speech therapy exercises for infant

Speech Therapy Exercises For Children

Fun, At-Home Speech Therapy Exercises for Children

This week, in the spirit of the Olympics, we thought we’d offer some of our favorite speech therapy exercises and activities to do at home. That’s right, exercises! While there will not be a half-pipe, blob-sledding track or a gold medal at the end of your session, the reward will be an opportunity to spend quality time with your child and help him or her with increasing speech and language skills.

There are a wide variety of reasons to work on speech therapy exercises at home. Sometimes, a parent is not sure if her child needs to see a speech therapist and would like to do some speech therapy exercises at home first. Perhaps your child’s teacher has expressed concern that he has some stuttering, or needs help in speech skills. Or, your child is already seeing an SLP and you would like to supplement what he is learning with at-home activities.

We have put together a list of exercises, tools and activities worthy of the Sochi games. Each exercise is designed to engage your child and stimulate language and speech production. Remember, therapy sessions, especially for children under the age of three should be FUN! Your child may not cooperate if he feels like he is in a formal learning environment. Children need to enjoy their activities in order to learn. While a little structure is okay, let your child walk around the room, wiggle and giggle to get the most out of your time together.

Exercises for Speech Therapy:

Flash cards.

Flash cards can help kids in speech therapy to focus on the sounds that they have difficulty with. You can help make it more entertaining by providing an activity for kids to do along with them or a reward when done correctly. For example, a small piece of candy (chewable is good for strengthening jaw muscles) after saying a certain number of sounds on the language cards correctly.

Mirror Exercises

Many kids with articulation problems don’t understand how to move their mouths to make sounds correctly. Speaking in front of a mirror can help a child to see how her mouth moves when she makes particular sounds. You can articulate each sound slowly and correctly to model proper positioning for your child and demonstrate the differences in the mirror.

This is a simple game to help get your child to repeat the same word six times. Choose six words that you want to practice. Slide each word into a clear plastic paper protector, aka “lily pads”. Spread the plastic lily pads all over the room.  Have your child hop to each lily pad, each time saying the word. After he hops to all six of the lily pads and says the word correctly, your little frog may want a tasty fly as a reward!

This is a fun board game by Hasbro that helps children identify everyday items such as cars, animals, foods and sea creatures.  Not only does this game teach problem-solving, it encourages proper character identification and socialization skills. Beware, you may find yourself playing it over and over!

These are four of our favorites – what are yours?

Check out these websites for additional speech therapy exercises and activities:

Speech Therapy Games to Use At Home

Speech Buddies: Activities and Exercises for Home

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How to Do Speech Therapy at Home

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Like any other skill acquired in childhood, learning how to communicate clearly—both in terms of how you speak and the words you choose—is one that develops over the course of many months and years. Some kids begin babbling away early in toddlerhood while others remain the strong and silent type until they’re more comfortable with speech patterns.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), most children begin talking between 1 and 2 years of age. By age 2, most kids have a vast foundation of words to work with (think “ball,” “dog,” “Mama” or “Dada,” “cup,” “eat”) and are often putting words together into two-word questions and sentences.

If your child doesn’t seem to be falling within the range of normal for speech, it may not be a sign of a speech or language delay , but it also may be appropriate to begin engaging in some simple speech exercises with your child at home.

At-home speech therapy can be especially helpful for kids who aren’t easily frustrated and who have only mild delays or articulation errors, said Massachusetts-based pediatric speech therapist Alyssa Gusenoff. More serious problems, like speech regressions, should be brought up with a licensed speech therapist.

Here is a guide to performing basic speech therapy at home with your child, from first steps all the way through seeking outside help.

Assess Your Options 

There’s no reason to go it alone when it comes to speech therapy if there are resources in your community that can assist you. First, you should consult with your child’s pediatrician if you feel that your child has a speech delay or articulation issue. A pediatrician can share developmental milestones for speech and let you know if your child is actually struggling.

“It’s important to know what’s developmentally appropriate for speech and what’s simply parent-preferred,” Gusenoff said. “Parents without a pediatric background may not realize that 4 year olds don’t need the 'r' sound yet.”

Gusenoff said that many communities offer early intervention services for children who aren’t yet school-aged. If your child is already enrolled in school, your district may employ a speech therapist who can help you, too. Don’t be shy—ask around to see what’s available. Many services are provided free of charge for town residents.

Assess Your Child

If you’ve decided to try at-home speech therapy (either in lieu of professional services or, perhaps, while you wait for a therapist to become available), what works for your child will depend on several things.

Younger children will have a hard time focusing and concentrating on anything you call “therapy.” You can try to keep things fun and light, but a child too little to understand he’s making speech errors may not be receptive to correcting them. An older child can be more motivated to improve their speech because it means they will be better understood by peers and caregivers.

Temperament

Again, kids who are not easily frustrated are more likely to work on speech with a parent. Kids with a low frustration tolerance may view therapy as a negative experience.

Type of Speech Involvement Needed

There will be different approaches to therapy if your child has a speech delay (they have far fewer words than they should at their age) versus an articulation problem (they make a “t” sound instead of a hard “c” sound). 

Co-Existing Conditions

If your child is simply behind in this one area, it may be easier for you to slowly catch them up over time at home. If a speech issue occurs along with another developmental condition, like autism, you may want to seek professional help.

Experiment with At-Home Methods

Once you’re ready to forge ahead, you can try a variety of approaches to helping your child improve their speech. Here are some of Gusenoff’s favorite strategies.

Stop Anticipating Your Child’s Needs

It’s tempting, we know, to jump for what your child wants whenever they simply point at it—but doing so doesn’t encourage them to use their words. Give them a chance to ask for the pretzels, Gusenoff said, rather than grabbing them as soon as your child points to the cabinet.

Minimize Pacifier Usage

If your older toddler or preschooler is still using a pacifier, it can be very hard to break the habit , but it’s also very hard to talk with a pacifier in your mouth, so continuing to use one when speech is developing can interrupt the process.

Offer Choices

Instead of saying, “What would you like to drink?” ask your child “Would you like milk or juice?” A child struggling to build vocabulary will benefit from hearing the options and being able to choose one, rather than being expected to pull the correct word out of thin air. 

Increase Visibility

“When you say the name of an object, hold the object up towards your mouth so your child sees your mouth move,” Gusenoff recommended. This creates an immediate visual connection between the object and the way the word for that object is formed in the mouth.

Take turns repeating words to each other (example: “I’ll say ‘apple’ and then you say ‘apple.’ Ready? ‘Apple.’ Your turn!”). Peek-a-boo games also encourage speech by keeping a child’s attention, as do hiding games. Gusenoff said hiding objects around the house, like hiding small objects inside playdough, and keeping objects reserved inside containers can all encourage kids to ask questions, make exclamations, and request assistance.

Prompt and Withhold (Within Reason)

If your child is struggling because they simply haven’t had a lot of opportunities to practice various types of speech, you’ll have to learn to get comfortable making them feel mildly un comfortable sometimes. Don’t push your child to the brink of tears, but it’s okay to pause or hang back to see if your child can eventually solve their own problem when they need something.

For example, Gusenoff said you can help your child put on one shoe—then get up and walk away. Does your child call after you to get your attention? If so, ask him what he needs (you know the answer, but pretend like you don’t!). The goal here is to encourage your child to communicate for himself, rather than always relying on you to do all the talking.

Most children learn best when things are repeated over and over (and over!) again, and that’s often true for speech as well. When your child says a word correctly, repeat it back to him in a positive tone. If your child makes an articulation error, Gusenoff said, repeat it back to them incorrectly so they can hear what they actually said versus what they think they said. Some kids may not realize they’re making an error until mom or dad repeats it back to them!

Make Lots of Observations

Now that you’re spending dedicated time at home on speech therapy, it’s important to start tracking your child’s progress. Gusenoff said it’s easy to forget or overlook where your child is starting out when learning a new skill, meaning you can underestimate the amount of progress they’ve made. Keep a record or log so you can visually track your efforts.

Gusenoff also recommends paying attention to what words you can understand from your child compared with what a grandparent, for example, and a total stranger can understand. There will be differences between those three metrics (i.e. you can understand 75 percent, your mother-in-law can understand 50 percent, and a stranger can understand 25 percent), but there shouldn’t be enormous gaps between each tier. According to Nemours, most people—regardless of how well they know your child—should be able to understand the majority of your child's speech by the time they turn 4.

Know Your Limitations

It’s important to understand that you may be able to guide and assist your child at home, helping to develop much-needed skills, but you may not be able to correct more significant problems without a professional. It’s one thing to help your child say his “d” and “b” sounds more clearly, but it’s another thing to teach him how to form more complex sounds involving the tongue or back of the throat.

