Knowledge Base

Touch Spelling


Touch Spelling is a multisensory strategy for separating the sounds in a word, identifying the sounds, and putting them in the correct sequence.

To use Touch Spelling, have the student hold up the non-writing hand and assign one sound to each finger to separate the sounds that make up the word. For example, when writing the word sat, the right-handed student would hold up the left hand, palm toward the face, extend the thumb, and say /s/, extend the forefinger and say /a/, and extend the middle finger and say /t/. Then the writer would write the sounds assigned to each finger, in order, from left to right, to form the word sat, saying the sounds aloud while writing.

The left-handed student would hold up the right hand, palm facing outward, extend the thumb and say /s/, extend the forefinger and say /a/, and extend the middle finger and say /t/. Then the writer would write the sounds assigned to each finger, in order, from left to right, to form the word sat, saying the sounds aloud while writing.

The Step 4 Instructional Video in the Video + Audio tab of your Sonday System Kit provides a demonstration of Touch Spelling.

When you see the Touch Spelling slide in your Sonday System or Essentials Kit, it is a reminder to have your students Touch Spell for that specific activity.