The multisensory teaching method is the incorporation of many senses into the teaching system so as to address the different reading capabilities and styles in students. These include movement (kinesthetic), sight, touch (tactile), and auditory senses. This way, children get to harness every possible sense to understand the concepts. This gives students diverse limitless ways to easily recall and understand the concepts they’ve learned. It’s fun and engaging.
Why is this Multisensory approach important?
- It’s accommodative as it recognizes the uniqueness of each child in information processing. Kids with reading disabilities can immensely benefit from this.
- This method boosts focus and attention spans in students. The techniques involved are fun making them more excited to learn.
- They help them in reading, writing, spelling, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and problem-solving skills.
- It boosts memory since a child uses all the senses to learn about a concept and is fully connected with it.
- It boosts creativity and imagination due to the interesting activities involved.
How can this method be incorporated into a home or school reading program?
These activities that can support multisensory instruction include:
Molding clay
Let your child make letters out of clay as he sounds out each letter. Let him create words and read them aloud.
Magnetic letters and letter tiles
Place magnetic letters and tiles on a smooth surface like a table, board, or fridge. Let the kid sound out all the letters and make out words by blending sounds.
Word mat
These cards are mainly for sight words. It is divided into three slots. One box contains a word to be read, the child uses magnetic letters or tiles to build the word in the next box and writes it in the last box.
Sandpaper word
Using crayons and a long strip of paper placed over sandpaper letters, let your child color out words as they sound out or spell each letter making up the word then read the whole word. Alternatively, let them cut out letters from sandpaper. With eyes closed, let them trace out the letters with their fingers while sounding out each letter.
Sand, shaving cream, rice, or finger paint
Here you place the sand, rice, cream, or paint on a flat surface like a table, floor, or tray. Kids then spread it out and use their fingers to write words or letters. They sound out each letter as they write and then blend the sounds to form the word.
Audio recordings or video clips
You can play audio or video clips. Let your child listen keenly. Ask him to sound out or spell words from the clips. Audiobooks also help in this.
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Graphics and illustrations
Let the kid say the names or read out texts from them pictures, images, and signs.
Shared reading
Take turns with your child as you read words aloud to each other from a book while pointing at each word. They can identify sight words.
Conclusion
Just like all other skills are birthed in a multisensory environment, reading skills should be too. A multisensory approach is a powerful tool that can easily address the challenges in literacy skills development. These strategies should be incorporated within lesson plans. It takes kids’ reading differences into consideration and offers them the opportunity to learn in a way they are comfortable with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a multisensory approach to teaching reading?
It’s the use of all senses to instill reading skills.
What are the multisensory strategies?
Activities used within a multisensory approach.
Why is multisensory teaching important?
It offers multiple ways of grasping concepts.
What does multisensory learning entail and why is it important?
Use of multiple senses to teach reading.
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