Gusenoff added that kids who are very frustrated by their speech problems, who regress or don’t make any progress, who grope for sounds but are unable to move their mouths, and kids who experience quality of life issues because of communication errors or delays are not the best candidates for at-home speech therapy and would benefit from professional help.

If you’ve reached the limit of what you can provide for your child yourself, try not to take it as a personal offense. Instead, do what you can and then reach out for more help. Your child’s pediatrician is a great place to start—they often know all of the local resources and can point you in the right direction.

American Academy of Pediatrics. Language Delays in Toddlers: Information for Parents .

Nemours Foundation. Delayed Speech or Language Development .

By Sarah Bradley Sarah Bradley has been writing parenting content since 2017, after her third son was born. Since then, she has expanded her expertise to write about pregnancy and postpartum, childhood ages and stages, and general health conditions, including commerce articles for health products. Because she has been homeschooling her sons for seven years, she is also frequently asked to share homeschooling tips, tricks, and advice for parenting sites.

10 Awesome Speech Therapy Exercises To Help Your Clients with Speech Disorders

The practice of speech-language therapy is a challenging, often demanding profession that requires professionals with a master’s level education, a post-graduate fellowship, state licensure, and, more often than not, national certification. Their advanced level of education and training qualifies them to assess, diagnose, and treat a wide array of speech, language, swallowing, and communication disorders.

It’s important work, for sure, but ask any speech-language pathologist (SLP) and they’ll likely tell you it’s also pretty darn fun. After all, it’s one of just a few professions that allow you to get on the floor and play with kids.

What are speech therapy exercises?

Informal, personal interactions marked by focused speech language exercises are at the heart of speech-language therapy. Structured speech therapy exercises are techniques and tools that encourage a child’s speech and language development. They’re a necessary part of improving a child’s speech, language, and communication skills and, when delivered as part of an engaging activity, are fun for young patients while still being a very effective part of therapy.

In fact, if you really want to connect with your pediatric clients, fun activities should be an essential part of every speech therapy session. Creativity should play a big role in your SLP practice. That means always having a new exercise or game in your SLP toolbox. Switching it up keeps your kids – and you, too, quite frankly – interested and engaged. It’s a win-win. A positive speech therapy session means working toward clearly defined SLP goals and having a good time, too. What could be better than that?

Keep things fresh in your practice by implementing new pediatric speech therapy exercises and you’ll soon find you’re having as much fun as they are.

We’ve curated a list of our favorite games aimed at language, voice exercises, speech therapy and more that are sure to get your preschool and school-aged clients engaged, excited, and looking forward to their next SLP session!

Speech and Language Exercises to Keep Your Clients Fully Engaged

You already have the skills necessary to deliver effective speech therapy exercises to your pediatric clients; now it’s time to kick your creativity and resourcefulness up a notch and turn them into games to keep those kids interested. Whether you’re looking for exercises that focus on sensory feedback, articulation, oral motor, or language acquisition, you’ll want to make sure you’re pulling out all the stops and providing them with exercises that are as entertaining as they are effective.

Get Hoppin’

Toss It Around

Bean bags are always a fun addition to speech and language exercises. Get yourself a number of small, lightweight bean bags and keep them handy when you want to practice articulation drills with your kids. Allow your littlest clients to toss a bean bag to you, to each other, or into a basket other container each time they successfully practice their target sound or word. Challenge your older kids by placing baskets at varying distances and encouraging them to hit each basket.

You can also set up a tic-tac-toe board using just a simple piece of construction paper and mark each section with a target sound or word. As you land the bean bags on the squares, you’ll each call out the proper target sound or word associated with that square.

Treasure Hunting Fun

Blow It Away

For many pediatric clients, dysarthria and other speech disorders require SLP exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. Blowing through a straw to push a balloon or ping pong ball across the room is a great way to help them work on building these muscles. Create a finishing line and encourage your kids to see how fast they can get the ball across the room. Better still, challenge them to a race to see who can get their ball or balloon across the room first!

Hide-n-Speak

Tell Me a Story

Whether you’re looking to improve a child’s articulation, disfluency, or expressive language, you’ll find that storytelling is a great way to get them talking. Encourage your kids to make silly stories with you by taking turns telling parts of the story. For example, you can start the story by saying, “Once upon a time, there was a big dinosaur who had a cavity but was afraid to go to the dentist.” Your student can then take over the story by telling a few lines and then passing it back to you, and so on until you have created a silly story that’ll leave you both laughing.

I Went to the Store and Bought…

Here’s a great way to get your pediatric clients talking and expanding upon their descriptive word vocabulary. It also requires them to pay attention, which is always a plus! Start the game by saying, “I went to the store and bought milk.” The child then continues the grocery list by adding the item you said, along with a new item. For example, they may then say, “I went to the store and bought milk and fruit snacks.” See how many items you and the child can remember on the list! This is also a great game to play when working with multiple children in a school-based setting. Have them sit in a circle and play the game by moving around the circle and asking each child to add to the list.

Hopping Fun

Hopscotch is another great way to encourage your kids to practice their target sounds or words while getting up and moving! Create a hopscotch board using inexpensive, interlocking puzzle floor mats and then encourage the child to say the target sound or word each time they hop on the hopscotch board. Or, you can also attach target words or sounds to each hopscotch number and ask the child to sound out each word when they hop on it.

Moving Right Along

Toy cars are a fun way to get your younger kids talking. Create a roadway throughout the room using tape or yarn, and make several “stops” that include the target word, sound, or sentence. As the child reaches each stop, encourage them to sound out the target word or sentence before moving on toward the finish line.

There are complementary techniques to support speech therapy. Here’s the Top 5 Alternative and Complementary Modalities to Pair with Speech Therapy.

• Calvin University - Calvin University's Online Speech and Hearing Foundations Certificate - Helps You Gain a Strong Foundation for Your Speech-Language Pathology Career.
• Emerson College - Master's in Speech-Language Pathology online - Prepare to become an SLP in as few as 20 months. No GRE required. Scholarships available.
• NYU Steinhardt - NYU Steinhardt's Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders online - ASHA-accredited. Bachelor's degree required. Graduate prepared to pursue licensure.
• Arizona State University - Online - Online Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science - Designed to prepare graduates to work in behavioral health settings or transition to graduate programs in speech-language pathology and audiology.

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Parent's Academy › Activities for Kids › Language Activities › 4 Kids’ Oral Motor Exercises for Muscle Weakness

4 Kids’ Oral Motor Exercises for Muscle Weakness

Stacie bennett.

Speech-Language Pathologist , Trenton , New Jersey

Feb 14, 2022 Parents asked: "My son started to babble like he wants to have a conversation with me. I noticed he doesn't use his tongue. What kind of kids' oral motor exercises should I do?"

Are you starting to think that your child has trouble speaking? Ok, stay calm. If you see your child not using a part of their mouth that they need to use, especially at around 2–3 years old, you need to get them evaluated by a speech pathologist to rule out any type of oral-motor disorder. Articulation issues are just one sign that help may be necessary.

The good news here is that a child who is babbling is attempting to communicate. Babbling is a precursor for language, so if your child is doing that, they are on the track to communicating more through words.

What is an Oral-Motor Disorder? 

Oral motor disorders can fall into three main categories:

• Oral or verbal apraxia : the inability for the mouth to do what the brain tells it to do due to motor planning difficulties;
• Dysarthria: the inability to eat safely or speak clearly due to muscle weakness or sluggishness;
• Delay in the development of musculature for eating .

Causes of Oral-Motor Disorders

Oral motor disorders can be caused by incorrect motor programming of the muscles of the mouth – the brain sends a message to the mouth muscles, but the muscles either don’t receive or misinterpret the message.

Then the muscles don’t move or move in the wrong way, making it difficult to manage food in the mouth and to produce intelligible speech.

Some children may have difficulty remembering the movements, which then makes it difficult to make the sounds automatic.

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Low muscle tone of the lips, tongue, or jaw can be another cause. I don’t know the details about the child in question, but if your child is showing issues with movement of certain parts of their mouth, watch them eating, as well.

If it’s a true issue, they will have difficulty moving food around in their mouths. They may also have issues drinking from straws if they have lip or tongue weaknesses. 

Get Evaluated for Speech Therapy 

If you suspect an oral motor disorder, your pediatrician can refer you to a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who can properly diagnose your child.

The therapist will interview you to see what you are noticing at home, but will also perform an assessment on your child.

