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Toys for Special Needs
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Oral Motor Skills
Toys for Oral Motor Skills: Bubbles, musical instruments, and art projects that benefit the muscles of the face and mouth, developing awareness, strength, and control and enabling eating, swallowing, and facial expression.
Oral Motor skills are the physical skills necessary for eating, swallowing, facial expression, and, when paired with breath control, speech! Therapies that are designed to improve oral motor skills develop awareness, strength, and control of the muscles of the face and mouth. Happily, all of these aims can also be achieved through playtime at home. In fact, practicing these essential skills in a fun-filled, rewarding way may be the best way to motivate children to keep on trying . . . and it's certainly the most fun! The play activities featured here require closed or pursed lips (such as blowing bubbles or playing certain musical instruments)--an effective way to build skills in a way that is both playful and productive. And kids will love the rewards: music, bubbles, and pride in their new abilities!
Skill-Building Tips:
Help your kids master oral-motor milestones with these easy tricks:
1. Some children may have difficulty blowing out candles or blowing bubbles at first. Here's a helpful tip: Cut a piece of a plastic straw. Let the children put it in their mouth, forcing them to purse their lips before blowing out the candles. When playing with bubbles simply hold the bubble wand in front of the straw.
2. Having children use a straw for drinking strengthens oral motor muscles. Make the task a bit more difficult (and tasty) by thickening the liquid to a healthy smoothie or milkshake!
3. Playing a game of "funny faces" with your child is also a great way to strengthen the muscles of the mouth, lips, and tongue. See who can make the most dramatic funny faces over and over. (It's guaranteed to get a laugh!)
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