Easy Oral Motor Exercises to Try

Today!
Oral motor therapy works on the oral skills necessary for proper speech and
feeding development. These skills include: awareness, strength,
coordination, movement, and endurance of the lips, cheeks, tongue, and jaw.
The activities below are an easy way to work on these skills. Incorporate
them into your daily routine whenever you have time. Practice them on the
way to school/work, during commercials, while youre making dinner, etc.
Make it a game and have fun! Please note, however, that these exercises
should not replace therapeutic intervention. It is best to see a speech-
language pathologist and/or occupational therapist trained in oral motor
therapy. They will be able to assess the situation, prescribe a course of
action, and guide you through the process.
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FOR AWARENESS:
Use the Z-Vibe to normalize sensation within the oral cavity. Hyposensitive
individuals (with low oral tone) have little to no awareness of whats going on
inside their mouths. On the other hand, hypersensitive individuals (with oral
defensiveness) are overly sensitive and often experience aversions to
texture, temperature, taste, etc. Both cases can significantly affect speech
and feeding development.

The tip attachments for the Z-Vibe come in various shapes, textures, and
scents. Use them to stroke and apply gentle pressure to the lips, cheeks
(both inside and out), and the tongue. Vary the pressure, the direction of the
strokes, the length of the pressure, etc. For hypersensitivities, introduce the
Z-Vibe gradually.
Gum massage is also a simple and effective way to provide oral
stimulation.
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FOR THE LIPS:
Say ooo with exaggerated lip movement. Then say eee. Combine
them for oo-ee. Really round the lips.

Say puh and pop the sound with emphasis.

Make a big smile. Relax and repeat.

Puff out the cheeks while keeping the lips sealed. Relax and repeat. Puff
out one cheek, then the other, then both. Then puff out the upper lip
followed by the lower lip (or vice versa). Relax and repeat.

Purse the lips to make a kiss. Slide the kiss to the right and then to the left
or vice versa.

Blow bubbles. You can also blow whistles, horns, kazoos, etc.
 Drink through a straw rather than drinking from a cup. This is also a great
activity for the tongue and cheeks. Drinking from a straw requires a lot of
oral motor work: the cheeks tighten, the tongue tightens and retracts, and
the lips purse. For tips on how to teach straw drinking, click here.
In the above exercises, observe to see if the lips are symmetrical. If not,
document what they look like and compare them to future practice sessions
to monitor progress.

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FOR THE TONGUE:
Say lalalalalalala without moving the jaw up and down. Only move the
tip of the tongue. Rest and repeat.

Place the tongue tip on the alveolar ridge just behind the upper front teeth.
Hold for as long as possible, working up to three minutes. Swallow when
necessary, then get back into position.

Practice tongue tip sounds. Say t-t-t-t-t-t, n-n-n-n-n-n, and d-d-d-d-d-

d. You can also try a combination of these sounds, such at t-d-n.

Place the tongue tip on the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.
Then place it behind the bottom front teeth. Repeat several times.

Say go with exaggeration.

Do a tongue pop. Suck the tongue up onto the roof of the palate and then
pop it. Work up to 25 in a row.

Place the tongue on the roof of the mouth. Hold it there with suction for
about 5-10 seconds. Once that becomes easy, add another step: move the
jaw up and down while keeping the tongue on the roof of the mouth.

Rub a lollipop onto the lips and have the individual lick the taste off. Use
the Popette Tip to add vibration to this exercise. You can also use peanut
butter, frosting, applesauce, etc. (anything that will stick to the lips).
Hold the tongue in mid-air (not resting on the lips or teeth). Tighten and
relax the tongue. Tighten and relax.

If necessary, use the Probe or Z-Vibe to pinpoint where the tongue needs to
go for these exercises.
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FOR THE CHEEKS:
Use straws again!

Put a proPreefer in the cheek area. Tighten the cheek around it. Relax and
repeat.
Put the lips together and contract the cheeks.
 Make an o with the lips. Then move the lips in a circle. Repeat several
times and then reverse the direction.

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FOR THE JAW:
Place a Bite-n-Chew Tip or the loop of a Grabber in between the front teeth.
Bite and hold up to a count of 10. Release and repeat.
Use the Probe, Bite-n-Chew Tip, Grabber, or Y-Chew to push down on the
jaw while the individual pushes up for an isometric exercise.
Turn the Y-Chew so that youre using the widest part of the handle, then
place in between the molar area to one side. Bite and hold the Y-Chew in
place. Then move the tongue tip up and down. This exercises forces the jaw
to stabilize as the tongue moves.

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FOR COORDINATION:
Say buttercup 5 times in a row. Relax and repeat.

You can also try saying rocket ship instead of buttercup. Both words
work the lips, the tip of the tongue, and the back of the tongue.

Say puh tuh kuh three times. Start slowly and then increase the rate.
Mix the order up. Try tuh puh kuh, kuh puh tuh, etc.

Put the tongue in the corner of the lips and trace the perimeter of the lips.
When you reach the starting point, go back the other way. Focus on
stabilizing the jaw and completing the circle. Dont allow the jaw to move at
all the tongue must do the work.

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FOR EVERYTHING:
Use the Z-Vibe or Probe for additional tactile input and oral sensory
stimulation. Sometimes it is not enough to say put your tongue behind your
upper front teeth or even to demonstrate how to do it on yourself. With the
Z-Vibe or Probe, you can safely get in and around the oral cavity to show
exactly what the lips, tongue, and cheeks need to do. This contact is called
a tactile cue. The Z-Vibe can also be turned on to vibrate, which can
increase focus and draw attention to specific parts of the mouth.
Use a sticky incentive. Place peanut butter, frosting, etc. on the roof of the
mouth and have the individual lick it off. Put it on the lips. Inside the cheek
area. Put it on the Probe. Lots of room for creativity on this one.

Use a mirror. Look in the mirror and instruct the individual to copy you.
Make it a fun game of Simon Says. Mirrors are great for visual feedback as
long as they arent distracting. I have some kids who will just play and make
funny faces in the mirror!
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The repetitions above are only suggestions, as this will vary from person to
person depending on their abilities. If you only get one rep, thats okay!
Make a note of the progress, and try to do more in the next practice session.
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LOTS more exercises for oral motor and feeding therapy can be found in my
book Tips & Techniques for the Z-Vibe. It covers a range of skills, including lip
movement, jaw grading and stability, tongue and jaw dissociation, tongue
elevation, tongue lateralization, tongue bowl, feeding, biting and chewing,
and much more.