This assessment may include the following: 

• Checking for signs of weakness or low muscle tone in the lips, jaw, and tongue.
• Seeing how well the child can coordinate mouth movements by having her imitate non-speech actions such as moving the tongue from side to side, smiling, frowning, and puckering the lips.
• Evaluating the coordination and sequencing of muscle movements for speech while the child performs tasks such as the diadochokinetic rate, in which the child repeats strings of sounds such as puh-tuh-kuh as fast as possible.
• Testing the child’s skills in “real-life” situations , such as licking a lollipop, and comparing this to skills in “pretend” situations, such as pretending to lick a lollipop.

If therapy is recommended, the therapist will instruct you on what movements and exercises you can do based on your child’s weakness.

4 oral-motor exercises for speech clarity to try at home

Here are four toddler activities that include articulation and other speech exercises:

• Blowing bubbles . This is for lip and cheek weakness, but it’s fun and kids will play with bubbles without even knowing it’s therapy.
• Using straws to drink. This works on every aspect of a child’s mouth. Children should be using straw cups by 1 year of age.
• Making funny faces. Have your child look in a mirror and imitate funny faces. Again, these faces will depend on what weakness your child is displaying. Also practicing chewing exercises for toddlers will help!
• Lollipops. Yes, they can be used in therapy. Your therapist will have your child lick the lollipop or different candies using their tongues in different positions so that the tongue gains strength. Doing tongue exercises for speech therapy is very important.

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The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Blub Blub Inc. All content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgement, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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Ways to Exercise with Your Child & Incorporate Speech Therapy for Kids

Use these kid-friendly exercises to get your mind and body moving and practice speech therapy goals with your kids!

In this article we will discuss:

Exercise and speech therapy practice tips

Fun exercises and games for your child in online speech therapy for kids, rewards for speech therapy practice, online speech therapy for kids.

Incorporating physical activity and exercise into your child’s life is essential not only for mental and physical health, but also for growth. Research by Marijke Mullender-Wijnsma et al showed that kids learn better when they’re moving. Pairing a body movement with a speech and language goal can help parents and children work together to keep their mind and body flowing!

Emphasizing fun is important for your child. Whether this is through a sport or a task they enjoy, you can be the role model for your child. If they see you enjoying a physical activity, they are more likely to want to join and practice alongside you. All of the tasks and exercises below are developmentally appropriate, but they can also be modified for older children based on their interests.

Having tangible items integrated into each activity can also aid in improved attention to tasks. For example, when playing hopscotch, have your child throw a ball back and forth with each turn. They will be actively participating in this game, and thus be more attentive to the task.

Need help with your child's speech development?

Many parents are familiar with playing hopscotch from their own days on the playground. Hopscotch is a versatile game when it comes to incorporating practice of speech sounds, and can be played indoors or outdoors. Indoors, you can use painter’s tape to make the squares, or your carpet may already have a pattern to follow. Outdoors, you can use sidewalk chalk to draw your own hopscotch game, or visit a park or playground that has one painted on the ground.

Have your child pronounce a speech sound, words, or a phrase they need to practice every time they hop to a new box. You can have them pronounce one syllable of the word each time they hop. Once your child has gone through 10 words, you can have them increase complexity and/or receive their target reward.

You can even write the words or syllables to repeat in each box, to make it easier to remember. Use one-syllable words, or choose multi-syllable words, and write one syllable in each box. If you want, you can also create a sentence or phrase for your child to repeat.

Here are some examples of multisyllabic words to repeat/write in the boxes (remember to use age appropriate words for your child):

Here are some examples of words targeting specific sounds (for this example, we target the sound /k/ in medial position):

Here are some examples of phrases you can have your child repeat:

My/name/is/James.

I/am/four/years/old.

Using phrases will also provide your child with a step by step direction on how to construct a sentence that is grammatically correct, while also playing a game that is fun! Download our Hopscotch for Speech pdf to see more fun ways to use this activity!

Lily Pad Jump

Create lilypads out of construction paper (click here to download our outline) and create a pathway on the floor for your child to follow. Or, outdoors, draw the lily pads somewhere safe with chalk.. Have them start at the first lilypad, and then jump to each lilypad along the path by following your instructions written on each lilipad (see examples below). Once your child reaches the final lilypad, they win!

This game incorporates following directions, receptive language skills, and language comprehension, including wh-questions such as what, where, why, etc.

Give your child a prompt which either provides them with a 1-step direction or a wh-question. See the following examples:

“Jump 1 time and clap your hands.” (If they do the task correctly they get to move forward to the next lily pad.)

“Jump 2 times and touch your toes.” (If they do the task correctly they get to move forward to the next lily pad.)

“Answer this question: Where do farm animals live?” (If they respond correctly they get to move forward to the next lily pad.)

“Answer this question: What color is a panda bear?” (If they respond correctly they get to move forward to the next lily pad.)

Kettlebell or Weight Workouts

If you like kettlebell or weight workouts, try this! While you are working out using your kettlebells or weights, have your child use children’s kettlebells or weights, soup cans, or any child friendly object so that they can work out with you as well. During each rep, have your child repeat a target phrase and/or word that they are working to perfect. For example:

Window: Win- (up) -dow (down)

Necklace: Neck- (up) -lace (down)

Water: Wa- (up) -ter (down)

Bucket: Bu- (up) -cket (down)

Bacon: Ba- (up) -con (down)

Jumping Rope

This task can be done indoor or outdoors. Jumping rope allows you to target phoneme segmentation or syllable segmentation with each jump. You can alternatively target word segmentation (when learning to produce a multisyllabic word). For example:

Real (jump)

Pract- (jump)

Gets (jump)

sults (jump)

Scavenger Hunt

While not technically an exercise, this can be a fun way to get your kids up and moving! Families can incorporate a different version of this to ‘find’ different items around the house. You place specific toys around the house, with tasks (written on post-it notes or index cards) along with them. These tasks can include things such as:

Jump 5 times

Say “bucket” 10 times

Clap your hands 3 times

Say “water” 5 times

Feel free to use whatever sounds or words your child is currently working on in speech therapy for kids. Then tell your child you’re going to play a fun game called “Find Your (Animal) Friend.”

Start by asking your child to go find the Owl.

When your child finds the Owl, read the post-it note: “Great job! Now, say the word ‘Owl’ five times, then go and find the Giraffe.”

Continue with different animals or toys.

Be sure to target language goals, like working on consonants, the “R” or “F” sounds, etc. For example, the Giraffe is a great toy to use for practicing “R.”

Yoga for speech practice

Parents often use yoga as a way to relax amidst their daily routines and schedules. You can invite your child to practice yoga with you. During yoga, children of all ages can target speech therapy goals. For example:

Hold a speech sound: While both you and your child are holding a yoga pose, hold a speech sound (such as /m/) for the period of the pose. This is a task that can target voice, speech sounds, and breath support.

Drill: While in a downward dog pose, use a ‘drill method’ to target a list of vocabulary words. Repeat a target word for a specific amount of times while holding the pose. You can also target a list of specific words, moving through the list as you hold the poses.

“ Should I reward my child when they practice their speech? ”

We often receive this question from parents. Rewards come in many forms. Not all rewards have to be tangible and/or unhealthy. You can even come up with the next task as a reward once you have gauged interest from your child.

At Better Speech, we know that you deserve ideas and therapy that works for you and your family. We have experts in your child’s speech needs and assign the right therapist; not just the therapist that happens to be in your area. We offer online speech therapy services convenient for you and tailored to your child's individual needs. Our services are affordable and effective - get Better Speech now.

About the Author

Cheri Gipson

I am a speech-language pathologist who specializes in language skills and pronunciation. I obtained my Master’s of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Western Illinois University and I have worked in the field of speech pathology for over 20 years. One of the things I enjoy most is helping people learn.

In my spare time, I enjoy writing tips on how to improve online teaching for both the larger language schools and also as a private ESL teacher. Teaching is my passion, and I love seeing students make progress. Every day is a new adventure, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help people learn and grow!

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Improve your child’s speech

by Patricia D. Myers

I'm not an English native speaker and I wanted to improve my speech. Better Speech onboarding process is AWESOME, I met with different people before being matched with an AMAZING Therapist, Christina. My assigned therapist created a safe place for me to be vulnerable and made all the sessions fun and helpful. Thanks to her, I received great feedback from my clients.

by John L. Wilson

​ Better Speech is a great program that is easy to use from home and anywhere online. Shannon was amazing at engaging our shy son - and building on their relationship each session! Her commitment to knowing him improved his confidence to speak and practice more. Truly appreciate her dedication. She cares for her clients.

by Christy O. King

​ Better Speech is an excellent opportunity to improve your speech in the convenience of your home with flexible scheduling options. Our therapist Miss Lynda was nothing short of amazing! We have greatly appreciated and enjoyed the time spent together in speech therapy. Her kind, engaging and entertaining spirit has been well received. She will surely be missed.

by Patricia W. Lopez

This service is so easy, i signed up, got a therapist and got to set up an appointment right away that worked with my schedule. so glad to see that services like speech therapy are finally catching up to the rest of the convenience age! therapy is great, i can't believe how many good tips, exercises and methods in just the first session. really recommend it!

