Engaging K1 & K2 Children with Multisensory Play and Educational Activities

AGrader Learning Centre
Oct 6
5 min read

Parents often struggle to find items for their children that are both safe and durable, yet also fun enough to use—lunch bags being a classic example. The same applies to learning: it’s not enough for activities to look good; they must also be engaging, enjoyable, and long-lasting. This is where multisensory play comes in. Engaging the senses of sight, sound, touch, and movement makes learning interactive, memorable, and enjoyable. With simple materials at home, parents can tap into the power of the multisensory approach to spark curiosity and build essential skills.

In this article, we’ll explore why multisensory learning works, how it connects to the human brain, and five exciting activities you can try with your child today.

Why Multisensory Play Matters in Early Childhood

Young children are naturally wired to learn through play that involves all their senses. The human brain processes information more effectively when children experience it in multiple ways. When a child sees a colour, touches it through paint, and hears a parent name it, the memory of that learning moment becomes stronger.

Research has shown that a multisensory approach improves student learning outcomes, particularly for children with different learning styles or difficulties such as dyslexia. This type of multisensory instruction supports phonemic awareness, writing letters, number sense, and even higher-order thinking skills.

Engaging multiple senses—visual, auditory, tactile, and kinaesthetic—ensures children are not just hearing information, but actively doing and experiencing it. This creates stronger neural pathways and fosters better recall.

Understanding the Multisensory Approach

A multisensory approach to teaching involves engaging multiple senses at the same time. For instance, when you ask your child to say the sound of a letter aloud while tracing it in sand, they’re learning through sight, sound, and touch. This is more powerful than simply looking at the letter on a flashcard.

Some common multisensory techniques include:

Tactile learning (touch-based): tracing letters in sand, forming shapes with clay.
Visual learning: using colourful cards, charts, or illustrations.
Auditory learning: singing rhymes, saying letter sounds, or storytelling.
Kinaesthetic learning: jumping on number mats, acting out prepositions, or doing air writing.

By using multisensory instruction, parents can teach children in a way that respects their preferred learning styles while also strengthening weaker areas.

Why Multisensory Play Matters in Early Childhood

Examples of Multisensory Learning at Home

The beauty of multisensory activities is that you don’t need specialised equipment. Everyday household items—like salt, magnets, or coloured paper—can become tools for hands-on activities that inspire curiosity and reinforce important skills.

Let’s look at five engaging learning activities that bring the multisensory approach to life:

1. Colour Mixing Experiments

Children love exploring colours, and this activity combines creativity with science.

Provide your child with containers of water and food colouring in primary colours (red, blue, yellow). Encourage them to mix different colours to observe the results and discuss how secondary colours are created.
Alternatively, for a mess-free experiment, squirt paint on thick paper and get your child to fold and rub the paint together. Open it to see a beautiful butterfly in a secondary colour!

These activities integrate visual and tactile learning, develop fine motor skills, and spark scientific curiosity.

2. Letter and Word Sensory Tracing

This is a classic multisensory instruction method for early literacy.

Spread a thin layer of sand, salt, or shaving cream on a tray.
Ask your child to trace letters or simple sight words (like cat or dog) with their finger.
As they trace, encourage them to say the letter sound out loud.

This combines tactile learning, auditory learning, and visual reinforcement—perfect for building phonemic awareness and practising writing letters.

3. Phonics Fishing Game

Learning phonics doesn’t have to be dull. This hands-on activity makes it fun and memorable.

Write letters or words on paper fish and attach a paperclip.
Create a fishing rod with a stick, string, and a small magnet.
Let your child “fish” for the target letters or words.

When they catch a fish, they must say the letter, spell a word, or use it in a sentence. This boosts student learning by reinforcing letter recognition, letter sound blending, and fine motor skills. It also uses magnetic letters in a playful way.

4. Preposition Sorting Game

Language and maths skills can grow together in this activity.

Gather household objects (blocks, small toys, cups). Call out prepositions (such as “on,” “under,” “in,” “between,” “next to”) and get your child to place them in different locations of the house (Such as “Put the cup under the dining table!”).
For an increased challenge, give math prompts using these prepositions, such as “Put three blocks on the chair and two blocks under the table. Which group has more?” This activity combines counting, comparing, and learning prepositions through touch and movement.

5. Number Card Sorting (Up to 100)

Numbers can feel abstract for children, but handling them physically makes them concrete.

Create or print number cards from 1 to 100. Have your child sort the cards into different groups based on specific properties. For example: numbers less than 50 and numbers greater than 50.
You can also ask them to arrange the cards in order or find sequences (such as counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s).

Give your child the strongest foundation for success with AGrader’s thoughtfully designed K1 & K2 curriculum

Handling and organising the cards engages both tactile and visual senses while reinforcing number recognition and sequencing.

Finding the perfect balance between durable, safe, and fun products for children is a struggle parents know all too well. In the same way, creating learning experiences that are both effective and enjoyable can feel daunting. The solution lies in the multisensory approach.

Through simple hands-on activities that engage multiple senses, parents can transform ordinary moments into extraordinary learning activities. Whether it’s mixing colours, fishing for phonics, or tracing letters in sand, these activities help children develop motor skills, phonemic awareness, and confidence in their abilities.

Give your child the strongest foundation for success with AGrader’s thoughtfully designed K1 & K2 curriculum! Our unique Dual-Pronged Approach blends English and Math seamlessly into every lesson, keeping your child engaged, attentive, and excited to learn. Through our clear, step-by-step methodology, they’ll confidently develop the core skills of reading, writing, and counting—progressing smoothly towards the Primary 1 English and Mathematics syllabus.

For an even greater advantage, enrol them in our P1 Preparatory Class. This programme builds a solid foundation and gives your child a real head start in primary school. Plus, with our exclusive EverLoop after-class learning resource—completely free of charge—your child receives continuous guidance and support long after lessons end.

Set your child on the path to excellence today. Enrol at AGrader Learning Centre and watch them thrive!

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