Oral Motor Activities
Oral input is helpful when a child is escalating or moving through a transition. Below are occupational therapist Bonnie Hacker’s favorite oral activities that have proven the most effective over the thirty plus years she has been treating sensory children.
Bubble Volcano: Fill a large bowl or bucket about ½ full of water and add a few squirts of dishwashing detergent. Give the child a long straw, preferably a curly, crazy straw and have them blow into the water. They keep blowing until the bubbles they are creating spill over the top.
Blower Knockdown: This is a very popular activity, especially with little boys. Set up small figures or animals on blocks or books. Have the child lie on his or her stomach. Then using a party blower, they can pretend to be a lizard, using their long ‘tongue’ to knock down the figures. Lying on their stomachs helps to minimize excitement translating to improved regulation during the activity.
Straw Art Pickup: Either you or the child creates a basic picture (e.g., a tree). Precut small apples, about ¾” in diameter to decorate the tree. The child then uses a straw to pick up ‘apples’, by sucking in and places them on dots of glue to complete the picture. This activity elicits precise control and attention.
Blow String Pipes:While whistles of various types provide oral input, string pipes are great because they are quiet and require sustained breath to keep the string moving.