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.