The Sense of Touch

Touch is one of your five senses. You use your skin to feel things. Skin covers your whole body, so you can feel with any part. Touch helps you learn about things and keeps you safe from harm.

How Touch Works

Your skin has tiny sensors in it. These sensors feel when something touches you. They send messages to your brain very fast. The messages tell your brain if something is hot, cold, soft, or hard. Your fingertips have the most sensors, so they feel best.

Why Touch Is Important

Touch helps you know if something is too hot to hold. It also helps you pick up things without dropping them. Hugs and hand-holding use your sense of touch. Touch can make you feel safe and loved. Without touch, it would be hard to do simple things like tie your shoes.

Fun Facts

• Your skin is the biggest organ in your body.
• You cannot tickle yourself because your brain knows it is coming.
• Fingertips can feel things that are thinner than a hair.

Did You Know?

People who cannot see often read using their sense of touch with a special alphabet of bumps called Braille.