Multisensory Letter Practice: Sand, Shaving Cream and Textures
Multisensory letter practice is forming a letter in sand while saying its name. Then the same letter goes on paper. This practice is not learning styles. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it. The research we hold does not show that the texture itself helps.
TL;DR
- Multisensory letter practice is forming letters with sight, sound and movement together. A child might form a letter in sand and say its name. Then the same letter goes on paper. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
- Multisensory letter practice is not learning styles. It does not pick one form to suit one child. A 2008 review found almost no evidence that matching teaching to learning styles helps. A 2024 review judged any gain too small and too rare to adopt widely.
- One trial compared a multisensory approach, a cognitive approach and no extra help (Zwicker and Hadwin, 2009). It had 72 first and second graders referred for handwriting trouble. Overall, neither approach beat no extra help. In second grade, the cognitive approach did better than the multisensory one. We could read only the trial's summary. One trial does not settle it. It is not a reason to wait, either.
- The activities on this page are ours, not tested methods. End each one with the same letter on paper. The research we hold does not show that the texture itself helps.
- Handwriting improves when it is taught and practiced. Our position is that short, frequent practice does more than long, rare sessions. In our experience, handwriting gets worse as a child tires. Stop before it falls apart.
Multisensory letter practice is forming letters with sight, sound and movement together. A child might form a letter in sand and say its name.
”Multisensory letter practiceWhat does multisensory mean here?
Multisensory work uses sight, sound and movement together, on the same material. Here, the material is one letter.
Your child forms the letter in sand or shaving cream. They say its name as they go. Then they write the same letter on paper, with a pencil.
In our view, a letter in sand is practice at forming that letter. It is the same letter, on a new surface. To us, a new surface can make one more round feel like play.
Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
Is this the same as learning styles?
No. Some people think each child has a preferred way of taking things in. On that idea, a child should be taught that way. A 2008 review found almost no evidence that matching teaching to learning styles helps. A 2024 review judged any gain too small and too rare to adopt widely.
Showing material in more than one form is fine for every child. Multisensory work is different again. It uses sight, sound and movement together, on the same material. It does not pick one form to suit one child.
So a sand tray is not for one kind of child. We do not sort children that way.
Our question is a different one. Which letters can your child not form yet? Which ones should come first?
What does the research we hold say?
One trial compared a multisensory approach, a cognitive approach and no extra help (Zwicker and Hadwin, 2009). It had 72 first and second graders referred for handwriting trouble. Overall, neither approach beat no extra help. In second grade, the cognitive approach did better than the multisensory one. We could read only the trial's summary. One trial does not settle it. It is not a reason to wait, either. Zwicker and Hadwin's summary does not say what the multisensory approach used.
We hold no study that tests the activities on this page. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding that they do not work. The research we hold does not show that the texture itself helps.
Why does every round end on paper?
Handwriting improves when it is taught and practiced. Santangelo and Graham (2016) pooled studies of teaching handwriting. Handwriting lessons made handwriting clearer and faster than other lessons or none.
One review looked at help for school-age children with handwriting trouble (Hoy and colleagues, 2011). Help that left out handwriting practice did not work. Neither did help with too few practice sessions. The review does not say how much practice is enough.
In our view, that review is one reason to end every round on paper. To us, sand is a fine place to start a letter. Paper is where your child will use it.
How do we use a sand tray or shaving cream?
In our view, teaching a letter means three things. Show where it starts. Show which way it goes. Show the order of the strokes. Then your child writes it.
In a tray of sand, our way goes like this.
- Pick one letter. Form it slowly in the sand while your child watches.
- Say where it starts, which way it goes, and the order of the strokes.
- Your child forms the same letter with one finger. They say its name as they go.
- Smooth the sand and let them do it again.
- Then your child writes the same letter on paper.
Our rule is never to skip the last step. In our view, the paper is where the letter has to end up. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
The activities
The activities on this page are ours, not tested methods. End each one with the same letter on paper.
Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
A tray of sand or salt. Pour a thin layer into a baking tray. Your child forms the letter with one finger and says its name. Give the tray a shake to clear it. Then the same letter goes on paper.
