Can using more senses make learning more engaging?

Smell is a fundamental part of how we experience the world, yet it has received far less attention in research on reading and learning than sight and hearing. 

When we read a book, we primarily use our eyes. If someone reads the book aloud, we also use our ears. But what happens if we introduce smells chosen to match the mood of the story?

As part of the research project Coming Back to Our Senses to Transform Children’s Digital Reading, we explored this question an experiment with 65 four- and five-year-old children. The children were randomly divided into two groups. Each child was read two books on an iPad, one accompanied by smells and the other without. Both books were read twice, on separate days. The groups received opposite versions of the books, ensuring that each book was tested both with and without smell.

At specific points in the story, the children were invited to smell different scents. These included sweet (apricot), fresh (peppermint), and musty (mushroom) scents. Pleasant and less pleasant smells were introduced as the mood of the story changed. Could this affect what children experienced and learned from the story?

Smell increased engagement

The results revealed an interesting distinction. When smell was included in the reading experience, the children were more engaged. They showed greater enthusiasm and persistence during the reading activity.

However, smell did not improve their understanding of the story. Nor did we find a significant improvement in their vocabulary.

We interpret it as to mean that multisensory reading does not mean that the more senses we use, the more we automatically learn. Instead, involving another sense can change how children experience and engage with a story.

The point is not that every lecture should suddenly include smells, tastes or works of art. Multisensory learning is about thinking more broadly about what a learning experience can be and more strategically about how it engages our senses.

The findings invite us to think more carefully about how learning experiences are designed – and about the role our senses can play in how we engage with them.

About the research

The experiment involved 65 four- and five-year-old children from five early childhood settings in south-eastern Norway. The children read digital books with and without smell. The researchers examined vocabulary, story comprehension and engagement during reading. The study also raises questions about how sensory experiences are introduced into learning. The scent canisters may have distracted the children from the story, potentially limiting the benefits of adding smell. Future research will explore how scents can be integrated more naturally into reading, alongside the dialogue and interaction that support children's learning