It is important to note that when working on oral motor skills in relation to speech production, it is essential to incorporate speech into the exercise. Blowing through straws can also be used to make abstract art projects, racing pom poms across a table, or creating a “bubble mountain” in soapy water. Blowing bubbles through straws is a more advanced way to simultaneously target lip closure and lip rounding. Instruct them to use their strong lips (not their teeth) to not let you pull it out! Complete 5-10 gentle tugs and then give your child a chance to swallow.īlowing bubbles is a fun and simple way to target lip rounding. Be aware that this stimulation may be difficult to tolerate for children with sensory differences and should be used mindfully.įind a highly preferred food item such as a lolli pop and play a gentle game of “tug of war.” Place the food item in your child’s mouth and tell them you are going to try to pull it out. Give them simple verbal directions such as “Close lips!” or “Squeeze!” Encourage your child to make an /m/ sound as he or she practices closing her lips around the device.
Help your child close their lips around the head of an electric toothbrush for 2-3 seconds with frequent breaks. You can emulate this exercise with an electric toothbrush. Give similar cues when your child is retrieving food from a spoon or fork.Īs speech language pathologists, we often use a gentle vibrating tool called a Z-Vibe to increase tactile input to a child’s lips and mouth. As you model the /m/b/p/ sounds for them, use your fingers to gently bring their top and bottom lip together. Some children benefit from physical prompts or touches to increase their awareness of their own lips and mouth. Mealtime is a great time to practice as well! Follow each bite of a preferred food with, “ Mmm, yummy!” and encourage your child to say it with you. Practice making silly faces and saying simple words with “ m, p, and b” sounds (e.g., “mama,” “papa, ” ”buh -bye”) in front of your child or as you both look into a mirror.
Take time to bring your child’s awareness to your lips and face. Model the skill with silly faces and soundsĬhildren learn through modeling and imitation. Below are simple and fun activities you can practice with your child to help support the development of lip closure and rounding. Consulting a Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist is the first step to discovering if your child is developing these essential skills appropriately. Some children, such as those with low tone, developmental delays, or motor speech disorders, may have difficulty acquiring the skill of lip closure and rounding independently. We see lip rounding when we produce the sounds “w” or “oh.” Lip rounding is essential for straw drinking and greatly assists in retrieving food from utensils. Lip rounding is the ability to protrude one’s lips and bring them together into a circular shape. This skill is necessary to create what we call “labial” sounds such as “m, b, and p.” Lip seal is also crucial during mealtime as it allows a child to close her lips around a food item, spoon, fork, or drinking cup and receive nutrition. Lip closure is the ability to bring your lips together to form a seal.
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