Strengthen Facial Muscles in Special Needs Kids
Build Face and Lip Muscles to Increase Speech Skills
Mar 2, 2009
Many kids with developmental delays have difficulty talking. Sometimes it is because of weak facial muscles. Sometimes it is because they are unaware of how it feels to make a certain speech sound. Even understanding the parts of the face (cheeks, lips) and mouth (teeth, roof of the mouth, tongue) used in speech can be a challenge.
Talk about Windy Weather
Talk about how the March wind is blowing things outside. Perhaps it is blowing leaves left from the fall. Maybe it is blowing the clouds in the sky. Use time in the car and on walks to look for examples of the wind blowing. Talk about windy March weather.
Have Fun Being the Wind
Plan some activities for the child to “be the wind”. Hold a white tissue in front of your mouth, and blow. The visible movement of the tissue is like the clouds blowing in the sky. (Without a rounded mouth position and air forced out through the lips, there is no wind.) Hold the tissue for the child to blow. Is he windy enough to make the tissue move?
Try other things to blow:
- Streamers of crepe paper
- Ping pong balls
- Crumpled up pieces of paper (harder to blow)
Use a drinking straw and small pieces of paper for another wind activity. Put the bits of paper on a table top or paper plates. Then blow through the straw to move the paper. Have your child try being the wind to move the paper. Hint: Trying to close the lips around a straw that is too skinny can be tough for kids who struggle to control facial muscles. This works best with a straw that is wide in diameter. Lightweight reusable straws from water bottles work well.
Practice being the wind when traveling. First, choose a windy day to “feel” the real wind. Place your hand in the air as you talk with your child about the wind. Continue the discussion when you are inside the house or car. Hold the back of your hand a little ways in front of your mouth and blow. Then blow on the back of the child’s hand. Have him do the same.
Blowing like the wind to build speech muscles can be fun, but it is also hard work. Remember to plan a reward. . . A drink through a straw keeps the practice going and gives an instant reward.
Kids with special needs love speech activities that are like a game. Let the windy days of March help you plan this at home fun! Blowing items like tissue and ping pong balls builds strength and increases the child's stamina. By strengthening the muscles of the cheeks and lips, a child is better able to have the oral motor muscle control needed to talk.
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