Oral motor skills are the foundation for clear speech, safe swallowing, and confident communication. These skills involve the strength, coordination, and movement of the muscles in the mouth, lips, tongue, and jaw—and they play a critical role in your child’s overall development.
At Vero Speech Therapy, we specialize in helping children strengthen these skills in a fun, supportive way. But as a parent, you don’t need special training to make a big difference at home. With a little creativity and a few simple tools, you can help your child improve their oral motor coordination through everyday play.
Here’s how to get started.
1. Blowing Bubbles or Pinwheels
Blowing is one of the easiest ways to engage and strengthen the lips, cheeks, and diaphragm—all of which support speech and breath control.
🎯 Try this: Blow bubbles outside or use pinwheels to encourage strong, steady airflow. See how long your child can make the pinwheel spin!
2. Use Straws for Drinking or Games
Sucking through a straw strengthens the lips and cheeks while helping develop the ability to control breath and tongue movement.
🎯 Try this: Use a regular straw to sip thick liquids like smoothies or applesauce. For fun, try “straw races” where your child moves small objects (like cotton balls or pom-poms) across a table by blowing through a straw.
3. Chew Different Textures
Chewing helps build jaw strength and stability. Crunchy, chewy, or resistive foods (with supervision) can provide natural resistance and sensory feedback.
🎯 Try this: Offer snacks like carrots, apples, or chewy licorice in a safe, controlled environment. Oral motor chew tools are also available for kids who need extra practice.
4. Make Funny Faces and Sounds
Silly play is powerful! Making exaggerated faces or sounds helps your child gain awareness of how their mouth moves—and it’s a great way to bond while learning.
🎯 Try this: Stick out tongues, puff up cheeks, buzz lips, make fish faces, or say silly sounds like “mmmm,” “oooo,” and “eee.” Let your child mimic you in front of a mirror!
5. Blow Through a Kazoo or Party Horn
Musical toys like kazoos, whistles, or party horns help improve lip seal, controlled exhalation, and overall motor coordination—plus, they’re fun!
🎯 Tip: Start slow and keep sessions short, especially if your child gets tired or frustrated. Praise every effort!
6. Use Simple Tongue Exercises
The tongue plays a huge role in both speech and swallowing. Building flexibility and strength through games helps improve articulation.
🎯 Try this: Encourage your child to touch their tongue to different parts of their mouth—nose, chin, corners of the lips—or move a small bit of peanut butter from one side of the mouth to the other.
You’re the Most Important Part of Their Progress
Oral motor development doesn’t happen overnight—but with consistency, play, and a little patience, your child can gain the skills they need to speak more clearly, eat more safely, and feel more confident.
At Vero Speech Therapy, we work closely with families to create customized oral motor plans that fit naturally into your routines and support your child’s specific needs.
If you’re concerned about your child’s oral motor development, or just want expert support, reach out today to schedule a consultation.
Together, we can help your child build strong muscles—and even stronger confidence.