At-Home Speech Therapy Exercises To Do With Your Kids

During the height of COVID-19, school children across the country had to transition from traditional in person classes to strictly online learning.

When it comes to childhood education, online learning boasts several unique advantages.

For instance, online learning helps your child develop valuable digital and information technology skills.

Additionally, it can help parents and extended family members feel more included in their child’s learning journey.

However, these advantages can sometimes come at a cost.

For example, many children struggle to pay attention when learning from home.

And while we do offer speech therapy treatments for ADHD , it’s not always related to that.

Here at District Speech, we know all too well the challenges of making sure that your kids are getting the education they need when they can’t be in school.

We also know that it can be difficult to keep them motivated while they’re stuck at home.

In fact, this 2020 research study lists student lack of interest and motivation as one of the major challenges for online learning amongst the COVID-19 pandemic.

There’s a lot of methods you can use to help spark your child’s interest in at home learning, but what if you could help them build their vocabulary as they play?

Here at District Speech, we’ve devised some fun speech therapy for kids that you can do with your children at home.

If you’d like to know more about pediatric speech therapy, we also offer speech teletherapy so that we can help guide you through speech therapy exercises remotely.

In the meantime, check out these ways to turn playtime into speech therapy exercises, and have so much fun they won’t even realize that they’re learning.

1. Reuse Your Plastic Easter Eggs

Remember those old holiday decorations you have stuffed in a closet?

Why not make use of them?

Easter might seem like it was months and months ago, but there’s still more you can get out of it.

The great thing about plastic Easter eggs is that they’re extremely versatile when it comes to arts and crafts.

If you still have small plastic Easter eggs at home, you can use them to develop your kids’ verbal routines.

You can help them associate phrases to meaning.

For instance, shaking the egg while repeating “shake, shake, shake” helps your child associated the word “shake” with its meaning.

You can also open the egg while repeating “open, open, open”.

Then, give them a chance to play and encourage them to say “shake” and “open” as they explore the egg.

You can also try “knock, knock, knock… open” while getting your children to try knocking on the egg.

Encourage your kids to ask questions about where things are when they are hidden in the egg.

This is a great chance to practice prepositions.

Eggs are also a great way to teach your kids to recognize when to say “hello” and “goodbye.”

Try putting toys in and out of the eggs while waving and saying “hello” and “goodbye” as you open and close the egg.

Haven’t got any leftover Easter eggs?

No problem.

You can still practice prepositions and other language skills with your child using speech and language phone apps, such as Splingo’s Language Universe and Articulation Station .

2. Practice Your Verbs With Play Doh

Play Doh has been one of the most popular kid toys for generations.

One of the reasons kids love it so much is its versatility.

From making fun sculptures and new shapes to rolling it between your palms to create colorful little snakes – Play Doh can keep your child busy for hours.

At District Speech, we like to recommend yet another use for Play Doh: speech and language skill development.

Many people don’t realize that Play Doh can double as a learning tool for speech therapy.

However, Play Doh is a common speech language pathology tool for children .

For example, consider asking your kids to make things with Play Doh, and then ask them to explain how they did it in sequence, as though they are teaching you.

This exercise can be particularly helpful for children diagnosed with a speech disorder, such as childhood apraxia of speech or stuttering.

RELATED: What Is Stuttering And How Can A Speech Therapist Help?

Sculptures aren’t the only thing you can build with Play Doh.

It’s also a great tool in building your child’s vocabulary.

Take the chance to introduce them to verbs relating to fabrication, such as close, cut, push, open, roll, smash, squeeze and take out.

3. Play With Toy Cars

Toy cars are another classic kid’s toy that can be incorporated into your kids’ at home speech therapy.

When your kids play with toy cars, they can learn how to follow directions – both spatially and in terms of instructions.

If your kids have a track, even better.

You can build a race track or road together by telling them which pieces to add, and when.

If you don’t have a race track, you can use household objects to come up with a route.

It might go around a chair leg and under a table, for example.

Or, you can take the fun outdoors and use sidewalk chalk to design your very own race track.

RELATED: Kid’s Speech Therapy Exercises You Can Do With Sidewalk Chalk

Your – and their – imagination is the limit.

4. Play The Board Game “Guess Who?”

“Guess Who?” is a popular children’s game that gets you to ask a variety of questions in order to determine your opponent’s card.

It’s all about describing the appearance of people.

When playing the game, kids can get used to identifying different facial features and describing people from a wide range of backgrounds.

In the process, your kids get to practice their articulation skills in a fun way.

Structured games like this also provide the opportunity for children to understand the importance of rules and turn-taking, as well as their language skills.

5. Play With Blocks

Using building blocks can support symbolic play, which is the ability to understand that one object represents another.

For example, your kids might stack bricks and say that it’s a mountain, or stack two bricks and say it represents a house.

Encourage your children to be imaginative and to build fantasy worlds, or scenes where there are a lot of things to see.

You can even encourage them to build the people and places they read about during story time.

RELATED: The Benefits Of Reading To Your Child

You can add to the fun by including some of their regular toys in with their blocks.

They’ll be building houses for the teddy bears to live in no time.

Book An Appointment With District Speech

Speech is an important stage of development and we don’t want any child to miss out when they’re at home.

These exercises are only some of the ways that you can support your kids’ speech and language development from home.

There are many more different types of games and toys that promote articulation and other speech and language skills.

Even Mr. Potato Head can help!

If you’d like to make the most out of your playtime opportunities with your children and you would like help keeping them educated and entertained, book an appointment with District Speech.

Our speech therapists are experienced in working with children and building speech capabilities.

During your first appointment, you and your speech therapist will chat about what you’d like your kids to work on most, and the specific challenges you’re facing.

From there, we’ll come up with ideas that work for you and your family to keep your kids on track with their speech and language abilities.

Book your appointment with District Speech today .

District Speech and Language Therapy specializes in speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy solutions, for both children and adults, in the Washington D.C and the Arlington Virginia areas.

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Speech Therapy for Toddlers

What is speech therapy.

• Language Development
• Signs of Delay
• Speech Therapy Activities
• A Parent's Role

Frequently Asked Questions

Speech therapy is a treatment led by a speech and language pathologist (SLP) or speech therapist. It helps a person communicate and speak more clearly. Toddlers may develop language or speech impairments due to illness, hearing problems, or brain disorders.

This article covers speech and language milestones, causes of speech disorders, diagnosis, what happens in speech therapy, and how parents can help their toddlers. 

Dragana991 / Getty Images

Speech therapy is a treatment that helps a person speak or communicate more effectively. It is performed by specially trained speech and language pathologists (SLPs) or speech therapists. They help their patients better understand others, pronounce words clearly, or put words together. 

There are different types of speech therapy and their use will depend on the age of the child and what they are experiencing. For example, therapy practices vary for children with apraxia (difficulty pronouncing different syllables), stuttering, aphasia (difficulty speaking due to damage to the brain), and difficulty swallowing, and for late talkers.

Language Development (Newborn to Toddler)

While delay does not always mean there’s a problem, it’s important to recognize when a toddler misses a developmental milestone. The following are general guidelines of speech and language development for babies and toddlers:

Newborns communicate through crying. Their cries may sound the same at first but start to vary as they grow. They also cry to express emotions, and parents begin to understand what different cries mean.

High-Pitched Crying

A high-pitched cry not resolved by comforting or eating may mean that an infant is experiencing discomfort or pain.

Newborns pick up on rhythms of speech and their parents' voices within the first few weeks of life. Between 1 and 4 months old, they become more alert to sounds and may startle more easily or turn to look for the source of the noise. 

Around 2 to 3 months old, infants start smiling and cooing, which often sounds like "ah" or "eh." Babies begin laughing by 3 to 4 months old.  

By 5 or 6 months old, infants imitate adult sounds produced by babbling or shrieking. Babbling involves repeating sounds such as "ba," "ma," or "ga."  

7–12 Months

Seven-month-old infants hear words as distinct sounds and try to repeat them. By 9 months old, they start to understand expressions and simple commands like "no," recognize words for objects, and respond to their names.

Ten- to 12-month-olds follow simple commands such as "give mommy your cup." They also begin to say simple words such as "dada" or "bye-bye."

A Toddler's First Words

Most 1-year-olds can say a few words such as “up” or “dog” but do not put words together in a sentence.

13–18 Months

By 18 months, a toddler puts two words together and says phrases such as "push it." They often communicate in gestures that get more complex over time.

