinesthetic learners who understand better through doing rather than watching or listening.
Use movement during transitions, small group activities, or phonics drills to keep students engaged. You can also incorporate fun memory games at the beginning of the year, such as having students recall their classmates’ names in a telephone-style game. These activities support memory retention while creating a light, interactive classroom environment.
Scented Markers Are Another Helpful Took In Making Story Time More Memorable
Assign a unique scent to each part of the story you are telling. For example, cinnamon for setting, mint for the problem, and orange for the main character. Let students mark story elements using scented markers.
The smell adds another layer of memory. It’s especially helpful for students who have strong sensory preferences. Just make sure the scents are safe and not overwhelming.
This idea can also be used for vocabulary review or creative writing prompts.
What Are Multisensory Word Building Blocks?
Word building blocks are hands-on tools like magnetic letters or foam pieces. Students build words by arranging the pieces while saying the sounds. This connects phonics, spelling, and
vocabulary.
Use this activity during phonics instruction with tactile letters to reinforce patterns and rules. Students can also use blocks to build high frequency words, and new vocabulary.
Blocks make word study more engaging and memorable for all learners.
Why Does Reading Aloud with Gestures Help?
Reading aloud with gestures adds energy and emotion to stories. Teachers can use hand motions, facial expressions, and body language to match the tone and action of the text.
Students learn to pay attention to punctuation, phrasing, and voice.
Invite students to join in or act out parts of the story. This builds fluency, understanding, and confidence. This can be extremely helpful for shy readers!
Want to boost your students’ love of reading? Start using these 10 multisensory reading strategies in your classroom today. For tools, training, or support, contact us now! Let’s make literacy active, inclusive, and fun.
