Sensorial learning in art education : the importance of engaging with multiple senses to learn and create a sensorial learning experience

Abstract

Traditional art education frequently prioritizes visual processing and the final product over multi-sensory engagement. Because sensory development is foundational to cognitive growth, incorporating multi-sensory approaches from a young age is critical, which explains this dissertation’s focus on the primary school sector. Grounded in John Dewey’s Experiential Learning Theory, Rose and Meyer’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, and Embodied Cognition, this study investigates how integrating comprehensive sensory experiences and full-body movement into the art classroom enhances student retention and engagement. It argues that engaging all senses creates a lasting physical memory, transforming art into an inclusive environment for exploration. To evaluate this, an interactive, multi-sensory art exhibition was designed for 16 primary school participants aged 5 to 11 years, who explored materials through touch and sight while engaging with background music, real and imaginative scents, and exercises linking colours to familiar flavours. The findings revealed that while sight and touch remain instinctive entry points for primary school children, adding supplementary sensory layers deeply enriches focus. Participants actively connected colours to real-life smells and tastes through imaginative world-building, and background music regulated the room’s creative rhythm. Transitioning from individual papers to a large, shared canvas stimulated full-body kinetic movement and spatial freedom. A developmental distinction emerged: younger participants spontaneously linked colours to imaginative worlds, whereas older participants remained anchored in literal, physical facts. Based on these insights, the dissertation concludes by proposing a framework of multi-sensory activities to assist primary art educators in implementing full-bodied learning experiences.