Toddlers this age start recognizing objects, body parts, pictures, or people. For example, if you ask, "Where is your nose?," they will be able to point to it.  

19–24 Months

By 24 months old, toddlers know and say 50 or more words. They start to form two- to three-word sentences. Two-year-olds can usually communicate their needs, such as “I want more milk,” and follow two-step commands.

Speech and Language Developmental Timeline

Children develop at different speeds and may not follow the typical timeline. If you are concerned about the delay, contact your pediatrician or healthcare provider as soon as possible. Early treatment can make a difference.

Signs of Speech or Language Delay in Toddlers

The following are general guidelines to help parents know if they should have their young child evaluated for speech or language problems:

• A baby who does not vocalize or respond to sound
• A 1-year-old who does not use gestures, such as pointing
• An 18-month-old who would rather use gestures than sounds
• An 18-month-old who has difficulty imitating sounds or understanding simple requests
• A 2-year-old who imitates speech but doesn’t talk spontaneously
• A 2-year-old who can say words but not communicate more than their immediate needs or follow simple directions
• A 2-year-old who has a raspy or nasal-sounding voice

Understanding the Words of a Toddler

Parents and regular caregivers usually understand about 50% of a toddler’s speech by 2 years old and 75% by 3 years old.

Speech or language delays can occur due to problems with the structures of the mouth, head injuries, chronic illnesses, or brain disorders.  

If the cause is a brain disorder, it can be difficult to coordinate their tongue, lips, and mouth to make sounds or words. 

Hearing problems can make it difficult to imitate or understand language. This is not always a problem that is apparent at birth. Chronic ear infections can cause hearing damage in one or both ears.

A speech therapist will perform tests with your toddler to check the following:

• What your child understands
• What your child can say 
• Clarity of speech
• How the structures in their mouth work together to form words and eat

The following are diagnostic tests or scales a speech therapist may perform with your toddler:

• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III) : Bayley-III is used worldwide to measure all aspects of development from birth to 42 months. A speech therapist administers the language portion by watching the child follow instructions and identify people and objects. It helps them know if the child is on track or needs further evaluation. 
• Preschool Language Scales–Fifth Edition (PLS)-5 English : The PLS-5 is an interactive screening tool designed for infants and young children. Speech therapists measure all areas of language through a play-based approach. 
• Differential Ability Scales Assessment–Second Edition (DAS-II) : The DAS-II provides a scale to help speech therapists better understand how a child processes information. This allows them to develop appropriate activities for therapy.
• Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation 3 (GFTA-3) : The GFTA-3 involves asking a child to identify colorful drawings and measures their ability to pronounce consonants.
• The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scales: This test is specifically designed for children from birth to 36 months old. It involves a parent interview, as well as observation of the child performing tasks.

What Happens During Speech Therapy?

The speech therapist will plan and perform activities to help your toddler with skills based on their specific needs. Therapy may occur in small groups or individually. 

Language building activities include using picture books, repetition, talking, and playing. If a toddler has difficulty pronouncing certain words, the therapist will teach them how to make the sound or say specific words. 

Sometimes speech therapists help toddlers with speech mechanics. This involves teaching them how to move their mouth or tongue to pronounce a word. They may also prescribe lip, tongue, or jaw exercises to continue at home.

What Concerns are Addressed During Speech Therapy?

Some of the concerns that SLPs may address during speech therapy include:  

• Speech mechanics
• Word pronunciation
• Volume or quality of speech
• Social communication skills
• Trouble swallowing

How Can Parents Help?

It helps to talk and read to your child frequently. Use correct names and speak in a slow and clear voice. When giving direction, keep things simple. Kneeling to their level can them focus on what you are saying.

If your child points at a glass of water, help them connect the gesture and language by asking, “Do you want water?” When they don’t pronounce words accurately, emphasize the correct pronunciation when responding.

Waiting for a Response

When asking a question such as “Do you want a drink?,” try waiting for a response. This helps your toddler learn to communicate back to you. 

Chronic illnesses, brain disorders, and hearing problems can cause a toddler to have delayed speech or language development. Speech therapy can help them learn to communicate more effectively. 

Parents can help by talking to their children often, speaking clearly, and emphasizing correct pronunciation. If your child is in speech therapy, it’s helpful to perform exercises prescribed by your speech therapist at home.

A Word From Verywell

Not all children follow a typical timeline for speech and language development. Sometimes they are focused on learning a new task, such as walking, and put language development on the back burner. They often catch up later. 

If your toddler is experiencing a language or speech delay, talk with your child’s healthcare provider. If there is a problem, getting help early can make a difference.

A toddler should start speech therapy any time after 3 months old if they experience developmental delays in speech or language. This may seem young, but a speech therapist can monitor the signs if there is a delay. Early intervention can make an impact. 

The estimated national average cost for the United States is $218 per session. However, many insurances and most state Medicaid programs cover speech therapy. It can be helpful to find an in-network clinic to decrease your out-of-pocket expenses. 

Nemours Kids Health. Delayed speech or language development . KidsHealth.org.

Durkin MJ. From Infancy to the Elderly: Communication throughout the Ages. Nova Science Publishers; 2011.

Meadows-Oliver M. Pediatric Nursing Made Incredibly Easy. 3rd Edition. Wolters Kluwer; 2019.

University of Michigan Health. Speech and language milestones, birth to 1 year .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Important milestones: Your baby by nine months .

American Academy of Pediatrics. Language delays in toddlers: Information for parents . Healthychildren.org.

Nemours Kids Health. Communication and your 1-to-2 year old . KidsHealth.org.

NAPA Center. Speech therapy for children: What are the benefits? .

Garro, A. Early Childhood Assessment in School and Clinical Child Psychology . Springer; 2016.

Ross, K. Speech-Language Pathologists in Early Childhood . Plural Publishing; 2015.

DeVeney SL. Clinical challenges: Assessing toddler speech sound productions . Semin Speech Lang. 2019 Mar;40(2):81-93. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1677759.

NAPA Center. 5 tips to help your toddler’s speech development by a speech therapist .

Wooster Community Hospital. At what age should speech therapy begin? .

MDsave. Speech therapy visit .

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Introduction to Medicaid .

By Brandi Jones, MSN-ED RN-BC Jones is a registered nurse and freelance health writer with more than two decades of healthcare experience.

Speech Therapy Exercises to Try at Home

What is speech therapy.

Speech therapy is the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of speech and language disorders and other communication challenges. The goal of speech therapy is to improve speech, language, and communication skills, focusing on things such as fluency, phonology, and articulation . 

Speech therapy also helps to boost comprehension abilities, independence and confidence. Speech therapy is successful when it results in clear and effective communication skills, as well as strong comprehension and interpretation skills. Getting started with speech therapy through Great Speech is simple and easy. Start your speech therapy journey by scheduling your free introductory call today! 

How Does Speech Therapy Work for Children?

Speech therapy for children begins with a thorough evaluation of the child’s communication skills, identifying the areas of particular difficulty, and establishing short and long-term goals. From there, the speech therapist will design a fully customized treatment plan to optimize the speech therapy appointments and help the child reach their goals. There are a variety of approaches and techniques that a speech and language pathologist will use when working closely with a child. Some of these include: 

• The Use of Picture Boards
• The Use of Sign Language , Hand Writing, or Typing to Communicate
• Modulation of the Tone of Voice
• Interpreting Body Language and Facial Expression
• Targeting Specific Letter Sounds and Sound Combinations
• Opportunities to Practice Conversation Skills
• Playing with Volume, Pitch, and Speed of Speech

These techniques focus on empowering the child and equipping them with the skills and techniques necessary for them to succeed in social, academic, and personal situations. Speech therapy is a great option for all children, even those who are on track with their communication skills and development. Getting started is as easy as scheduling your free introductory call today! 

What are Some Speech Therapy Exercises to Try at Home? What Exercises Help with Speech?

While speech therapy with an experienced speech and language pathologist is the best resource when it comes to improving communication skills, there are lots of ways to work on your child’s communication skills at home. Here are some of the best free exercises to engage in at home to work with your child to help them communicate more effectively and feel more confident.

Communicate with your Child – While this may seem overly obvious or simple, communicating consistently with your child is of vital importance. Starting from birth, talk to your child, and repeat their sounds back to them as they experiment with their voice. As the child grows, engage with them by telling them what you are doing, naming objects and loved ones, and spending time talking together. When there is a focus on communication in a child’s environment, the child will be more inclined to participate in the communication. 

Sing Songs – Singing is another wonderful and fun way to encourage your child to develop their speech and language skills. Songs will help the child to learn and master the use of new words, as well as teach them about rhyming words and playing with the pitch, tone, and speed of their voice. 

