50+ Easy Speech Therapy Activities to Help Your Child Start Speaking at Home

Speech Therapy Activities: If your child needs help initiating speech, you’ll want to include oral motor exercises, massages, vibration techniques, and blowing/sucking activities in their daily routine. These activities stimulate and strengthen the muscles of the mouth, tongue, lips, and cheeks—all essential for speech production.

In this blog, I’ll share 50+ simple and fun activities that you can easily do at home. These activities are designed to develop your child’s oral motor skills and help trigger speech production.

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Speech therapy at home

1. Oral Motor Massages (10 Activities)

These help relax and activate the muscles of the mouth.

1. Cheek Massage – Gently massage your child’s cheeks in circular motions for 1–2 minutes.
2. Lip Rub – Rub the child’s lips gently from side to side using your fingers.
3. Jaw Massage – Press gently below the jaw using both hands.
4. Gum Rub – With clean fingers, massage the gums up and down.
5. Tongue Press – Apply light pressure on the tongue (if the child allows).
6. Chin Tap – Tap the chin gently 10–15 times.
7. Side-to-Side Lip Stretch – Stretch the corners of the lips gently from side to side.
8. Forehead-to-Chin Stroke – Stroke down from the forehead to the chin gently.
9. Ear-to-Mouth Rub – Massage from the ear to the corner of the mouth.
10. Smile Stretch – Shape the lips into a smile using your fingers and hold for 5 seconds.

Tip: You may use coconut oil or a safe lotion, but check with your doctor first.

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2. Vibration Techniques (10 Activities)

Vibrations increase sensory input, which helps stimulate oral muscles.

11. Electric Toothbrush – Use a vibrating toothbrush on the lips, cheeks, and tongue for 5–10 seconds.
12. Humming Toy – Place a small vibrating toy on the child’s cheeks.
13. Lip Buzzing – Make a “brrrr” sound and place it near the child’s lips.
14. Spoon Vibration – Tap a spoon to make it vibrate and touch the lips.
15. Finger Vibration – Gently touch cheeks while making a “zzzz” sound.
16. Massage Roller – Use a vibrating facial roller (if available) on cheeks and jawline.
17. Blow Toy Vibration – Use a vibrating toy whistle or horn near the lips.
18. Tongue Tickler – Touch the tongue with a soft vibrating tool like a toothbrush.
19. Cheek Press + “Mmm” Sound – Press cheeks while humming “mmm”.
20. Vibrating Straw – Make a straw vibrate by blowing and place it on the lips.

Tip: Always use clean, child-safe tools and stop if the child seems uncomfortable.

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3. Blowing Activities (15 Activities)

Blowing helps improve breath control and lip strength, key components for speech.

21. Blow Bubbles – Use a bubble wand to blow bubbles together.
22. Cotton Ball Race – Blow cotton balls across a table like a race.
23. Paper Blow – Blow a lightweight paper across a surface.
24. Candle Flicker – Blow gently to flicker a candle flame from a safe distance.
25. Straw Blowing – Blow bubbles in water using a straw.
26. Feather Float – Try to keep a feather in the air by blowing.
27. Balloon Blowing – Try blowing up a small balloon.
28. Whistle Blow – Use a simple whistle and blow air through it.
29. Ping Pong Blow – Blow a ping pong ball across a table.
30. Tissue Dance – Blow air to move a tissue in different directions.
31. Bubble Wand – Make giant bubbles together.
32. Pinwheel Spin – Blow to make a pinwheel spin.
33. Blow Painting – Use a straw to spread paint on paper.
34. Harmonica Play – Encourage them to blow into a harmonica.
35. Toy Horn Blow – Blow into a child-safe toy horn.

Tip: Demonstrate the activity first to make it easier for the child to imitate.

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4. Sucking Activities (10 Activities)

Sucking strengthens the jaw and tongue, crucial for speech clarity.

36. Thick Shake – Suck a thick shake or smoothie through a straw.
37. Lollipop Suck – Let them suck on a sugar-free lollipop.
38. Straw Water – Drink water through a straw.
39. Yogurt Straw – Drink yogurt or smoothies using a straw.
40. Popsicle Lick/Suck – Let them suck a frozen popsicle.
41. Squeeze Bottle – Suck water from a sports squeeze bottle.
42. Juice Pouch – Drink from a juice pouch using a straw.
43. Fruit Puree Straw – Suck fruit puree through a straw.
44. Sippy Cup Practice – Practice drinking from a sippy cup.
45. Soft Candy Suck – Suck on a soft chewy candy under supervision.

Tip: Always supervise and offer small amounts to prevent choking.

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5. Oral Motor Strengthening (15 Activities)

These build strength and control of lips, tongue, and jaw.

46. Lip Pout (“oo”) – Ask your child to pout like saying “oo”.
47. Big Smile (“ee”) – Smile wide like saying “ee”.
48. Tongue Push – Push gently on the tongue with a spoon for resistance.
49. Chew Toy – Let them chew on a safe teether or chew toy.
50. Kiss Face (“mwah”) – Make a kiss sound and face.
51. Tongue Side-to-Side – Move tongue from side to side.
52. Lip Press – Press lips tightly together and hold.
53. Bite Practice – Bite a small soft biscuit or food item.
54. Tongue Up – Try touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth.
55. Puffed Cheeks – Fill cheeks with air and release.
56. Lip Stretch – Stretch lips sideways using fingers.
57. Tongue Click – Make a “click” or “tik-tik” sound.
58. Chew Gum – Chew sugar-free gum (if age-appropriate).
59. Sip & Hold – Sip water and hold it in the mouth for 5 seconds.
60. Lip Pop – Make a popping sound using the lips.

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How to Use These Activities

• Daily Routine: Choose 4–5 activities from different categories and practice for 10–15 minutes daily.
• Demonstrate First: Always show how to do it so the child can copy.
• Consistency Matters: Practice regularly for at least 2–3 months.
• Make it Fun: Turn it into a game—e.g., bubble-blowing races or smile competitions.
• Observe Progress: If your child is not responding or isn’t making any sounds, consult a speech therapist or pediatrician. There may be a hearing or neurological reason behind it.

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These activities are a great first step in stimulating your child’s oral motor skills, which lays the foundation for speech production.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s): Speech Therapy Activities