Finger Tapping Spelling Strategy

Step-by-Step Example: The word to spell is mat.

• Step #1: Hold your pencil in your writing hand. Make a fist with your non-dominant hand and gently pound your first on a flat surface while saying the whole word “mat”.
• Step #2: Starting with your pinkie (thumb if left handed), tap each sound on a flat surface with each finger. /m/ (pinkie) /a/ (ring finger) /t/ (middle finger)
• Step #3: Make a fist and pound the whole word again “mat”.
• Step #4: Spell each sound in the order you tapped it to spell the whole word. **You may have to apply spelling rules you’ve learned when there are multiple spelling options for one sound ( /k/ could be a c, k, or ck).

For Longer Words: Words with MORE THAN THREE SOUNDS may require you to use more than 3 fingers. For example: The word “truck” would require four taps and four fingers. If a word is MORE THAN ONE SYLLABLE, you must pound and finger tap each syllable individually. For example: In “bathtub” you would need to pound and tap “bath” and “tub” individually.

Short video demonstrating finger tapping: OG Finger Spelling

17 Multisensory Games and Activities - No Technology Required

1. Use any board game to practice word lists, phrases, or sentences. Read 5 words or 3 phrases and earn a turn.
2. Sound hunts - search a room for items that contain a sound of your choosing. For example, you might search for items that have the sound /ch/ like “chair”, “couch”, “chips”, “hutch”, etc… You can even choose more difficult sounds like blends. For example, you might search for items that have the blend /tr/ like “trash” or “truck”.
3. “I Spy” with sounds! Take turns spying things that start with a certain sound instead of a color! “I spy something that starts with the sound /m/.” Then the other player has to guess what item they are thinking of in the room.
4. Jump Spelling - Pick any word your student is working on and then place markers on the ground for them to jump and spell to (pieces of paper, cups, pillows, books, etc.) The student has to jump every time they say a letter. If they get one wrong, they have to go back to the beginning and start over until they’ve spelled the whole word correctly. For example, they would jump 4 times to spell the word F - R - O - G.
5. Jump Sounds - This is the same game except this time they jump sounds in the words instead of letters. For example, if they were jumping the sounds in the word “team” they would jump three times and say the sounds they hear (not the letters!!) /t/ /e/ /m/. They only jump once for the long e “ea” part because it only makes one sound!
6. Writing Activity - Write cards and send them to your local nursing home or hospital.
7. Play “Horse” with a basketball but play by spelling their spelling/sight words!
8. Finger Tap (see Finger Tap Instructions below) and spell their spelling words in sugar, salt, or sand on a baking tray or paper plate.
9. Finger Tap and spell their spelling words in shaving cream!
10. Sky Writing! Lay down on your back and write your words in the air with your finger!
11. Practice letter formation or spelling with play dough!
12. Gel Sensory Bags - Add colored or clear gel to zip lock bag (be sure to tape up the side that zips for extra protection). If the gel is clear, you can add food coloring or glitter to make it more fun! Lay flat. Give student a sound, word, or phrase to spell on their gel bag!
13. Back Drawing! - Depending on the age of the student, have them write a letter or short word on your back and then try to guess what it is. 3 wrong guesses and you’re out! Switch roles and repeat!
14. Switcheroo! - Write a word on a whiteboard or erasable surface. Have student replace the first letter to make a new word. For example, if you write the word “back”. Then erase the first letter so you now have “_ack” and they have to come up with a letter to replace the “b” that makes a real word. They could say “t” to take “tack”. Do a few more replacing the first letter (“sack, pack”, “lack”). Then have them replace the last letter. So “lack” would become “la__”. They may say “add a “p” so it becomes “lap”. Keep going until they get stuck. Then have them replace the middle sound. You can also alternate which sound you replace every time to make it more challenging!
15. Read it, Build it, Write it! - Give students a word on a piece of paper or whiteboard. Then have the student build the word out of something like play dough, pipe cleaners, their body, etc..). Then the student has to write the word (can be in shaving cream, gel bag, pencil/paper, etc..).
16. Race Car Blending - Phonemic awareness activity using a toy car to drive across the letters written spaced across a racetrack to make a word. Students sound out the letters as they drive across it. When students drive slowly they sound out the letters very slowly and segment them. When they zoom by they say the word clearly, loudly and quickly!
17. Reading Tower: Using cards or plastic cups, student will build a piece for each word they can read correctly creating a monster word tower!