Read Together – Reading to your child is deeply important when it comes to helping them develop their communication skills. Start reading to your child as an infant, choosing age-appropriate books that will encourage them to pay attention, match words to pictures, and encourage them to learn new words. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to expand a child’s vocabulary. 

Engage in Daily Activities Together – Invite your child to participate in routine activities with you. Doing things together such as making a grocery list, planning a party of celebration, creating a menu for the week ahead, or writing in a journal are great ways to collaborate with your child, encourage their communication skills, and teach them valuable lessons about navigating daily life. 

Storytelling – Storytelling is another fun and simple way to practice communicating with your child. You can try telling them a short story and having them repeat it back to you. You can also play games such as “fortunately, unfortunately” where you take turns adding a sentence to the story. These games help encourage your child to listen and understand the story, as well as retain the information and recall it. 

Limit Access – One very simple technique to encourage your child to communicate is to limit their access to certain items. By putting a beloved toy in the closet or a favorite snack in a cupboard they can’t reach. The child is then encouraged to make a verbal request for that item. 

Play Games – Playing games with your child, whether it is a simple game of hide and seek or a board or card game, playing games helps to establish some essential skills. Skills such as taking turns, listening to and understanding directions, and following rules are the building blocks of strong social and communication abilities. 

Listen! – While this may seem like another overly simple or obvious exercise, listening to your child when they speak is essential to building confidence and communication. Allow the child the time that they need to think and respond. Resist the urge to finish their sentences or immediately fill any pauses or silences when your child is speaking. 

Make Silly Sounds and Faces – This activity can be done in front of a mirror, and you and your child make silly faces while looking at your reflections. You can also experiment with different sounds and vocalizations. This encourages the child to play with their facial features and their voice, which in turn encourages a sense of control and mastery while also boosting articulation and personal and spatial awareness. 

Engage in Physical Activities – Activities such as blowing bubbles and blowing up balloons help to strengthen the muscles required for speech, and encourage the child’s physical abilities and mastery of their breath.  

Ask Lots of Questions / Play Interview – Asking questions of your child is a great way to encourage them to communicate and practice the give-and-take of natural conversation. Be sure to engage them in topics that are of particular interest to them, to encourage their participation more fully. 

While there are lots of wonderful ways to encourage the development of your child’s speech, language, and communication skills at home, the best resource for a child’s communication is speech therapy. Speech therapy is a great option for all children, even those who are developing as they should. Get your child started on a path to improved communication and increased confidence by scheduling your free introductory call today! 

Help your child share who they are with the world

Partner with a speech therapist for live, one-on-one online sessions and receive around-the-clock support.

Our sessions are led by speech therapists, supported by parents, and backed by research.

“The results indicate that parent-implemented language interventions have a significant, positive impact on receptive and expressive language skills.”

“Student progress reports indicated that the children made similar progress during the study whichever treatment method was used."

"The results suggest comparable treatment outcomes between traditional service delivery and telepractice"

“Following intervention, students in the telehealth group made significant improvement in speech sound production as measured by change in scores on the GFTA-2"

“Such a finding underscores the importance of comprehensive and ongoing training for successful parent-delivered interventions”

Any age is the right age to start Expressable.

Children learn best from the people they love most—you! During your toddler’s sessions, you’ll learn simple, effective strategies to incorporate at home.

Join your child for fun, interactive virtual sessions, where you’ll learn tips from your speech therapist to easily apply throughout daily life.

Children can start to interact with their speech therapist more independently, but you’ll always be kept in the loop with home activities and updates.

Track your child’s progress and watch their communication soar.

Your child’s custom care plan includes goals that are measured each week as they get closer to graduation.

More practice equals more progress.

That's why we give your child the tools and support to discover new learning moments wherever they go!

How does your child learn?

A better care model for families and individuals

See how we stack up to traditional providers.

Expressable

Traditional providers.

Why thousands of kids and families love Expressable.

"She is a complete rockstar. Kind, funny, and really kept my toddler engaged. We couldn't wait for Tuesdays. Madelyn was professional and personal and we could see her genuine concern for our kiddo."

Madelyn worked with this client to improve her expressive language and intelligibility, helping her effectively communicate basic wants and needs.

"Inga gave me hope in a world of false diagnoses. She was beyond sweet and caring with my son. The screen did not make the session feel distant or dry, it felt very familiar and every week we looked forward to it."

Inga helped this client improve their language abilities and increase vocabulary so he could express his wants and needs with ease.

"Robin is amazing! She has made my daughter feel comfortable throughout the entire process! She was always open to try new techniques and adjust the process to find what clicked with my daughter."

Robin helped this client improve their sound production and overall conversational speech.

"Andrea is phenomenal in facilitating the speech sessions with my son. She gives great insight on how to use various methods to communicate with him. He enjoys the sessions. My husband and I are glad to have this opportunity as a key component of our son’s development."

Andrea helped this client with many language-building techniques like modeling words, using gestures, simple signs, and more to communicate his basic wants and needs.

"We had the most perfect therapist, Fabine. She was joyful, patient, encouraging and always enthusiastic. Our daughter quickly mastered the work and was discharged months earlier than we expected! We liked the twice a week format. It was clearly more beneficial than once a week, in person. Additionally, the homework helped us support her new sounds at home."

Fabine helped this client reach age-appropriate sound production to effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas.

"Arch is amazing with my son. She has really helped him with his speech and is so patient and caring. She has made speech fun for him, and he has made significant improvements since working with Arch. We are thankful for Arch and the excellent program Expressable offers."

Archana helped this client speak more clearly to reach communication milestones typical for his age.

Accessing care should be a breeze. See our coverage options.

Any questions?

Communication is one of our most vital, life-long skills. Speech therapy can help children reach communication milestones appropriate for their age; clearly articulate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas; comprehend the language of others; and develop socially. It also contributes to their academic success and emotional well-being. Plus so much more!

The first step is to schedule an evaluation with a speech therapist. They’ll assess your child’s communication development and make a professional recommendation as to whether your child could benefit from speech therapy.

There is no minimum age. Communication skills begin developing in infancy. Building strong language skills in very young children can set the foundation for strong communication and literacy skills later on. Speech therapy is particularly important for children who aren’t reaching age-appropriate communication milestones, or who are experiencing difficulties such as stuttering or a lisp. Because speech and language patterns become more ingrained over time, the earlier speech errors can be corrected, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

The duration of speech therapy is different for everyone, and it depends on several factors. This includes the type of speech disorder or communication challenge, the frequency of speech therapy sessions, how often you and your child practice the skills taught in speech therapy at home, your child’s age, any underlying medical conditions, and more.

Most children love online speech therapy! Many become more attentive with online learning, and they prefer the interactivity of online exercises and communication. Plus, there are many effective strategies that speech therapists use to engage children online. Expressable’s model of care also focuses on the most important component of improving children’s speech and language skills: the involvement of their parent or caregiver. When parents are actively involved in their child’s care, that leads to faster progress. Our therapists work directly with caregivers to teach them techniques and strategies they can use in their child’s everyday life.

Speech therapy sessions are focused on each client’s care plan, and the activities done during sessions always relate to those goals. So, if a person is in speech therapy to better pronounce the /s/ sound, they’ll begin by learning how to make the sound by itself and work up to practicing it in conversation. Or if someone wants to improve the quality of their voice, their speech therapist will teach them appropriate breathing and vocal exercises. The therapist will aim to do as many trials of each exercise as possible, in order to make the most of each session.

Your speech therapist will constantly be measuring and assessing your response to these exercises. When needed, they’ll make changes to your treatment plan to help you make progress as quickly as possible. Regardless of your goals, your speech therapist will always provide practice activities to complete at home between sessions.

Expressable currently accepts many of the largest insurance companies, and we’re actively working on contracting with new plans across the country. We also offer affordable private pay options and accept HSAs/FSAs for those who do not have insurance coverage or prefer to pay out-of-pocket.

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Oral Motor Exercises for Children

Skills refer to the appropriate functioning and use of the facial muscles (lips, jaw, tongue, cheeks, and palate) for speaking and eating. Achieving oral-motor skills is an important part of every child’s communication and feeding development. Normal oral motor development begins during foetal stage and continues up until 4 years of age. By 3 years of age a child should be able to consume liquids and solids through straws and open mouth cups and chew advance food textures such as whole fruits, meats etc.

Read here to learn about Childhood Apraxia of Speech .

Delay or deviant oral-motor development may lead to poor verbal communication skills and feeding difficulties. Some children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Down’s syndrome, Intellectual Disability and Global Developmental Delays present with weakness of oral muscles. Oro motor exercises help to improve strength, range of movement and co-ordination of the oral muscles which will facilitate better speech and swallowing function.

