The tongue is a facial muscle that we hardly realize exists. It is in constant movement and without it, we could neither speak nor swallow correctly. So it is so integrated into our day to day that we hardly realize it is there. Here, we present tongue exercises to speak well.
However, like any other muscle, the tongue can be strengthened and educated, since we do not always use it properly. Part of the problems that children have when pronouncing well or chewing, or the known atypical swallowing, which causes so many problems, is due to poor placement of the tongue. Keep reading: Gifts for teachers of our children, shows affection or interest?
We give you a series of exercises with the tongue so that the children speak well and thus get a better pronunciation and better swallowing.
Tongue exercises for children to speak well
The use of the language is not as easy as it seems. Each letter has a unique movement of this muscle, which with our first words we are rehearsing little by little, so children learn to speak and pronounce certain phonemes depending on the placement of the tongue inside the mouth.
The first phonemes that we pronounce are those that are made with the lips without the use of the tongue, thus the first baby games appear vibrating the lips, later the guttural sounds, which are the most primitive, and which occur with the throat, as if it were a growl, an example is the famous “garlic” that babies usually say.
When the child grows, he develops more movements with his tongue, and the first syllables arrive as “dad” or “mom”, and it is not until he is 4 or 5 years old when the language develops and they are able to pronounce more complex words.
This learning varies according to the languages, so it is difficult for a child who has not learned the pronunciation of a certain phoneme since childhood, for example, the French vowels, it is difficult to learn as an adult correctly.
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For children who have problems when pronouncing a letter, such as “R”, “S”, “D” … in addition to having atypical swallowing problems, speech therapists recommend performing exercises with the tongue to strengthen it. Check also: http://cassyfiano.com/study-exam-period-09-easy-techniques/
Here we leave some of the tongue exercises:
1- Remove and stick the tongue keeping the mouth open and without brushing the teeth.
2 – With the tongue out of the mouth to expand and narrow it alternately.
3- Place the entire tongue on the palate and keep it for 10 seconds while opening and closing the mouth. The tip of the tongue should not touch the teeth.
4- Repeatedly touch the “mountain” of the palate with the tip of the tongue .
5- Tightly press the tip of the tongue against “the mountain of the palate”. Put your thumb under your chin to feel the strength you are doing.
6- Bring the tip of the tongue from the “mountain” backwards.
7- Place a piece of wafer in the anterior third of the palate. Try to detach it by moving the tongue backwards (not towards the teeth). We can do the same exercises with a bit of cocoa cream or other food that sticks to the palate.
8- Make the horse with the tongue, that is, click the tongue.