Oral motor exercises are an important part of speech and language therapy. Targeted movement exercises can help improve muscle strength and enhance sensory awareness within the oral cavity. They provide an essential foundation for addressing oral motor disorders effectively. In this article, you will learn what may cause reduced oral motor function and how it can be encouraged through simple, playful activities at home.
What Are Oral Motor Disorders?
Orofacial dysfunction or myofunctional disorders refer to impairments of muscle tone and movement coordination affecting the mouth and facial region. The muscles of the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw are most commonly involved. When oral motor function is impaired, the finely coordinated interaction between these muscle groups becomes disrupted, making everyday activities such as chewing, swallowing, breathing, and speaking more difficult.
What Can Cause Poor Oral Motor Function in Children?
Reduced oral motor function—also referred to as orofacial dysfunction or a myofunctional disorder—can have many different causes. In many cases, several contributing factors interact.
Mouth breathing and conditions affecting the ear, nose, and throat are among the most common causes. When a child is unable to breathe comfortably through the nose, the mouth often remains open. Enlarged adenoids or tonsils may obstruct nasal breathing, while allergies and nasal congestion can also promote habitual mouth breathing. As a result, the natural closure of the lips and jaw may be compromised, leading to weakened lip muscles and causing the tongue to rest on the floor of the mouth rather than against the palate. Additional factors that may contribute to reduced oral motor function include:
- Prolonged pacifier use, thumb sucking, and inappropriate drinking habits, which may interfere with normal muscle development.
- Dietary habits, particularly the long-term consumption of predominantly soft or puréed foods, which provide insufficient stimulation for the chewing muscles.
- Naturally reduced muscle tone, which may also affect the muscles of the face and mouth.
- Anatomical differences, such as a short lingual frenulum (tongue-tie) or dental and jaw malocclusions (for example, an open bite), which can interfere with normal tongue and lip function.
Sensory processing difficulties may also contribute. If a child has difficulty perceiving touch, pressure, or the position of the tongue and lips within the mouth, controlling these muscles accurately and efficiently becomes much more challenging.
What Are Typical Signs and Symptoms?
Myofunctional disorders may present in a variety of ways during everyday life. The mouth often remains open while at rest, and breathing occurs primarily through the mouth instead of the nose. Swallowing patterns may also be altered, with the tongue pushing against or between the teeth during swallowing. Additional signs may include:
- Speech difficulties: Articulation disorders, such as lisps, may occur when tongue movements lack precision.
- Eating difficulties: Problems with chewing, frequent choking episodes, food collecting in the cheeks, or excessive drooling.
- Reduced facial muscle tone: The lips and cheeks appear hypotonic or "floppy."
How Can I Improve Oral Motor Skills?
In addition to speech therapy, oral motor exercises can easily be incorporated into everyday routines at home. Parents can practice chewing and sucking activities together with their child to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. These exercises are most effective when performed regularly.
The key is to keep the activities playful, varied, and enjoyable. Practice sessions should be as long as necessary—but as short as possible to maintain motivation. Exercises should be stopped immediately if they cause pain.
Practical Exercises and Playful Ideas for Everyday Practice
Lip Exercises:
- Hold a Pencil: Hold a pencil—or another thin object—between the lips by gently squeezing them together. The ARK Flower Pencil Topper Chewcan be attached to a pencil to combine lip closure with chewing practice.
- Lip Walks: Press the lips together firmly and slowly move them from one side to the other.
- Funny Faces: Make a "fish face" or "kiss face" and hold the position for several seconds.
Tongue Exercises:
- Stick Out the Tongue: Extend the tongue as far as possible and hold the position for several seconds to encourage mobility.
- Compass Exercise: Move the tongue toward each corner of the mouth, then upward toward the nose and downward toward the chin.
For tongue training, the ARK oro-Navigator™ is a useful tool for encouraging controlled side-to-side tongue movements.
Blowing and Sucking Games:
- Cotton Ball Soccer: Build a small goal on the table using two cups. Blow a cotton ball into the goal using a drinking straw—or simply by blowing with the mouth.
- Paper Crane Game: Scatter small pieces of paper across the table. Using a straw, suck up each piece and carry it into a bowl without dropping it.
- Bubble Magic: Blowing soap bubbles requires excellent breath control. Encourage your child to alternate between blowing one large bubble very slowly and creating as many small bubbles as possible.
The ARK proButton™ Set of 2 provides a fun way to strengthen lip closure and lip muscles while developing fundamental oral motor skills.
Tongue Coordination Games:
- Jam Beard: Place a small amount of jam, honey, or yogurt on the upper lip or at the corners of the mouth. The goal is to lick it off using only the tongue.
- Tongue Weightlifting: Place a gummy bear on the tip of the tongue. The child tries to stick out the tongue without letting the treat fall.
Jaw and Cheek Exercises:
- The Giant Chewing Gum: Pretend to chew an enormous invisible piece of gum using exaggerated chewing movements. This helps strengthen and relax the jaw muscles.
- Hamster Cheeks: Fill the cheeks with air, then slowly move the air from one cheek to the other without letting it escape.
Conclusion: What Are Oral Motor Exercises?
Oral motor exercises are an effective way to improve oral motor function both in speech therapy and at home. They can support the treatment of swallowing disorders, mouth breathing, and articulation difficulties. Even simple playful activities performed consistently can make a meaningful difference. If you notice signs of a myofunctional disorder in your child, an early assessment by a qualified speech and language therapist is the best way to support healthy development. Learn more about practical speech therapy products for articulation training, swallowing therapy, and oral motor development on our website..
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The IHHC Editorial Team is responsible for creating, reviewing, and continuously updating the content published by the International Hand Health Community (IHHC). Its mission is to present current knowledge from hand therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and medicine in a way that is evidence-based, practical, and easy to understand.