Multisensory Strategies to Develop Phonological Awareness in Bilingual Classrooms

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sound units of language, including syllables, rhymes, and phonemes. It is a fundamental precursor to reading and writing and is especially important for bilingual learners and students with dyslexia or ADHD. Research shows that the differences between the Spanish and English phonological systems influence how phonological awareness should be taught. Below are evidence-based, multisensory strategies that support phonological awareness in bilingual settings, with adaptations for students with dyslexia and ADHD.

Phonological Differences Between Spanish and English

Before planning activities, it is helpful to understand how each language differs.

Spanish has a more regular syllable structure, a smaller phoneme inventory, and a more transparent sound-to-letter relationship than English. This allows instruction to begin with syllable segmentation and blending before gradually moving toward phonemic awareness.

English, on the other hand, has a deeper orthography and a larger phoneme inventory, making phoneme discrimination and blending more challenging. Coordinating phonics instruction across both languages while highlighting transferable skills—such as syllable segmentation—helps reduce confusion and supports bilingual literacy development.

What Is Multisensory Teaching?

Multisensory teaching engages multiple senses—visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic—to support language and literacy learning.

Recent research in early childhood education shows that involving multiple senses improves language comprehension and retention, increases student engagement, and promotes cognitive and linguistic development. This approach is especially effective for students with dyslexia because it strengthens learning through multiple neural pathways. It also benefits children with ADHD or sensory processing differences by supporting attention and working memory.

Multisensory Strategies for Phonological Awareness

The following structured activities can be used in both Spanish and English. They are organized by sensory modality so teachers, families, and therapists can choose the strategies that best meet each child’s needs.

Tactile Activities

Letter tracing: Encourage children to trace letters in trays filled with sand, salt, or rice. The tactile feedback helps reinforce letter formation and is especially beneficial for students with dyslexia.
Letter manipulation: Use magnetic or foam letters to build syllables and words. Physically manipulating phonemes makes abstract concepts more concrete.
Modeling with clay: Form letters or syllables using modeling clay to strengthen fine motor skills while offering an alternative to traditional handwriting practice.

Visual Activities

Picture and word cards: Use flashcards, word walls, and visual organizers. For students with ADHD, visual supports provide structure and make language easier to process.
Visual phonics: Incorporate gestures or symbols to represent speech sounds, helping children connect sounds with visual cues.
Story maps: Draw the beginning, middle, and end of a story on a poster to strengthen sequencing and reading comprehension.

Auditory Activities

Songs and rhymes: Sing phonics songs, play rhyming games, and use audiobooks to strengthen sound discrimination and phonemic awareness.
Sound identification games: Ask children to identify, isolate, or blend specific phonemes to improve auditory attention and decoding skills.
Translanguaging and language comparisons: Encourage students to compare sounds or letters across both languages—for example, the Spanish ch in chico and the English ch in cheese—to develop metalinguistic awareness and transfer learning.
Syllable clapping: Make clapping the syllables in students’ names and vocabulary words part of everyday classroom routines. This simple activity supports syllable segmentation in any language.

Adaptations for Students with ADHD

ADHD affects every child differently, but several universal strategies can improve attention and self-regulation. CHADD recommends classroom practices that benefit all students—not only those with ADHD.

Some effective approaches include:

Clear expectations and positive reinforcement: Use point systems or reward charts with clearly defined goals. Digital tools such as ClassDojo can help students and families monitor progress.
Movement breaks: Schedule short movement breaks throughout the day or offer flexible seating options such as yoga balls or wobble stools to improve regulation and reduce disruptive behaviors.
Classroom responsibilities: Assign meaningful roles, such as passing out materials or leading the line, to increase engagement during transitions.
Interests and novelty: Connect lessons with students’ interests and vary activities regularly to maintain motivation and attention.
Assume positive intent: Recognize that challenging behaviors are not always intentional. Focus on providing supports and accommodations rather than punishment.

Short Daily Routines (5–10 Minutes)

Rhyming Game

During breakfast or morning meeting, say a word and ask children to think of another word that rhymes. Use objects or picture cards to reinforce the connection.

Sound Hunt

Choose a target sound, such as /m/, and look for objects at home or in the classroom that begin with that sound. Repeat the activity in both languages to strengthen bilingual learning.

Segmenting with Blocks

Place one block for each syllable or phoneme in a word. This quick activity can be done on the floor and takes only a few minutes.

Bubble Breathing

Before reading, encourage children to blow imaginary candles or bubbles. This simple breathing exercise helps children with ADHD regulate attention and prepare for learning.

Fun Dictation

Dictate a short sentence while the child writes using a finger in sand or forms letters with modeling clay. The activity can be adapted to practice challenging graphemes in both Spanish and English.

Observation Checklist

Teachers and families can use the following observable indicators to monitor progress:

Identifies and produces rhymes independently.
Segments words into syllables by clapping or using blocks.
Recognizes and names letters and phonemes in both Spanish and English.
Manipulates letters to build syllables and words independently.
Participates actively in multisensory activities and remains motivated.
Maintains attention during short five-minute routines with minimal distractions.

Final Thoughts and How Dotty Can Help

Teaching phonological awareness in bilingual classrooms is both rewarding and challenging. It requires combining evidence-based instruction, creativity, and adaptations that respect each child’s learning profile.

Using multisensory strategies increases participation, improves retention, and helps students transfer literacy skills across Spanish and English. Short daily routines and positive reinforcement systems benefit every learner, especially children with ADHD.

When additional practice is needed, tools like Dotty make it easy to create personalized handwriting and reading worksheets tailored to each child’s pace and learning style. Dotty complements the strategies described in this article by providing ready-to-print activities that support literacy practice at home, in therapy, or in the classroom.