Teaching methods for providing multisensory reading instruction to your child:

First, think of a ‘language triangle’ which emphasizes the simultaneous linking of auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile pathways (Post, 2003).

Using multisensory teaching methods involves having your child see the letters, phonemes, or words, while saying the sounds represented by the letters, phonemes, or words.

In addition multisensory teaching methods include simultaneously using a kinesthetic / tactile tracing action to write out the letters, phonemes or words. Your child will act on all three pathways simultaneously.

It is an important teaching method to teach the visual element (the letter(s) or word) as a representation of its auditory sound. In other words, it is important to teach letter sounds, rather than letter names for the purposes of reading instruction.

As an example of multisensory teaching methods used for reading instruction, your child will see an “S”. Then your child will say the sound of “S”, written as /s/, and would vocalize /s/.

When your child said /s/ (auditory), she would also trace the shape of an “S” on the carpet with her bare feet (tactile), or use large, full arm movements to write a huge “S” on a chalkboard (kinesthetic).

As she traced the shape of the “S”, she would see it, which would add in the visual component. She would feel it with her bare foot, and as she says the sound aloud, she’ll hear it.

Almost any specific, sequential, reading instruction program can be made into a multisensory program by using teaching methods that include auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile activities added to the instruction.

—