Clear speech doesn’t just come from language practice—it depends on strong, coordinated oral muscles like the lips, tongue, and jaw. These muscles are responsible for helping children form sounds, swallow safely, and develop confidence as they speak.
At Vero Speech Therapy, I encourage parents to make oral motor skill practice fun, natural, and part of everyday play. Below are this week’s new tips designed to help your child strengthen their speech muscles through interactive and engaging activities—right from home.
1. Practice “Blowing” Games to Build Strong Breath Support
Blowing helps children develop better control of their breath and jaw, both essential for clear speech.
🫧 Try activities like:
- Blowing bubbles
- Blowing feathers or cotton balls across the table
- Using party blowers or pinwheels
Tip: Pause before each blow and take a deep breath together—this teaches controlled breathing (key for speech pacing).
2. Encourage Tongue “Push-Ups”
The tongue needs strength and mobility for sounds like /l/, /t/, /d/, /n/, and /s/. You can help build this by incorporating simple, playful exercises.
👅 Try this:
- Stick out your tongue and “tap” the top of your lip, nose, or chin
- Have your child reach their tongue to the corners of their mouth
- Pretend their tongue is an animal reaching to “lick” a pretend popsicle
Make it silly—children love when you join in too!
3. Try Fun Chewing and Crunching Exercises
Stronger jaw muscles improve speech clarity and help with sound precision.
🍎 Try offering foods that require chewing:
- Apple slices 🧊
- Pretzel sticks
- Carrot rounds
- Dried mango
Always supervise during eating, and make it an experience: “Let’s see who can make the loudest crunch!”
4. Use Fun Facial Expressions to Wake Up the Mouth Muscles
Speech starts with muscle movement! Encourage exaggerated expressions to wake up face, lip, and cheek muscles.
🪞 In front of a mirror:
- Make fishy faces
- Puff up both cheeks
- Show big smiles and surprised “O” faces
- Alternate big grins and pouts
This helps with jaw strength, lip range, and even early sound awareness.
5. Introduce “Silly Straw Challenges”
Drinking through straws helps strengthen lip seal, breathing control, and tongue stability.
🥤 Try:
- Thick smoothies with wide straws
- Water with thin or curly straws
- “Straw races” to move small objects like pom-poms across a smooth surface
Keep it playful—and watch the progress build over time.
6. Don’t Forget the Importance of Warm-Ups
Just like athletes stretch before they play, little mouths need warm-ups before speech practice too.
🎤 Simple warm-up ideas:
- Gentle jaw massage (with your hand outside their jawline)
- Slow lip smacks
- Quiet humming sounds
It sets the stage for smoother, easier sound production later.
Every Small Effort Builds Bigger Skills
Consistent, gentle practice of oral motor movements helps build the strength, coordination, and control your child needs to speak clearly and confidently.
At Vero Speech Therapy, I help families turn routines into opportunities for progress—wrapped in fun, patience, and support.
👉 Contact Us Today to connect with Pamela Cerrato and get more personalized oral motor exercises and tips.
Clarity starts with confidence—and confidence starts at home.
