Oral Motor Exercises for the Lips

Imitate a variety or oral-motor exercises in front of a mirror.

PURPOSE

This activity helps the learner refine lip movements and in turn coordinate with the jaw, and tongue for speech production and managing developmentally appropriate textures for feeding.

• Step 1

  Tightly seal lips to say “mmmmmmm.”

• Step 2

  Put on “lipstick” or chapstick with purees (ranch dressing, applesauce) and pucker to make kisses on the table or on a mirror. Learner can also lick puree off lips using tongue only.

• Step 3

  Have the learner really round their lips and then push the lips back for a gentle smile.

• Step 4

  Pick a nursery song that the learner likes and try humming it together.