What are oral motor skills?

The following lists the skills for the functioning of all facial muscles:

• Co-ordination

Who needs oral-motor exercises?                   

  These are some red flags in a child that oral-motor skills need attention:

• Speech sound errors/ delayed verbal language skills
• Mouth is usually in open position
• Tongue hangs out of the mouth
• Drooling/ Excessive saliva secretion
• Often food falls out of the mouth while feeding
• Difficulty chewing and biting
• Unable to elevate or protrude tongue
• Choking or coughing often while eating
• Gagging while feeding
• Unable to suck, lick, chew or blow
• Preference of specific food texture/ oral sensory issues

“If any of the above stated issues have been persisting in a child, it is highly recommended to first consult with a Speech-Language Therapist.” Contact us now.

How and when should you practice with your child? 

The activities listed below are easy to practice with children. Try to incorporate the exercises during play time with your child. It is very important to demonstrate and model these exercises to facilitate faster learning. You can use a mirror or a puppet to make it interesting. If a child is unable to do a particular oral-motor exercise listed below, it’s an indication to train for that specific muscle group. These exercises can be repeated three to six times a day until the skills improve. Every child learns at his/her own pace, progress may be noted in a few days to weeks or sometimes it may also take months.

“If you are already consulting with a Speech-Language Therapist, please follow their advice regarding your child.”

Oral motor exercises:

Read here about oral placement therapy tools  lip exercises:.

• Make a smile then say “ooooo” , “eeeeeee”
• Lip pops, say “pop” “puh” “pe” with exaggerated pressure
• Lollypop squeeze (Hold and squeeze lollypop with lips for 6 seconds)
• Lip press (press your lips together for 3-6 seconds)
• Make a kiss (hold 3-6 seconds)
• Smack lips together (5 times)
• Make humming sounds
• Drink through a twisty straw

Cheek exercises:

• Make silly faces in a mirror
• Blow bubbles or puff balls
• Blow cheeks with air and hold (3-6 seconds)
• Massage cheeks with two fingers in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction (6 times)
• Holding ice cream stick between lips (3-6 seconds)
• Drink from a straw

Jaw exercises:

• Chewing a candy
• Chewing a chewy stick or toy
• Drinking thick milkshake from a straw
• Playing tug-a-war by holding a chewy candy in between the lips and you pull it away
• Open the jaw wide and say “aaah” (hold 3-6 seconds)
• Massage the jaw gently towards and away from the lips
• Chew to make a paste of advance food textures (carrots, apples, pear etc)
• Ice chips on jaw and lips to improve sensory awareness

Tongue exercises:

Read here to learn more about tongue aerobics.

• Lick lollipops up and down protruding the tongue outside the mouth
• Licking honey or yogurt from sides of the lips
• Tongue clicks and popping sounds
• Hold tongue elevated (3-6 seconds)
• Hold tongue outside the mouth (3-6 seconds)
• Touch tongue tip to nose
• Push and hold the tongue inside both sides of cheek (3-6 seconds)
• Chew a biscuit to make it soft and mushy
• Fold and hold tongue tip between lips (3-6 seconds)
• Push against a lollypop on either side protruding the tongue (hold 6 seconds)
• Gently press the lollypop on the tongue (6 times)
• Place chocos or cheerios on the tongue tip and lift and press against the palate
• Say “puh tuh kuh” repeatedly in the order
• Say “lalalala” “tatata”
• Say “shhhhh”
• Say “Brrrrrrrr”

Palate exercises:

• Puff cheeks and breath through nose while someone presses on against the cheeks
• Straw blowing
• Transfer puff balls through a straw from one bowl to another
• Blow cotton balls or bubbles in water
• Say “aahhhh”
• Say “ma ba” alternating
• Say “na da” alternating
• Eat cold food (ice cream etc) for oral awareness

Click here to see a detail video on oral motor skills

Is oral-motor therapy effective?

Practicing oral-motor exercises will greatly improve a child’s ability to eat better and produce speech sounds with improved clarity. However, not all children may benefit from stand alone oro motor exercises and may need additional Speech-Language therapy . If you are concerned about your child’s speech-language development, please contact a Speech-Language Therapist as soon as possible.

“If you are concerned about your child’s speech-language development, please contact a Speech-Language Therapist as soon as possible.”

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(8 Comments)

Excellent presentation and Very clear explanation and informative

Very informative and useful for parents.

Hello, my self Rutu here , i find it very useful, short and simple. thank you so much.

Hello Ms. Rutu, Thank you!

AYESHA ,thanks alot for the information,i really apreciated to found you on line i’m physiotherapist volonteer in a school for children with disability .i really like to be in contact with you.blessings!

Hi Daniel! I’m glad you found this information useful. Thank you for your comment.

Very informative Thank you 🙏🙏

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The tongue- & lip-tie guide.

Part 1: Potential Adverse Effects on Your Child’s Speech Development (and other areas)

When I initially began my research for this upcoming newsletter back in December, it was merely for educational and professional purposes. Three mothers reached out expressing concerns over their child’s diagnosis of a tongue-tie. “Is it going to affect his/her speech?”, each mom asked. Following with, “Do you think I should have the surgery?” or “Should it be clipped?”. I felt pressure to give my opinion, and ultimately guide these parents in the decision to have their child undergo a surgical procedure. So, I reached out to the Tongue- and Lip-tie guru of the tri-state area, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dr. Scott Siegel. He graciously invited me in for a day of shadowing and answered a laundry list of my questions on the topic. But then, in the midst of my research, just few days shy of my highly anticipated day of shadowing, my 13-month old son fell and earned a bloody gash/bruise on the inside of his lip. As I lifted my little guy’s upper lip to examine his wound, I found none other than a very prominent lip-tie staring back at me. How had I not noticed? How did this all happen at the same time? Coincidence. This topic instantly became personal, as well as a two-part series.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Terms Defined
• Tongue- & Lip-tie Classifications/Types
• TOTs & Speech Production (Research, Professional & Personal Experiences)
• TOTs & Feeding (Research)
• Overview of Surgical Procedures
• Summary & Recommendations

The Tongue- & Lip-tie Guide,  Part 2: The Surgical Procedure , set to be released in March 2019, will walk you through the surgical experience. Outline assessment and evaluation procedures, what to expect, surgical procedures, weigh pros vs cons, and discuss post-surgery outcomes and expectations.

TERMS DEFINED

A lingual (tongue) frenulum  is tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth. It helps stabilize the tongue for sucking, swallowing, eating and speaking .  Ankyloglossia , or  tongue-tie , is a shortened lingual frenulum that fuses the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. The fusion can be partial or complete; affecting the tongue’s mobility and ability to rest on the top of the mouth for appropriate palate growth.

A  labial (lip) frenulum  is tissue connecting the upper lip to the upper gum. A  lip-tie  is a shortened labial frenulum that limits lip mobility.

A  frenectomy  is the surgical removal of a frenulum. As referred to as  tongue-tie/lip-tie release , or  tongue-tie/lip-tie surgery .

Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs) is collective term for tongue-ties, lip-ties, and buccal-ties (cheek).

STATS 

Dr. Scott Siegel reports that 20-37% of the population are born with some form a TOT. Within his 19 years of practice, he’s found tongue-ties and lip-ties co-occur in 90-100% patients. 

Lift your tongue and lip up in the mirror to check out your lingual and labial frenulum! 

POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECTS OF TOTs

• Discomfort/Pain
• Feeding: breastfeeding, swallowing, reflux
• Dentition (teeth) & Palate: narrow palate (tongue-tie), tooth decay (lip-tie), gap in between front teeth (lip-tie)
• Speech Production (tongue-tie)
• Mechanical/Social Difficulties: licking an ice cream cone, kissing, cleaning mouth 

CLASSIFICATION OF TONGUE-TIES & LIP-TIES

Dr. Lawrence Kotlow developed classification systems that outline the range of severity (Image A) and types (Image B) of tongue-ties. As well as a classification system for lip-ties (Image C).

TOTs & SPEECH PRODUCTION

Unfortunately, the very little research on this topic fails to confirm a relationship between tongue-ties and speech production. The most informative literature comes from Pediatric ENT-Otolaryngologists, Dr. Anna H. Messner & Dr. M. Lauren Lalakea. They found 60% of ENTs, 50% of SLPs, and 23% of pediatricians believed that Ankyloglossia is likely to cause speech problems (2000). In 2002, they followed children with diagnoses of a tongue-tie, pre- and post-frenectomy. The results yielded improvements in tongue protrusion, tongue elevation, and articulation skills, in more than half of the children (Image D). So, while the studies fail to establish a clear relationship between tongue-ties and speech production difficulties, there is professional opinion and research that suggests one.