Shaving cream on a table. Spread a little on a table you can wipe. Your child forms the letter and says its name. Wipe it smooth and go again. Then the same letter goes on paper. Keep shaving cream away from eyes.
A textured letter. Cut a letter out of sandpaper. Or draw it in glue and sprinkle salt on it. Your child runs a finger over it from the start point, saying its name. In our view, tracing can be a first step. End with the letter written on paper, without a line to follow.
Big, then small. Your child writes the letter large on a whiteboard, saying its name. Then they write it on paper at its usual size.
In our view, each activity works on the same three things. Where does the letter start? Which way does it go? What is the order of the strokes? To us, a new surface can make one more round feel like play.
How long should a session be?
Our position is that short, frequent practice does more than long, rare sessions. In our experience, handwriting gets worse as a child tires. Stop before it falls apart.
In our view, keep each sitting to one or two letters. Stop while it feels like a game.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Writing well below your child's other schoolwork.
- A teacher who raises a concern about writing.
- Extreme upset about writing.
- Complete avoidance of writing.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
In our view, teaching a letter means three things. Show where it starts. Show which way it goes. Show the order of the strokes. Then let each child form it in sand, then write it on paper.
In our view, a letter formed in sand should end on paper, at desk size.
Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
A few lines for an email home: "We are practicing how to form the letter d. Could you try it at home in a tray of salt? Please end with the same letter on paper."
Key Takeaways
Multisensory letter practice is forming letters with sight, sound and movement together. Each round ends with the same letter on paper. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
Multisensory letter practice is not learning styles. It does not pick one form to suit one child.
In our view, teaching a letter means three things. Show where it starts. Show which way it goes. Show the order of the strokes. Then your child writes it.
The activities on this page are ours, not tested methods. End each one with the same letter on paper.
The research we hold does not show that the texture itself helps. Handwriting improves when it is taught and practiced.
Our position is that short, frequent practice does more than long, rare sessions.
Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Pour a thin layer of salt onto a tray. Pick one letter your child finds hard. Show where it starts, which way it goes and the order of the strokes. Let your child form it in the salt three times, saying its name. Then have them write it once on paper. You are not testing anything. You are watching where the letter starts. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
What the hand is doing — worked alongside handwriting practice rather than in place of it; motor work on its own has not been shown to improve handwriting.
Common questions from parents
Does multisensory practice work for handwriting?
One trial compared a multisensory approach, a cognitive approach and no extra help (Zwicker and Hadwin, 2009). It had 72 first and second graders referred for handwriting trouble. Overall, neither approach beat no extra help. In second grade, the cognitive approach did better than the multisensory one. We could read only the trial's summary. One trial does not settle it. It is not a reason to wait, either. Zwicker and Hadwin's summary does not say what the multisensory approach used. We hold no study that tests the activities on this page. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding that they do not work. The activities on this page are ours, not tested methods. End each one with the same letter on paper. Handwriting improves when it is taught and practiced.
Is this the same as learning styles?
No. Some people think each child has a preferred way of taking things in. On that idea, a child should be taught that way. A 2008 review found almost no evidence that matching teaching to learning styles helps. A 2024 review judged any gain too small and too rare to adopt widely. Multisensory work uses sight, sound and movement together, on the same material. It does not pick one form to suit one child.
My child is a "hands-on learner." Is this for them?
We do not sort children that way. A 2008 review found almost no evidence that matching teaching to learning styles helps. A 2024 review judged any gain too small and too rare to adopt widely. We offer the activities here to any child learning to form letters. In our view, the useful question is which letters your child cannot form yet. The activities on this page are ours, not tested methods. End each one with the same letter on paper.
Can sand or shaving cream replace pencil and paper?
No. In our view, sand and shaving cream go alongside paper, not in place of it. Handwriting improves when it is taught and practiced. One review looked at help for school-age children with handwriting trouble (Hoy and colleagues, 2011). Help that left out handwriting practice did not work. Neither did help with too few practice sessions. The review does not say how much practice is enough. The activities on this page are ours, not tested methods. End each one with the same letter on paper.
How often should we do it?
We cannot put a number on it for your child. Our position is that short, frequent practice does more than long, rare sessions. In our experience, handwriting gets worse as a child tires. Stop before it falls apart. In our view, the skill is built, not waited for.