In 2016, I worked at the Gramercy School (a Manhattan Special-needs Preschool) and shared a therapy room with Speech-Language Pathologist, Brenda Stone. That winter, Ms. Stone began treating a 3-year-old boy with both articulation and language difficulties. I recall significant articulation delays; he was unable to elevate his tongue for /l, /t/ and /d/, and was unable to produce multi-syllable words. According to Ms. Stone, the limitations due to his tongue-tie were more extensive than I recall. She described his speech as poor and unintelligible. She reported feeding difficulties, significant drooling, and limited range of motion of his tongue. Post-lingual frenectomy, both I, and Ms. Stone recall an immediate difference in regard to his tongue movement. She reported that after approximately 6 months post- surgery, his articulation skills were within the low average range with improved speech intelligibility (amount of his speech that is understood). He continued to receive speech-language services for both articulation and language skills for the next year and half following surgery.

Now I’ll play devil’s advocate. I recently found out that two adult friends have Type II & III tongue-ties. Both of these adult friends are 31 years old, with no history of speech production or feeding difficulties. One of these friends I’ve known since birth; we were neighbors and grew up together. I wouldn’t have known she had a tongue-tie if she didn’t tell me! Both of these adults do not feel their tongue-ties impact them negatively in any way, other than not being able to stick their tongues out very far. 

If you were disappointed by the lack of research on tongue-ties and speech development, well, I have bad and good news for you. Bad news first: there is even less on lip-ties and speech development. Good news: there is a lack of research because lip-ties do not typically incur speech production difficulties later on in life. Dr. Ghaheri says, “Generally, I say no. In some severe cases, if the lip tie is causing the child some discomfort with mouth opening (because of tension), they may alter their oral anatomy to minimize pain, which could impact speech”.

Now, I have a Class 2 lip-tie (Refer to Image C). No way? Yes, way. I have no speech production difficulties caused my lip-tie. But to be honest, it has always bothered me. My brother and son have Class 3 lip-ties (Refer to Image C). Neither of us have experienced any speech related issues due to our lip-ties.

TOTs & FEEDING/DENTITION/DISCOMFORT

There is much research confirming the relationship between TOTs and feeding. In 2016, a study conducted by Dr. Siegel confirmed a relationship between TOTs and reflux in breastfed infants, likely due to insufficient latch (Image E). Similarly, Dr. Bobak Ghaheri’s study of mothers breastfeeding their infant, each with a diagnosis of tongue-tie and/or lip-tie found an increase in breastmilk intake, reduction in reflex, and a reduction in nipple/nursing plan, following their infant’s release of the TOT (2017). Lip-ties have also been found to cause significant tooth decay in breastfed infants, due to the infant’s inability to remove residual milk (Kotlow 2010).

Now back to my family’s experience with lip-ties and our dentition. I have had two rounds of braces, and in the end, my dentist inserted a permanent retainer behind my top 6 teeth to prevent separation again. My brother’s experience was the same, however at the age of 11 he underwent a labial frenectomy while under the care of our childhood orthodontist and dentist. He recalls both professionals explaining that even with braces, his two top teeth would not have stayed together otherwise.

My lip tie is also uncomfortable at times, always feeling tight. When wearing a removable retainer in the past, it would cause pain as it leaned against my lip-tie. As an adult, it is sensitive when something hits or brushes against it (ex: electric toothbrush). Now let’s be real, these aren’t life-threating issues, but were on the topic so I figured I’d share my experience with you. 

SURGICIAL PROCEDURES

March 2019’s Newsletter will discuss TOTs surgical options in depth. Until then, here is a brief overview of your surgical options. You should consult with your doctor to discuss the pros vs. cons of their method of choice. Of these three procedures, it seems that physicians specializing specifically in the removal of TOTs use lasers. See website resources to refer to each of their sites.

BOTTOM LINE

TOTs are linked to poor breastfeeding abilities (e.g. insufficient latch, nipple/nursing pain, reflux, breast milk intake). There are other potential adverse effects, such as speech production difficulties, tooth decay, orthodontic issues, pain/discomfort, sleep apnea, and mechanical/social difficulties. In terms of speech development, tongue-ties may cause limited mobility of the tongue, resulting in difficulties producing with /t/, /d/, /n/, /l/, /th/, /s/, /z/, /ch/. It is important to know that adverse effects from TOTs vary from case to case; patients can have difficulty in one area, have multiple co-existing, or have no difficulties at all. 

My son is 13 months old; he breastfed well and continues to eat solid foods well. While he currently has no functional issues associated with his lip-tie, I’m concerned orthodontic problems will come into play when his adult teeth begin to grow in. After a month of research on this topic, observing multiple frenectomies, and having lip-tie difficulties myself, I’ve decided to move forward on my son’s labial frenectomy. Dr. Scott Siegel of NYC will be using the laser technique while performing his surgery in the next few weeks. It is important to make an educated and individual decision the management of TOTs by reading the literature, consulting with your doctor, and collaborating with other professionals.

From your fellow first time Mom and Pediatric SLP, I hope this helps. Always feel free to reach out.

Rachel Kirson   M. S. CCC-SLP, TSSLD

Ghaheri BA, Cole M, Fausel SC, Chuop M, Mace JC. Breastfeeding improvement following tongue-tie and lip-tie release: A prospective cohort study. Laryngoscope. 2017; 127(5): 1217-1223.

Kotlow L. Ankyloglossia (tongue-tie a diagnostic and treatment quandary); Quintessence International 1999;30 (4): 259-262

Kotlow L. The influence of the maxillary frenum on the development and pattern of dental caries on anterior teeth in breastfeeding infants: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment. J Hum Lact .  2010.

Messner AH, Lalakea ML. Ankyloglossia: controversies in management. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2000 Aug31; 54(2-3): 123-31

Messner AH, Lalakea ML.The effect of ankyloglossia on speech in children. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002; 127(6): 539-545. 

Reddy, N. R., Marudhappan, Y., Devi, R., & Narang, S. Clipping the (tongue) tie. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology. 2014.  18 (3), 395-8.

Siegel S. Aerophagia induced reflux in breastfeeding infants with ankyloglossia and shortened maxillary labial frenula (tongue and lip tie). Int J Clin Pediatr. 2016; 5(1): 6-8.

WEBSITE REFERENCES

www.kiddsteeth.com  (Dr. Lawrence A. Kotlow – Pediatric Dentist)

www.drghaheri.com (Dr. Bobak Ghaheri – Otolarynglogist/ENT)

www.drscottsiegel.com (Dr. Scott Siegel – Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon)

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•   Thursday, April 11, 2024
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• Child Development

Fun Speech Therapy Exercises for Kids

Speech therapy exercises for kids can be fun and easily done at home with the help of parents. For any young child, you might want to try these fun games and exercises to improve their speech and language development.

Oral Exercises for Improved Speech Articulation

Oral/motor exercises, using the tongue, lips and palette can help a child get in touch with her own mouth and better use her mouth and its parts for speech articulation.

Simple household items can help a child develop better oral motor control. Exercises you can try that might prove interesting and beneficial include the following.

• Use a straw to blow an object across a table or keep a feather in the air
• Blow bubbles.
• Invent some fun tricks with the peanut butter and the tongue.

Use Mirrors for Instant Feedback to Your Child

Mirrors can be an invaluable tool for a child struggling to make correct sounds. The mirror reflects the child’s image and can show her how differently her mouth is shaped when attempting to imitate the sounds that an adult models.

Mirrors aren’t very expensive and can be permanently attached to a wall in a child’s room for safety. Place the mirror at the child’s level so that it is most convenient for her/him to see.

Add Visual and Auditory Clues

Visual cues, like making a smile to say a long “e” sound or the sound of “y” at the end of boy also help remind a child of how her mouth needs to be shaped to make correct sounds. Other visual cues not associated with mouth shape, can be used to help a child remember how to make a certain sound.

Auditory cues can help a child learn syllables. Beat out the number of syllables by clapping hands or tapping on a table.

Sometimes a child can’t really focus on how their voice sounds as they say a word or phrase. An audio recorder helps a child listen to her voice separate from the process of speaking.

Try Language Development Programs and Music

The language master is an excellent tool and can be adapted with pictures and large print to simultaneously help kids hear their voice, see an image, and recognize letters. The language master can prove great fun when used with a small group and helps develop fine motor skills as well.

Some children learn wonderfully through music. Don’t hesitate to put those difficult words and sounds into a song and sing your way to speech success! The song doesn’t always need to include words either. Songs that repeat sounds in rapid succession are great fun and good exercise for a child with speech/language difficulties.

Remember to make speech/ language fun. That way, kids are engaged and naturally spend longer on the speech therapy exercises and language activities.

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